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‘BTPowerhouse 25’ - No. 16 Micah Potter

BTPowerhouse's staff counts down the best players in the Big Ten heading into the 2020-’21 season.

By Thomas Beindit
NCAA Basketball: Wisconsin at Indiana Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

In the months leading up to the 2020-’21 college basketball season, BTPowerhouse will be releasing a new series called the ‘BTPowerhouse 25,’ which features the Top 25 players in the Big Ten as voted by members of the staff. All players set to be on Big Ten rosters for next season were eligible during the staff vote with their top selection receiving 25 points and their 25th and final selection receiving 1 point.

Today's edition will take a brief look at Micah Potter of the Wisconsin Badgers, who landed at No. 16 in the rankings. The Badgers enter this season hoping to build off last year’s impressive run, which culminated in a share of the Big Ten regular season title. Potter was a big part in that championship and will lead the team once again.

'BTPowerhouse 25' - No. 16 Micah Potter:

  • Eligibility: Redshirt Senior
  • Career Totals: 80 games, 1,082 minutes, 454 points, 294 rebounds, 26 assists
  • 2019-’20 Averages: 17.5 min, 10.1 pts, 6.2 rebs, 0.4 asts, 1.0 blks, 0.4 stls
  • Positional Role: Center

After last season’s incredible midseason turnaround, Wisconsin went on to finish 21-10 overall and had done enough to earn the one seed for the Big Ten Tournament before the season was cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, virtually every major contributor from that team returns and Badger fans are hoping the team can keep things rolling. Potter will be a big part in whether that becomes reality.

-Player Strengths

During his two seasons in Columbus before he transferred to Wisconsin, Potter showed a diverse skillset. He could play outside the arc, rebound, and contribute down low. However, he really didn’t have the consistency to perform at a high level.

Well, that wasn’t the case last season in his first playing time in Madison.

Potter was a monster last season. He finished with the league’s second-best three-point percentage, hitting a ridiculous 46.9 percent from deep. And on top of that, he ranked in the top 10 in the Big Ten in offensive and defensive rebounding rate and top 10 in usage. He was an absolutely dominant player who led the Badgers offensively.

-Areas for Improvement

There really aren’t many things to critique about Potter’s play last season. When you’re an elite shooter, dominate the boards, and are efficient offensively, it’s hard to complain. And that was last season for Potter. He performed at a really high level in limited minutes.

The big question will be whether Potter can extend his play. He wasn’t eligible for the first semester due to NCAA transfer rules last season, but he’ll be eligible for the entire season this time around. Can he play at the same level for a full season? And can he stay on the court for longer? He had too many sub-20 minute games to be an All-Big Ten guy last year. He needs to find a way to stay on the court longer.

-Player Projection

Potter is going to enter this season with high expectations. And if he can play the way he did last season during limited time and extrapolate it for an entire season, the sky’s the limit for Potter’s game. But that’s often easier said than done. It will be a major challenge, especially with opposing coaches now patently aware of his potential.

Expect Potter to regress a bit in the advanced metrics, but expand his playing time and total contributions. He should be one of Wisconsin’s best players this season and has a shot at All-Big Ten status if everything goes well.

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'BTPowerhouse 25' Rankings:

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