Wisconsin Basketball: State of the Union

My colleague Ryan Harings of Locked on Badgers asked BadgerNotes a series of questions about the current state of the Wisconsin men’s basketball program and where the program stands under head coach Greg Gard. 

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Program trend, has it gone up, down, or stayed the same under Coach Gard?

There was a ton of animosity surrounding how Greg Gard became the head coach at the University of Wisconsin. Like it or not, Bo Ryan set things up so that his right-hand man would get a crack at landing the full-time gig – which he did. However, coach Gard has received far more criticism from the fan base than I feel is justified.

Coach Gard’s resume through seven seasons as head coach:

• Winning percentage of (.649%).

• Won two Big Ten regular-season titles.

• Has two Big Ten Coach of the Year awards (2020, 2022).

• Won the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year award (2016).

• Coached two All-Americans (Happ, Davis).

• Made the NCAA Tournament in all but one season.

Coach Ryan’s resume through his first seven seasons as head coach:

• Winning percentage of (.742%).

• Won three Big Ten regular-season titles.

• Had two Big Ten Coach of the Year awards (2002, 2003)

• Won the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year award (2008).

• Coached two All-Americans (Harris, Tucker).

• Made the NCAA Tournament every season while at UW.

The two UW coaches have had comparable on-court production throughout their first seven years. Coach Ryan is obviously in a league of his own, but I'm using his resume as a frame of reference for Gards' on-court success.

Had these results come from an outside hire, I feel confident saying the Badgers fan base would feel optimistic about the state of the program and the man leading it.