Busting Brackets
Fansided

Big Ten Basketball: Ranking the head coaches for 2018-19

By Bryan Mauro

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 12: A general interior view of the empty court during the semifinals of the 2011 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 12, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 12: A general interior view of the empty court during the semifinals of the 2011 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 12, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
7 of 15
Next
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 12: Head coach Greg Gard of the Wisconsin Badgers looks on during the second half against the Michigan Wolverines during the Big Ten Basketball Tournament Championship game at Verizon Center on March 12, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 12: Head coach Greg Gard of the Wisconsin Badgers looks on during the second half against the Michigan Wolverines during the Big Ten Basketball Tournament Championship game at Verizon Center on March 12, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

9. Greg Gard

Greg Gard was the hand-picked successor to a College Basketball legend. Bo Ryan, the former coach of the Badgers retired from coaching in the middle of the 2015 season. When Gard was selected he knew he would have tough shoes to fill. During the tenure of the legendary former coach, the Badgers finished in the top 4 of the conference every single year, as well as the NCAA tournament every single year. The Badgers were as consistent season to season as most of Blue Bloods each season.

The consistency is something that the Badger fans have always hung their hat on. When Gard took over he was able to continue that consistency up until last season. Last season, the Badgers really struggled, not only in the conference but out of conference as well. While Ryan no longer has his hand in any of the day-to-day operations of the team, a few of his players are still on the Roster.

Injuries plagued the team last year, as Gard was without an experienced point guard for most of the season. D’Mitrick Trice started the first 10 games of the season, before being lost for the year with a foot injury. Shooting Guard Kobe King was another player expected to contribute to the Badgers last year and was also lost for the season after the first 10 games. The injuries and inexperience really hurt the Badgers last year.

Gard is in no way on the hot seat or a bad coach. In fact, he is a very good coach, but will always be under the microscope as he is replacing a Madison legend. The Badgers return almost every key contributor to their team this year, including star Ethan Happ. Trice and King return and are healthy to start the year. The Big Ten is loaded this year, and Wisconsin will have its work cut out for it, if they want to reclaim their rightful place in the top 4 in the conference.

Home/Big Ten