Wisconsin Basketball Program Makes Greg Gard Announcement

Gard achieved the feat by becoming the third-fastest coach in school history to reach 200 wins, doing so in 310 games with a record of 200-110 (.645). 

The Cobb (Wis.) native joins an elite group of Wisconsin coaches, including Naismith Hall of Famers Walter Meanwell, Bud Foster, and Bo Ryan.

Since taking over for coach Ryan in the 2015-16 season, Gard has helped lead Wisconsin basketball to sustained success. His .600 Big Ten win percentage (108-72) ranks third among active coaches during his tenure, trailing only Purdue's Matt Painter (.726) and Michigan State's Tom Izzo (.646). Additionally, Gard’s conference win rate ranks 8th-best among Big Ten coaches in the last 45 years.

Those might not be Bo Ryan-level numbers, but they’re undeniably impressive, considering everything coach Gard has navigated during his tenure. He’s led this program through the NIL and transfer-portal era—and made the necessary offensive adjustments to keep up with the times.

During Gard’s tenure, he has guided the Badgers to two Big Ten regular-season championships (2020, 2022) and earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in both of those seasons. In his first year at the helm, Gard was also awarded the prestigious Jim Phelan Award in 2016, recognizing him as the top coach in Division I basketball.

After the game, Gard was quick to deflect credit for the accomplishment, emphasizing the collective effort behind the program's success.

“This is not about me. My name goes with it, but I've had terrific players, terrific coaches with me, [a] support system…you divide this up,” Gard said.

“It’s a lot of hard work by a lot of people, a lot of hours that go unseen and unnoticed to have an opportunity to help a program be successful. There’s just a lot of people that help put me in this position.”

The Wisconsin Badgers now sit at 14-3 on the season and 4-2 in Big Ten and will look to build on this milestone victory as they prepare for a road matchup against the USC Trojans (11-6, 3-3) on Saturday, Jan. 18.