Wisconsin coach Greg Gard: ‘We feel we should be 7-1 in [Big Ten play], we’re not’

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Greg Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers are in a comfortable position: Approaching the top of the Big Ten standings after entering the year with tempered expectations.

That reality feels like a near-annual occurrence in this iteration of the Gard era with the program.

Related: Updated game-by-game predictions for Wisconsin basketball after UCLA loss

Wisconsin’s preseason outlook, remember, was a 12th-place finish in the new 18-team Big Ten. The Badgers have already proven that outlook wrong with a 15-4 (5-3 Big Ten) start to the season and a No. 18 ranking in the current AP Poll. Predictive metrics back that up — Wisconsin ranks No. 22 in KenPom and No. 26 in the ESPN BPI.

The team was even at 15-3 (5-2 Big Ten) before a recent two-point road loss at UCLA ended its seven-game win streak. In Gard’s words, that narrow loss shows the night-in, night-out challenge presented by the new conference landscape.

“You see every night in this league, it’s very competitive,” Gard told the media on Friday. “You’re going to have some really good times, and you can’t get enamored with those, and you’re going to take one on the chin here or there and you can’t get overwhelmed with that.”

Two of the times Wisconsin ‘took it on the chin’ in conference play came by a combined margin of five points (85-83 to UCLA and 67-64 to Michigan. Wisconsin had chances at game-tying baskets in the final seconds of each matchup. John Blackwell failed to convert against the Bruins, while Max Klesmit missed multiple final-minute three-pointers against the Wolverines.

Gard reinforced his confidence in his team’s form, especially given the nature of those two defeats.

“I thought they were in a good spot [against UCLA],” Gard continued. “They’re upset. They know we didn’t play up to our ability, specifically defensively. And I think, quite frankly, we feel we should be 7-1 right now in the league. We’re not. So we’ve got to make sure, as we see, every opponent is a new…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/wisconsin-coach-greg-gard-feel-184828418.html

Author : Badgers Wire

Publish date : 2025-01-25 18:48:00

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