The Wisconsin basketball team built a significant 17-point halftime lead over the Ohio State Buckeyes on Tuesday after a balmy shot by guard John Blackwell. However, Ohio State stormed back, scoring an absurd 48 points in the second half and almost completed the comeback before a heroic transfer overdue in the game to the Wisconsin Badgers John Tonje.
In victory, head coach Greg Gard moves his team to an impressive 14-3 mark and within reach of the Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans for the top spot in the Big 12 rankings. Notably, the Wisconsin basketball win is Gard’s 200th win for the program.
Wisconsin Basketball HC Greg Gard is making history
According to @BadgerBlitz senior writer Benjamin Worgull:
Greg Gard is currently 200-110 (.645) at Wisconsin, including 108-72 in the conference (.600). His conference winning percentage ranks eighth among Big Ten coaches over the last 45 years. #Badgers
With Tuesday’s victory, Wisconsin head basketball coach Greg Gard now has a record of 200-110 and is now on the back foot of the Big Ten program. Gard, a longtime assistant to Bo Ryan, became the team’s leader after his sudden retirement in 2015. In his abbreviated first season, which ended in the Sweet Sixteen, Gard went 15-8. The 54-year-old coached Wisconsin basketball for six 20-win seasons, but has not reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament since the 2016-17 season.
With the victory, Gard becomes the fourth head coach in program history to surpass the 200th victory mark. Gard is the only one joining Bo Ryan, Doc Meanwell and Bud Foster Wisconsin Badgers bosses on the bench achieved 200 wins. Foster, the only player with a winning percentage below .500, is the only head coach to win a national title.
Gard lacks postseason success
Greg Gard, a two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year and Wisconsin head basketball coach, led the Badgers to four top-25 finishes in the AP rankings. Additionally, Wisconsin won the Big Ten twice under his watch. However, postseason success largely eluded Gard during his time with the Wisconsin Badgers.
Despite back-to-back Sweet Sixteen appearances early in his tenure, Wisconsin is just 6-6 in the NCAA Tournament with Gard leading the way. Most importantly, the Badgers have won just two March Madness games since 2017. But after a forceful start, Wisconsin will likely be among the 68 teams this season, barring a significant loss.
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