Get to know the Wisconsin Badgers' 2021 men's basketball recruits

Less than two weeks remain until UW can officially start the 2020-21 season, but it has yet to finalize a schedule. "It's become a monumental task," Badgers coach Greg Gard said.

The Badgers, who earned a share of the Big Ten title last season, are picked to finish third despite returning almost their entire rotation.

The No. 7 Badgers' 2020-21 schedule includes a game at No. 13 Michigan State on Christmas Day.

The Badgers are scheduled to play 26 games, a number that is expected to increase by one when a seventh non-conference game is added. But even the most optimistic people within the program are expecting hiccups.

UW coach Greg Gard said it was "a little eerie" playing in the Kohl Center with no fans during the team's 77-67 win over Eastern Illinois on Wednesday night.

The Badgers moved up three spots to No. 4 in the AP Top 25 poll after opening their season with a pair of comfortable wins.

Will Ryan, son of coaching great Bo Ryan, returns to the Kohl Center on Tuesday when the No. 4 Badgers host UW-Green Bay. 

A day after rising to No. 4 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, UW put on a defensive clinic during an 82-42 victory over the Phoenix.

Badgers sophomore forward Tyler Wahl made strides in multiple areas during the offseason. Not only is the 6-foot-9, 220-pound Wahl bigger, he's also more confident in shot. 

UW's game against Louisville, scheduled for Wednesday night at the Kohl Center, is in doubt after a positive COVID-19 test Thursday put the Cardinals' program on an indefinite pause.

Follow postgame coverage from the State Journal after the No. 4 UW men's basketball team fell to the Marquette Golden Eagles Friday night at the Fiserv Forum.

After a last minute scheduling change, No. 13 UW seemed prepared for a unique Rhode Island team and recorded a 73-62 victory behind a season-high 23 points from senior guard Brad Davison.

Get the latest postgame updates after the 12th-ranked UW men's basketball team defeated Loyola Chicago 77-63 Tuesday night at the Kohl Center.

Senior center Micah Potter scored a season-high 20 points as the No. 12 Badgers completed their non-conference slate with an 85-48 victory at the Kohl Center.

Brad Davison had 15 points, Micah Potter recorded a double-double and both players played a key role in helping No. 9 UW overcome a dreadful start on offense to post a 67-53 victory over Nebraska.

The No. 6 Badgers found out the hard way that there’s no such thing as a gimme in the Big Ten this season, dropping a 70-64 decision to Maryland at the Kohl Center.

“It comes down to focus and discipline,” UW assistant coach Alando Tucker said. “We broke a lot of the rules that we normally that we don’t break.”

Senior center Micah Potter finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds for UW, which never trailed and led by as many as 26 points in the second half en route to a 71-59 victory over No. 21 Minnesota.

Get the latest postgame updates after eighth-ranked UW defeated Indiana 80-73 in a double-overtime battle Thursday night at the Kohl Center.

D’Mitrik Trice finished with 21 points, Nate Reuvers added 14 and Tyler Wahl had 12 as the Badgers turned in a dominant second extra session en route to an 80-73 victory over Indiana at the Kohl Center.

Get the latest postgame updates after the ninth-ranked Badgers were hammered by the seventh-ranked Wolverines 77-54 in a Big Ten showdown at Crisler Center.

While the 77-54 loss to No. 7 Michigan didn’t go down as the most-lopsided defeat under coach Greg Gard, it certainly qualifies as one of the most embarrassing performances of that era.

Markus Ilver, a 6-foot-8 forward from Estonia, orally committed to the Badgers on Wednesday. Ilver, who plays at Western Reserve Academy in Ohio, also had scholarship offers from Nebraska, Utah, VCU and Xavier and had received interest from Virginia, Washington and others.

UW coach Greg Gard called it a “rock fight,” but that’s exactly what was required for the ninth-ranked Badgers to win at the RAC for the first time since the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten in 2014.

At least seven teams appear capable of making a push for the Big Ten title in the second half of an unpredictable schedule, made even more uncertain as COVID-19 cases cause postponements and highlight health concerns.

Get the latest postgame updates after the 10th-ranked Badgers came up short against the 15th-ranked Buckeyes, falling 74-62 in a Big Ten battle at the Kohl Center.

UW followed a poor showing by its offense in the first half by a sloppy defensive effort after halftime. The result was a 74-62 defeat that dropped the Badgers (12-4, 6-3) two games behind first-place Michigan.

Before the circumstances of this weird season can help UW, however, UW has to start helping itself.

The Buckeyes (12-4, 6-4) have beaten four of the five ranked opponents they've faced, including the Wisconsin Badgers.

The No. 14 Badgers were able to deliver some payback once again thanks to senior center Micah Potter, whose 23 points and 12 rebounds carried UW to a 61-55 win over the Terrapins at the Xfinity Center.

The Nittany Lions ended a 13-game losing streak to UW as a poor second half for the No. 14 Badgers, particularly on the defensive end, proved decisive in an 81-71 defeat Saturday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Teams don't want this season to be for naught if they make it all the way to the end of the regular season only to have players contract COVID-19 at the conference tournament and be unable to compete for the NCAA Tournament.

The No. 19 Badgers added another tally to their bounce-back total Tuesday night at the Kohl Center, where freshman Jonathan Davis scored a career-high 17 points in a 72-56 victory over Penn State.

Get the latest postgame updates after the 19th-ranked Badgers fell to the 12th-ranked Fighting Illini 75-60 in a Big Ten showdown at the State Farm Center in Champaign.

It was a painful experience on national television for No. 19 UW, which dropped a 75-60 decision to No. 12 Illinois at the State Farm Center.

Tipoff between No. 21 UW and Nebraska is now scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Wednesday on the Big Ten Network.

The Big Ten announced Tuesday it was relocating the 2021 men's basketball tournament, which originally was supposed to be held at the United Center in Chicago, to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Freshman Jonathan Davis gave No. 21 UW a boost in the second half and the Badgers defense shifted into lockdown mode in a 61-48 victory over Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln.

UW's 67-59 loss to the No. 3 Wolverines Sunday at the Kohl Center was another sad sign that the No. 21 Badgers are who they are entering the stretch run of the season — namely, far from the elite outfit they expected to be when the campaign began.

With an opportunity to show people who they really are with a matchup against the No. 3 Wolverines, the No. 21 Badgers revealed themselves Sunday, just not in the way they or their fans had hoped.

Iowa center Luka Garza leads the nation with 24.5 points per game heading into a matchup between the No. 11 Hawkeyes and No. 21 Badgers on Thursday at the Kohl Center.

Get the latest postgame updates after the 21st-ranked Badgers defeated the Wildcats 68-51 in a Big Ten showdown Sunday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

While Micah Potter said Sunday night he didn’t want to get into the specifics of the Badgers' recent meeting, the senior — who scored a team-high 19 points in UW's 68-51 victory over Northwestern — acknowledged he thought it was a productive discussion.

As the Big Ten season winds down, both Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu and Iowa big man Luka Garza made school history over the weekend.

Not even a breathtaking barrage of points from D'Mitrik Trice in the final minutes could make up for what had been a miserable Senior Day to that point for UW.

Edey scored a career-high 21 points to lead No. 23 Purdue to a 73-69 win over No. 25 UW, dropping the Badgers to 4-42 all-time at Mackey Arena.

The freshman point guard from Detroit has been on an indefinite leave from the program since October to “tend to a personal family matter,” according to a statement put out by UW at the time.

The normally mild-mannered Badgers coach had plenty of time to cool off between the final buzzer and the start of his postgame news conference, yet Gard's temperature only seemed to rise during those 30 minutes.

"If college basketball's headed in this direction, we're in big trouble," coach Greg Gard said after the Badgers' loss at Iowa. "It sickens me that we have games decided like this."

UW had been ranked all season, starting at No. 7 in the preseason poll and reaching as high as No. 4.

The Big Ten men's basketball tournament tips off Wednesday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, where potential drama awaits.

“It seemed like the best option for me because it’s a perfect fit for me — the play style, the league, the tradition that Wisconsin has,” Markus Ilver said of joining the Badgers men's basketball program. “I couldn’t say no, you know?”

“After taking some time to reflect," senior guard Brad Davison said, "there is no place I would rather be than Madison!"

Jahcobi Neath, a 6-foot-3 point guard who played the past two seasons at Wake Forest, committed to the Badgers late Thursday night.

The 7-foot-1, 260-pounder fills a spot that had been depleted after the departures of Nate Reuvers, Micah Potter and Joe Hedstrom this offseason.

The seven opponents the Badgers will play both home and away are Indiana, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Purdue and Rutgers.

The Wisconsin guard was one of 12 players to make the final roster for the team, which will play for the FIBA U19 World Cup in Latvia. 

Gus Yalden, a Badgers recruiting target originally from Appleton, doesn’t seem too focused on the leaked recording of the February meeting between coach Greg Gard and the seniors.

Team USA and Badgers sophomore Jonathan Davis will continue group stage play against Mali on Sunday afternoon. 

After starting and going scoreless yesterday, Jonathan Davis came off the bench and contributed seven points, four rebounds and two assists against Mali. 

Badgers sophomore guard Jonathan Davis made one of four of his shot attempts in Team USA’s win over Senegal. 

Davis had two points in Team USA's 92-86 win over Canada. 

The Golden Eagles defeated the Badgers 67-65 last season, but UW holds the 68-59 all-time edge in the I-94 series.

UW will play against either Butler or Houston in its second game. 

Micah Potter’s versatility impressed NBA teams. The Miami Heat offered the best opportunity for the former Wisconsin Badgers forward.

UW will start the season No. 7 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, the second-best preseason ranking in program history.

UW senior forward Nate Reuvers, who averaged a team-high 13.1 points last season, was named to the preseason All-Big Ten team.

Starting Wednesday, Chris Hodges, Chucky Hepburn and Matthew Mors finally can make it official by signing letters of intent to join the program starting with the 2021-22 season.

One of the reasons UW coach Greg Gard likes the makeup of the 2020-21 roster is the lineup flexibility he has at his disposal. The experienced Badgers can go big, small or something in between.

UW is scheduled to host Louisville in the 2020 ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The only meeting between the programs came nearly 32 years ago.

UW coach Greg Gard wanted the Badgers to get pushed to the limit in preseason conditioning drills heading into what could be a busy 2020-21 schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Get the latest analysis, injury reports and highlights as the 7th-ranked UW men's basketball team opens the season against the Eastern Illinois Panthers Wednesday night at the Kohl Center.

After a lengthy delay, No. 7 UW finally was able to hit the play button again Wednesday night and got the 2020-21 season started with a 77-67 victory over Eastern Illinois at the Kohl Center.

Get the latest analysis, injury reports and highlights as the 7th-ranked UW men's basketball team hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff Friday night at the Kohl Center.

No. 7 UW scored the first 25 points, hitting 10 of its first 13 shots, and coasted to a 92-58 win Friday night at the Kohl Center.

Get the latest postgame updates after the 4th-ranked UW men's basketball team routed UW-Green Bay at the Kohl Center.

After three blowout wins to open the season, the bullying stopped Friday night at Fiserv Forum, where a tip-in at the buzzer by freshman Justin Lewis lifted Marquette to a shocking 67-65 upset win over UW.

Get the latest postgame updates after the 13th-ranked UW men's basketball team defeated the Rhode Island Rams 73-62 Wednesday afternoon at the Kohl Center.

Strong shooting from the perimeter helped No. 12 UW, which got 17 points apiece from senior guards Brad Davison and D’Mitrik Trice, hold off Loyola Chicago 77-63 at the Kohl Center.

Get the latest postgame updates after the 12th-ranked UW men's basketball team defeated the 23rd-ranked Louisville Cardinals 85-48 Saturday at the Kohl Center.

Following a legend is no easy task. So how has Greg Gard done running the UW men's basketball program the past five years after taking over for longtime mentor Bo Ryan?

Get the latest postgame updates after the 9th-ranked UW men's basketball team defeated Nebraska 67-53 in their Big Ten opener Tuesday night at the Kohl Center.

Get the latest postgame updates after 9th-ranked UW defeated 12th-ranked Michigan State in a Big Ten showdown Friday at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

“Heck of a Christmas afternoon,” UW coach Greg Gard said after his team shot 52% overall and 42% from 3-point range en route to an 85-76 victory over Michigan State. “Just so proud of our guys, how they preserved, how they battled.”

Get the latest postgame updates after 6th-ranked UW fell to Maryland 70-64 in a Big Ten battle Monday night at the Kohl Center.

Despite an impressive win Friday at Michigan State, the sixth-ranked Badgers have a long way to go this season and a lot of work to do before they achieve the kind of consistency they'll need to reach their goals. 

Unlike earlier this week in a loss to unranked Maryland, No. 6 UW brought non-stop effort and aggressiveness on both ends of the floor while building an improbable 60-34 lead with 8 minutes to play against No. 21 Minnesota.

Get the latest postgame updates after the ninth-ranked Badgers defeated the Scarlet Knights 60-54 in a Big Ten showdown Friday night at Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.J. 

Get the latest postgame updates after the 14th-ranked Badgers bounced back from a loss with a 61-55 victory over the Terrapins in a Big Ten showdown at the Xfinity Center.

Big Ten teams that qualify for the NCAA tournament will stay in Indianapolis between the conference championship, scheduled for March 10 through 14, and the start of the national tournament March 18, Alvarez told the Athletic Board on Friday.

Get the latest postgame updates after the 14th-ranked Badgers fell to the unranked Nittany Lions 81-71 in a Big Ten showdown Saturday at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Get the latest postgame updates after the 21st-ranked Badgers defeated the unranked Cornhuskers 61-48 in a Big Ten showdown Wednesday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Get the latest postgame updates after the 21st-ranked Badgers blew a 14-point lead en route to a 67-59 loss to the 3rd-ranked Wolverines in a Big Ten showdown Sunday at the Kohl Center.

Get the latest postgame updates after the 21st-ranked Badgers were hammered by the 11th-ranked Hawkeyes 77-62 in a Big Ten showdown at the Kohl Center.

Are the Badgers demoralized? Seniors Brad Davison and Micah Potter say no, even after a 77-62 setback against No. 11 Iowa left UW with defeats in consecutive games for the first time this season.

Saturday afternoon's matchup with No. 5 Illinois was exactly the type of game the Badgers needed to win if they wanted to enter March with the momentum that has eluded them all season.

Get the latest postgame updates after the 25th-ranked Badgers came up short on the road, falling to the 23rd-ranked Boilermakers 73-69 in a Big Ten showdown at Mackey Arena.