Wisconsin's Tournament Exit Leaves Program With Questions
The Badgers turned the ball over 19 times in the Round of 64, squandering a once-promising season.
Greg Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers basketball program laid an egg against James Madison in the opening Round of the NCAA Tournament. Now, they'll watch the rest of the Big Dance unfold from the comfort of their respective couches.
The 12-seeded Dukes wasted no time asserting themselves and "out Wisconsin'd" Wisconsin. Frankly, the Badgers didn't have an answer for their physicality and crumbled under pressure, resulting in a season-high 19 turnovers, a 72-61 loss, and a plane ride home.
"We fought turnovers and shot selection all year," Gard told reporters after the loss, "and those sins came back to get us again."
What we witnessed was just downright ugly. It was completely unacceptable and left many, myself included, in utter disbelief. How could a Wisconsin basketball team that damn near won the Big Ten Tournament title last weekend perform so poorly just five days later?
I usually reserve judgment on a season until it's over. You're never as good as your best performance and never as terrible as your worst. I don't want to be a prisoner of the moment. However, when a season concludes with an underwhelming outcome similar to what we witnessed against James Madison, one can't help but wonder what was going through the head of Badgers Athletic Director Chris McIntosh.
I admit, even I'm starting to wonder if Gard is the man best suited to lead the Wisconsin basketball program where they want to go.
Wisconsin’s March Struggles Continue
The argument for Wisconsin basketball retaining Greg Gard boils down to a few key points.
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