MADISON – Player development was a pillar of the Wisconsin men’s basketball program under Bo Ryan.

It remains so under his successor, Greg Gard.

The Badgers this month won a share of their first Big Ten title since 2015 in large part because several players continued to expand their games and/or became more consistent than in previous seasons.

That list includes guards D’Mitrik Trice, Brevin Pritzl and Brad Davison; and forwards Aleem Ford and Nate Reuvers.

“There have been teams that have been hot, teams that have surged at different times of the year,” Gard said. “I think we hit our stride at the right time to make our run that we did in order to get a piece of the championship.”

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Gard noted during the season that Trice’s development was a microcosm of UW’s rise – from a team that was 6-6 in the Big Ten and 13-10 overall on Feb. 5 to a team that finished 14-6 in the league and 21-10 overall.

Trice came to UW as more of a scoring guard but has become a tough-minded and dependable lead guard who can hurt foes by distributing, shooting or defending.

He entered his redshirt junior season averaging 2.2 assists per game and improved that to 4.2 assists per game this season, including 4.6 in Big Ten play. Trice was at his best during UW’s eight-game winning streak to close the season, with an average of 5.8 assists and just 1.8 turnovers per game. He also averaged 10.4 points during the streak.

Gard noted several times during the season that Trice was a defensive liability in his early years at UW but this past season was consistently asked to contain the opponents’ top guard.

Ford in his first two seasons proved to be a three-point threat who rarely scored around the basket, didn’t get to the free-throw line frequently, wasn’t a tenacious rebounder and was inconsistent on defense.

In his first two seasons (64 games), Ford grabbed a total of 150 rebounds and attempted 37 free throws. In 31 games this season he had 137 rebounds and attempted 49 free throws. He improved his scoring to 8.6 points from 3.1 per game the previous season and worked to become a capable defender.

He averaged 10.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in UW’s final 10 games.

One of many plays that illustrated his development came late in UW’s 71-69 victory over Minnesota.

Davison missed a three-pointer with UW trailing, 66-64, but Ford hustled into position and jumped to tap the ball back out toward mid-court. Davison then outfought Minnesota’s Gabe Kalscheur and tipped the ball to Trice. Trice found Pritzl open for a three-pointer and 67-66 lead.

Pritzl entered his final season at UW averaging 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. He contributed 8.0 points and 3.7 rebounds to help UW win a share of the league title. He scored in doubles figures in 11 games, including seven as a reserve. UW finished 11-0 in those games.

And remember it was Pritzl who grabbed critical defensive rebounds late in victories over Minnesota and Indiana.

Davison became a UW fan favorite his freshman season when he battled through a lingering left-shoulder injury to average 12.1 points per game and fill the void at point guard caused by the season-ending foot injury to Trice.

His shooting slumped in 2018-19 but this season he rebounded to shoot 35.9% from three-point range, including 36.8% in league play. His scoring dipped to a college-low 9.9 points per game because of UW’s balance but he hit huge shots in victories over Maryland and Indiana.

After deferring on offense and scoring in double figures three times in his first 12 league games, Davison scored in double figures in five of his last seven league games. He also averaged a personal-best 4.3 rebounds per game this season.

Reuvers was UW’s lone experienced post player with Micah Potter ineligible for the first 10 games of the season and had to endure a heavy workload. He averaged 29.6 minutes per game in the first 10 games and was at 24.5 minutes in the final 21 games.

He still led UW in scoring in league play (12.0 ppg) and all games (13.1 ppg) and arguably was the team’s most disruptive defensive force.

His block on Minnesota’s Daniel Oturu with UW clinging to a one-point lead in the final seconds was huge. And although he was only fourth on the team in offensive rebounds in league play, his put-back in the final minute at Indiana helped secure the victory and a share of the title.

“When it comes winning time, Nate Reuvers shows up big,” Gard told the Big Ten Network after he was named the league’s coach of the year. “Big blocked shots. Big baskets down the stretch. He has just continued to improve as time has gone on. When it comes down to crunch time, I definitely want him on the floor for my team.”

Gauging Potter’s development at UW is a bit tricky because he played in only 21 games.

Yet consider these numbers:

Potter in two seasons at Ohio State averaged 12.1 minutes per game. His numbers in those 59 games: 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

Potter finished his first season at UW averaging 10.1 points and 6.2 rebounds – in 17.8 minutes per game. He shot 45.1% from three-point range and 52.8% overall and, perhaps most important, became more comfortable on the defensive end as the season progressed.

“He brought experience and leadership from the moment he set foot on campus last December when he transferred,” Gard told BTN. “He has been an immense addition to our locker room just from a culture standpoint and from a leadership standpoint.

“He is another big body who took pressure off Nate. I could play them together at times, but they also complemented each other. When one needed a break, the other one could come in and do some really good things.

“He has been a much-welcome addition. He has been terrific. And it started with what he did off the court and how it has helped our locker room.”