Wisconsin basketball fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Oregon. What are the next steps for Greg Gard and Co. now?
Wisconsin basketball put together a very successful regular season in 2018-19. Behind the stellar post play of Ethan Happ and strong perimeter contributions around him, the team recorded a 23-10 (14-6 Big Ten) record and landed a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. That was a particularly great regular season when you consider that the team missed out on the postseason altogether a year ago.
Once Wisconsin reached the postseason, though, the visit was not longlasting. The Badgers were matched up with the scorching hot Oregon Ducks in the dreaded 5/12 first-round matchup and they were unable to score enough down the stretch to take the victory. After reaching the Sweet 16 in each of the prior two NCAA Tournament appearances under head coach Greg Gard, this trip was a bit underwhelming.
With that said, though, it was encouraging step in the right direction for the program to return to relevancy as quickly as they did following a dreadful and injury-riddled 2017-18 campaign. Looking ahead to the future, the Badgers will have to replace some key seniors but the hope is there for the future. So, with the latest season now finished, let’s take a look ahead at what might be to come for the Badgers.