Wisconsin senior forward Micah Potter met with the media Tuesday to discuss his team, the Badgers’ NCAA Tournament first-round opponent North Carolina, and about growing up with former UNC quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
Potter, who is 6-foot-10, averages 12.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game for the Badgers. He shoots 50.6 percent from the field and has made 36 of 96 three-point attempts on the season.
Above is the video of Potter’s Q&A session and below are some notes and pulled quotes from what he had to say:
*Friday night’s game will be played at Mackey Arena, home of the Purdue Boilermakers, and also where the Badgers played just two weeks ago. Wisconsin lost 73-69 there on March 2, but Potter believes it’s an advantage for the Badgers because they are more familiar with the building than the Tar Heels.
“In the course of my career in the Big Ten, I’ve played there three times, I’m pretty sure,” Potter said. “So, and I’ve actually gotten a win there, which is pretty nice. It definitely helps to have played there before. Obviously, in the history of Wisconsin, we’ve played Purdue and not North Carolina, and most of the time there’s lots of fans in the arena as well…
“It definitely is nice to have played there before and have the familiarity with the rims, depth perception and all that stuff… UNC’s a good team, so regardless of how comfortable we are playing at Mackey, we still have to make sure we’re prepared for UNC.”
*Wisconsin is well aware of UNC’s strength rebounding its own missed shots. It has obviously been a point of emphasis for the Badgers. So what must they do to keep the Tar Heels from dominating on the offensive glass?
“Going through scouting reports, that’s the number one thing on the scouting report is their ability to rebound the ball offensively,” Potter said. “I’m pretty sure they’re number one in the country when it comes to offensive rebounding and a lot of their points come from that. I know specifically talking about the ACC Tournament… talking about the amount of offensive rebounds, I think it was 61 in three games.
“So, they’re a great offensive rebounding team. They have lots of size, they’re very physical inside, and it’s something we’ve got to be ready for making sure all five are rebounding the ball defensively, making sure the bigs are doing their job boxing out and attacking the ball on the rebounds as well.”
*Potter played his first two college seasons at Ohio State and faced the Tar Heels in December 2017 in the CBS Sports Classic in New Orleans. So, what does he see different in the current Heels from those Tar Heels?
“They’ve had a history of playing two bigs, but that’s the biggest thing that stands out to me is their dominance with both of their bigs inside,” he said. “I know they’ve had a history of playing two bigs, but their style of both has been different compared to what it is now.
“Both of them are like pound the paint and attack the offensive glass big time. I think they’re a little bit more reliant on that this year than the past. That’s not to say they don’t have good guards or wings, because they have very good guards and wings, but I feel like their go-to is more going inside than it is playing from the perimeter.
“And that’s going to be a challenge for us. That’s what we have to stop. That’s what we have to try to take away as best as we can. Take away the offensive rebounding and doing a good job defending inside.
“They’re always a well-coached team, they’re always a fine-tuned team if that makes sense. Coach Williams is one of the best to ever do it. You have to prepare for every facet of the game when it comes to them.”
*Potter grew up in Mentor, OH, home of former UNC quarterback Mitch Trubisky and tight end Brandon Fritts. So Potter was asked if he was a fan of Trubisky and if there’s a soft spot in his heart for the Tar Heels because of that.
“I grew up with Mitch, pretty much,” Potter said, smiling. “I’m closer with his younger brothers because we went to school together in high school at Mentor. So, I know his younger brothers a little better than him. But the whole family we’re good friends with.
“So, yeah, it was cool to see him go to UNC and get drafted by the Bears and stuff. But I will also say this, I also have two cousins who are NC State alums, so there’s obviously the rivalry there. So it’s like, yeah it was cool to see Mitch, and also Brandon Fritts who was his tight end at UNC, who also played at Mentor with Mitch, it’s kind of cool to see those guys have success there, but also from a family ties standpoint, NC State’s kind of the way to go.
“It’s always good to see people from your hometown doing well. So I don’t know if I’d say it’s a soft spot for UNC because of the NC State ties that I have, but it’s always good to see people from your hometown doing well.”
