Micah Potter comes back down to earth
Potter had been on a tear leading into tonight’s game, averaging 17 points on 61.1 percent shooting to go along with 5.3 rebounds per game over Wisconsin’s last three and looking like the team’s best player. Unfortunately for him and the Badgers, the transfer forward wasn’t much of a factor against the Spartans.
Though he was fine on the glass (five rebounds), Potter finished with just four points (2-7 from the field) and a team-high three turnovers. His struggles in the paint on both ends of the court against Xavier Tillman and the other big bodies Tom Izzo has in spades in his rotation were obvious all night long, though he was far from the only Badger with few answers against the Michigan State’s length and athleticism.
Given how handily the Badgers were whooped in this one, it probably would not have made the difference between winning and losing had Potter played like the star he has been lately. However, considering the Spartans’ size, this was a game in which the Badgers needed a strong outing from him to have any chance at a win, and it just wasn’t there tonight.