Big Ten Basketball: Ranking all 14 head coaches for 2019-20 season

9. Greg Gard (Wisconsin)

For younger fans of college basketball, it’s a surprise to learn that Wisconsin hasn’t always been a Big Ten powerhouse. The Badgers won the national title in 1941 and made another appearance that decade, but were then absent from the Tournament for nearly fifty years. Gard is the latest in a line of coaches that have turned the program around, though he has clearly formed in the mold of Bo Ryan.

Gard played his college ball at Wisconsin-Platteville under Ryan and followed him around the state as an assistant. Besides a brief stint as a high school coach, Gard’s entire coaching career has been an assistant under Ryan, at Platteville, Milwaukee, and finally in Madison. He was at Ryan’s right hand as Final Four teams were built and as Wisconsin became a yearly Big Ten contender. In December 2015, Ryan announced his retirement and it was finally Gard’s turn to take over a program.

We’re just three and a half seasons into Gard’s tenure, though there have been ups and downs. His first two teams both made the Sweet Sixteen, but Wisconsin mightily struggled in 2018, missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nearly two decades. Last year’s 23-win, 4th place team got back on the wagon, but the expectations are extremely high in Madison.

Bo Ryan led the Badgers to a pair of Final Fours in his last two full years in Madison, but will Gard be able to replicate that level of success? His record at Wisconsin has been solid, though he’s only just beginning his head coaching career. No matter what happens, Gard is not Bo Ryan and he’ll lead this program in his own way. With a few more years, he’ll rise up this list.