Wisconsin Basketball Downplays Altitude Effect in March Madness

Perched atop 5,280 feet of elevation, the air in Denver is less dense than what UW is used to. At the higher altitude, fewer oxygen molecules exist in each breath of air. Madison sits at an elevation of only 873 feet. 

Badgers head coach Greg Gard says his training staff has "done some things to help" his team deal with the conditions, but the two-time Big Ten coach of the year downplayed the environment's potential impact. 

"I haven't made a big deal about it because I don't think it's a big deal," Gard said in an interview Wednesday. "We'll acclimate to it and we've already been working in that process.

"It's not going to be any type of excuse you're going to get from us. We've played in a lot of different places. We've played in really hot gyms. We've played in cold gyms when they couldn't get the air conditioning shut off. We've seen a lot of different environments."

Sophomore forward Nolan Winter boasted his team's "youthful legs," despite Wisconsin's veteran roster with the 45th-most Division I experience among any team in the country, according to Kenpom. 

"We've all done a lot of recovery stuff in getting ready for these games and for the altitude and whatever," the Lakeville, Minnesota native said on his first-ever trip to Denver. 

Wisconsin Badgers Guard Max Klesmit: 'Everybody is Prepared' for Denver Altitude

Senior Max Klesmit credited the Wisconsin basketball staff for ensuring the team would be ready before the Badgers try to reach a Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2017. 

"I think we're prepared for [the altitude.] It's kind of one of the things we thought of right away," the guard admitted. "But I think we've got really good trainers, really good strength coach, strength and conditioning program here. I think we've got the right people taking care of us, and we're in the right hands.

"Everybody is prepared. They've got to play in it, too. It is not just like we're going to be the only ones playing in the high altitude."

The Neenah native is correct that the conditions will be the same for all teams on the court. However, Wisconsin's potential opponents might be more accustomed to the altitude. UW's first-round opponent, the Montana Grizzlies, calls Missoula, Montana home, where the elevation is 3,209 feet. Barring an upset by the VCU Rams, the Badgers would face the No. 6 seed BYU Cougars in the second round. BYU's campus in Provo, Utah, sits at 4,551 feet. 

Regardless of the circumstances, "we've got to go play a really good team," said Gard. "That's the bottom line."