Who is Wisconsin basketball’s x-factor in 2020-2021?

Who is the most important piece for Wisconsin basketball next season?

Wisconsin basketball is a preseason contender in 2020-2021, just not the type of contender they have been in the past. The make up of this team is not only different than the 2014 and 2015 Badger Final Four teams, but also unique when comparing the roster to most of the nation over the past decade.

This Badger team will likely start five seniors, something that is virtually unheard of in the one and done era. Wisconsin also has a plethora of youth coming in to Madison with a deep, six-person 2020 class that is highlighted by Ben Carlson and Johnny Davis. Instead of relying on a few players who are head and shoulders above the rest, this version of Wisconsin basketball is about a bunch of role players coming together to be the best versions of themselves. Instead of having a few major pieces make up most of the puzzle, this Badger team has a bunch of different pieces that need to fit together for UW to be at their best.

So, who is the most important piece? Before I answer that question, I want to make it clear that on different nights, and even in different stretches of the season, the answer to that question should change if Wisconsin wants to be at their best. Every single role player must be excelling at their role in order for the Badgers to reach their sky-high ceiling. Although, if we base it off of this past season’s run to a Big Ten title, the answer is clear: D’Mitrik Trice.

Last season, Trice was greatly helped by the return of a Badger who helped to ignite the Wisconsin turnaround. Had Micah Potter never been able to return from the unfair grasp of NCAA law, Wisconsin basketball would have never gone 16-5 over their last 21 games in 2019-20. Potter and Trice made each other better in the back half of last season. Here is just one example that came against Maryland:

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Trice improved nearly every aspect of his game from January through March after Potter became eligible. The junior guard averaged 10.9 points and nearly five assists over his final 21 games. Through the Ohio native’s first ten games of the year, he averaged just over 7.5 points per contest and three assists as Wisconsin went 5-5.

Having Micah Potter on the floor during the second half of last year was an immediate boost for Greg Gard and company. As we head into 2020-2021, Potter and Trice have built undeniable chemistry that will help lead the Badgers as far as the seniors will take them. With Trice, however, there is more uncertainty about his role. It is no secret that when he plays at his best, Wisconsin basketball wins games. We saw it in 2019-20 with the aforementioned boost over the final 21 games that he provided. So, what Trice will we see? A player who is more off-ball than on? A true point guard who is initiating the offense every time down? A little bit of both depending on who else is on the floor with him? 

At certain points last season, taking Trice off the ball found him with the basketball in his hands late in a possession with even more frequency. He was arguably forced to make more possession-deciding decisions when he was running off-ball. Finding the playmaking ability that Trice had at the end of this past season will be essential for Wisconsin’s success.

Let’s also not overlook the defensive end of the floor. College basketball, and modern-day basketball in general, is guard-dominated. Wisconsin will need to contain quick, shifty guards up and down the Big Ten Conference if they want to come away with back-to-back Big Ten titles. Trice will be tasked with defending many of the top guards on Wisconsin’s schedule, and that job could be more important than any work that the Badger guard does on the offensive end.

Wisconsin fans should have every reason to believe that Trice can be the playmaker that leads the Badgers at the guard position. He answered many questions in the second half of last season. Now, it’s almost time for one last run with a group of seniors that have the ability to crash through Wisconsin’s sky-high ceiling.