University of Wisconsin men’s basketball head coach Greg Gard earned a milestone victory as the Badgers avoided a disastrous second-half collapse to defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes 70-68 on Jan. 14.
The Badgers started strong and took a 17-point lead into halftime. The Buckeyes heated up in the second half and eventually had an opportunity to tie or win the game in the final seconds. But, Buckeyes forward Devin Royal stepped out of bounds attempting a 3-point shot to win, icing the Badgers’ victory.
The victory marked number 200 for Gard, a milestone few have reached at Wisconsin. Gard, however, was quick to defer the credit in his post-game press conference.
“You guys know this is not about me,” Gard said. “My name goes with it, but I’ve had terrific players, the current ones and ones that have been here for the last nine years, terrific coaches with me. I have a phenomenal staff right now, a support system.”
Gard is the fourth coach in school history to reach the mark, joining Walter Meanwell, Bud Foster and Bo Ryan.
Gard became the team’s head coach in 2015. Under Gard, the Badgers have won two Big Ten regular season championships in 2019-20 and 2021-22. In each of these years, Gard was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. The Badgers have also made six NCAA Tournament appearances and reached the Sweet 16 twice during Gard’s tenure.
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Gard has this year’s group well on pace to return to the NCAA Tournament, despite low expectations. Wisconsin, who was projected preseason to finish 12th in the conference by the Big Ten media poll, sits at 15-4, 5-3 in Big Ten and is ranked No. 18 nationally. Exceeding expectations has been a staple of Gard’s tenure and a mere NCAA Tournament berth may be more than most expected out of the Badgers this year.
Gard and his staff can be credited for much of this season’s success. After losing three starters in the offseason, the staff added three transfers, most notably John Tonje, who leads the team in scoring. John Blackwell, Nolan Winter, Carter Gilmore and Kamari McGee have also shown major growth highlighting the staff’s ability to develop talent.
The growth and success of players can be partially attributed to the team’s evolved offensive attack. Badger teams of the past have been efficient at a slow pace. This season, the team averages 82.5 points per game, which is top-30 nationally and would be the most by a Badger team since 1970-71.
The team also leads the country in free throw shooting at 85.5%, showcasing growth in a category that has been an issue for recent Badger teams.
As conference play continues and the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments approach, Gard will put the 200-win milestone in the rearview mirror to work toward finishing near the top of the conference and making a deep postseason run.