Wisconsin coach Greg Gard couldn't care less about the Badgers' top-10 triumphs

MADISON, Wis. - Greg Gard has led the University of Wisconsin to 17 wins over top-10 opponents since taking over the Badgers coaching job in December 2015. That includes a 7-10 record in true road games with all seven wins coming against Big Ten opponents.

Gard didn't know it and didn't hesitate to say the 41.2-win percentage stinks.

"S---, why aren't we 17-0?" he said. "That's how I approach it."

Never mind that no Division-1 team has won more top-10 road games in the last decade-plus, Gard's reaction was on par for somebody as competitive as he is. He wants to win against Illinois, Michigan, Purdue, and all the others in the league as much as he wants to beat a mid-major school from the SWAC.

Every day is important, as well as every game.

'We never say somebody is ranked two in the country or eighth in the country," Gard said. "We never talk about where somebody is ranked, good, bad, or indifferent. Our approach is consistent."

Gard vs. B1G Top-10 teams on the road
2016: #2 MD (W), #8 MSU (L), #8 Iowa (W)
18: #3 Purd (L), #6 MSU (L)
19: #9 Mich (L)
20: #5 OSU (W)
21: #7 Mich (L), No.5 Iowa (L)
22: #3 Purd (W)
24: #3 Purd (L)
25: #7 Purd (W), #8 MSU (L)
26: #2 Mich (W), #8 Ill (W)

5-4 when unranked https://t.co/dB96BXFB0F
— Benjamin Worgull (@TheBadgerNation) February 11, 2026

It may sound boring, but the proof is in the results. Wisconsin (17-7, 9-4 Big Ten) is two wins away from posting a winning Big Ten record for the 23rd time in the last 26 seasons and need one to win at least 10 conference games for the 22nd time. No other conference team can claim that latter stat.

Aesthetically, Wisconsin has changed since starting that streak. No longer a low-possession, swing-dominant offense, the Badgers have recruited shooters at all five positions, been willing to play with smaller lineups, and leaned on one of the best backcourts nationally in John Blackwell and Nick Boyd to increase tempo and shoot more threes.

After averaging 65.3 points three seasons ago, the Badgers head into Friday's game against No.10 Michigan State (20-4, 10-3) averaging 83.3 points and topping 90 points in a school-record 10 games.

One thing that hasn't changed from start to finish is the fundamentals of limiting turnovers, getting to the free-throw line, and putting a priority on the defensive end of the floor. That's the real reason UW's 126 conference wins and 60.9 winning percentage trails only Purdue and Michigan State in success over the last 11 seasons.

"You know who you are and stay true to who you are, even if the outside world is clamoring for change," Gard said.

Gard follows his mentor, Bo Ryan's approach of remaining consistent with messaging. He'll get passionate in a halftime locker room when a team is straying from the things that make them successful, but he doesn't amp up the pre-game rhetoric for specific opponents.

"If I crank them up for Illinois, then what do I have to do Friday night for Michigan State?" Gard questioned. If I have to crank them up Friday night, what do I have to do Tuesday or Wednesday or whenever we go to Columbus?”

For the record, the Badgers travel to Ohio State on Tuesday in what will be the fourth of five consecutive Quad-1 games for UW.

That's another part of Gard's messaging - focusing on one game at a time instead of the totality of a challenging month, which also includes five of seven games on the road.

"It's not a big deal if you don't make a big deal of it," Gard said. "I don't care where we travel, when we travel. Everybody has to do it. We're going to do it our way, and we're going to prepare."

"The players appreciate the consistency of the approach, and they're not surprised by something," Gard later added. "We try to minimize the ambiguity in terms of what we want to do. That allows them to play aggressive, play free. When you overthink things, you play slow, and that's when you make mistakes."

The fast-paced nature of the Big Ten doesn't allow much time for regret. The Badgers have a total of 46 off days since Big Ten play restarted in January, an average of 2.5 days between games that includes the 18 days UW travels to and from away games.

That doesn't leave much time for regret, and favors a program like Wisconsin which knows who they are and how they want to operate.

"We should win every game," Gard said. "If we don't, all right, what do we need to do better? Do we need to tweak some things, or do we need to do what we do better?

"Over the course of time, (staying consistent) gets you really consistent. You're not going to play in a Final Four every year. You're not going to win a Big Ten championship every year, but damn it, you're going to be really good and really consistent."

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