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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 of the BTPowerhouse 25 will take a look at fifth year senior guard D’Mitrik Trice from Wisconsin. The Badgers guard brings plenty of experience to the table, having played in 112 games throughout four seasons. In his sophomore season Trice played in only 10 games, allowing him to keep that year of eligibility. He’ll look to help a Wisconsin team that has gone 28-12 the last two seasons in conference play and is coming off of a tie for first place in the league.
BTPowerhouse 25 - No. 11 D’Mitrik Trice
- Eligibility: Redshirt Senior
- Career Totals: 112 games, 3093 minutes, 1000 points, 308 rebounds, 307 assists, 80 steals
- 2019-20 Averages: 32.2 min, 9.8 pts, 4.0 rebs, 4.2 asts, 0.1 blks, 0.8 stls
- Positional Role: Guard
Wisconsin has had a few rocky moments under Greg Gard’s tenure, including missing the NCAA Tournament in 2018 for the first time since the 1998. Gard has managed to get things back to normal, though, going 14-6 each of the past two seasons in Big Ten play. The return of guard D’Mitrik Trice has quite a bit to do with that, as Trice only played in 10 games the year the Badgers missed out on the NCAA Tournament. Now Trice returns for his fifth year and will be one of the most experienced players in the country.
Trice is a three time Academic All-Big Ten, 2019 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten and 2020 Third-Team All-Big Ten.
Player Strengths
Trice is a well balanced guard that brings plenty of versatility and experience to the backcourt. Last year he didn’t wow the world with only 9.8 points per game, but he was a consistent enough scorer that shot 37.6% from three. He also averaged just over four assists and rebounds per game while also leading the Badgers in steals.
Running the point Trice saw his numbers raise from 2.6 to 4.2 assists per game. He also kept his turnovers in check with an increased usage, only committing 1.7 turnovers per game. Trice was just named to the preseason watch list for the Bob Cousy Award, rewarded to the best point guard in the country.
Areas for Improvement
Trice could work on improving his ability to shoot the ball more consistently. He did shoot 37.6% from three, which is a solid shooting rate. However, he was only a 38.4% shooter from inside the arc, a relatively inefficient clip that could use some work. Also of note, in the ten Wisconsin losses Trice shot 28.6% from three compared to shooting 42% in Badger wins.
Player Projection
Trice is a versatile point guard that is one of the most experienced options in the Big Ten. After a slightly rock start to Gard’s tenure in Madison, Wisconsin seems to have things back to the consistent success the team had under former head coach Bo Ryan. Trice has shown the ability to shoot from outside and is a capable point guard and defender on one of the more stout programs in the nation.
Wisconsin occasionally has been offensively challenged and if Trice can improve his ability to score inside the arc that would be a big boost for the Badgers. Everyone is focusing on Iowa and Illinois after a few of their stars decided to return but Wisconsin is coming off of a tie for first in the conference and will bring back a loaded roster this year that should be able to compete at the top of the conference
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BTPowerhouse 25 Rankings
- #27-28 - Players That Just Missed The Cut
- #25 - Adam Miller (Illinois)
- #25 - Miller Kopp (Northwestern)
- #22 - Ron Harper (Rutgers)
- #22 - Eric Hunter (Purdue)
- #22 - CJ Fredrick (Iowa)
- #21 - Rob Phinisee (Indiana)
- #20 - Khristian Lander (Indiana)
- #19 - Seth Towns (Ohio State)
- #17 - Nate Reuvers (Wisconsin)
- #17 - Mark “Rocket” Watts (Michigan State)
- #16 - Micah Potter (Wisconsin)
- #15 - Marcus Carr (Minnesota)
- #14 - Joey Hauser (Michigan State)
- #13 - Jordan Bohannon (Iowa)
- #12 - Geo Baker (Rutgers)
- #11 - D’Mitrik Trice (Wisconsin)