Wisconsin Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Badgers

Mar 7, 2021; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard talks with guard Trevor Anderson (12) and guard Brad Davison (left) and forward Micah Potter (11) late in the game during the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports /

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Wisconsin Basketball Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

It feels like Wisconsin Basketball has been starting the same five players for the last ten years or so. While that’s obviously an exaggeration, the amount of change coming to Greg Gard’s team this season is going to be a bit jarring for both the program and its fans.

Last year’s team managed to overcome five losses in its last six conference teams to make the NCAA Tournament as a 9-seed, where it knocked off North Carolina in the first round in dominant fashion. The Badgers didn’t stand much of a chance against eventual national champion Baylor, though.

Much of that team’s core is gone. D’Mitrik Trice is in France. Nate Reuvers is in Croatia. Micah Potter is with the Miami Heat. Overall, the Badgers are replacing seven players from last season, leading to some of the lowest expectations for the program in recent memory.

It’s hard to imagine this team falling off too far. Since Gard took over during the 2015-16 season, the team has finished with a losing record just once and has only missed the NCAA Tournament once in a season where it was played; they finished tied for first in the Big Ten in the season where it wasn’t, so the team would’ve made it then too.

Still, it could be tough sledding for the Badgers, at least tougher than usual. The similarly named Brad Davison and Jonathan Davis will play big roles in deciding how far Wisconsin goes this year.

Let’s take a look at a prospective starting lineup for the Badgers.

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