It’s been a popular saying this season among a chunk of Badger fans about Wisconsin Men’s Basketball Head Coach Greg Gard. The saying is called #FireGard. It’s become clear this group of people want to see changes. In a way, they are not wrong. The Badgers finished the season 17-14 and are waiting to hear if there will be any postseason for them.
After what Wisconsin athletic Director Chris McIntosh has done with the Football and Men’s Hockey programs and after firing Paul Chryst and Tony Granato, fans think that McIntosh needs to do the same with Greg Gard. I’m here to tell you that Greg Gard has earned the right to fix the men’s basketball program next season before anything should potentially happen.
The Granato and Chryst Situations Are Different
Firing Paul Chryst was the first big move Chris McIntosh made as athletic director. As much I liked Chryst, and how much his players liked him, it was becoming clear a change needed to happen. McIntosh found a home run hire in Luke Fickell.
McIntosh recently fired Wisconsin men’s hockey coach Tony Granato as well. I’m not a hockey follower, but I do know that was a change that needed to happen as well. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for McIntosh to make those decisions, as Chryst and Granato both had Wisconsin ties.
What did football and men’s hockey have in common? Both were on the decline. Granato only had two winning seasons in seven years. Since 2018, the Wisconsin football program under Paul Chryst has been 8-5, 10-4, 4-3, 9-4, 2-3, and then he was fired.
What does that have to do with Greg Gard? Gard has won 63% of his games at Wisconsin and only has one losing season in eight years. That was 2017-2018, in which he was playing a lot of young and inexperienced players, just like he is now. He’s also won two of the last four Big Ten Championships, something Chryst never did in his tenure. The situations are different, even though people like to compare them.
The Last Time Greg Gard Missed The Tournament
2017-2018 was the last time Wisconsin missed the NCAA Tournament. They went 15-18 and almost beat No. 1 seed Michigan State. At that time, no one was saying Gard should be fired. What has changed now? The answer is nothing. How did Gard respond the following season? The Badgers went 23-11 and received a double bye in the Big Ten Tournament. Yes, they did lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Oregon, but Oregon was playing the best basketball in the country and would have beaten any four or five-seed right away.
Chris McIntosh has said he wants to bring a championship culture to Wisconsin and believes this is a top-tier university. He is absolutely right about that. Wisconsin is a top-tier university, and the athletic programs should reflect it too. I agree with all of that
However, I think that is where fans are getting confused and honestly a little selfish about it. Anytime a program has a bump-in-the-road season, the verdict can’t always be to fire them. There’s more that goes into it. There has to be a trend. With Chryst and Granato, there was a clear trend. There is not a trend yet with Gard. If we’re in this spot next year, then it’s fair to say that.
Results Matter
I’ve also seen on Twitter that Greg Gard hasn’t done much in the NCAA Tournament, and that’s what ultimately matters. I think that’s true to a point. Gard is 6-5 in the NCAA Tournament, and while that’s not great, Wisconsin has also caught some unfortunate breaks.
Last season, Johnny Davis was injured in the regular season finale. I think that hindered him for the rest of the season. Chucky Hepburn also had a scary ankle injury in the season-ending loss to Iowa State. If both were healthy, I have no doubt the Badgers would have moved to the Sweet 16 and likely the Elite 8.
In 2020 when the season was cut short, Wisconsin was playing the best basketball of any team in the nation. I have no doubt that team would have made it to the second weekend and would have given a one-seed all they could handle and then some. If those two seasons would have panned out a little differently, we’re talking about four Sweet 16s in eight years for Gard. If that was the case, this conversation would not be happening.
I have been a Greg Gard supporter, and I think he’s done a great job with this program. I also know that next season is huge for this program. If they can’t turn it around, then those conversations need to happen. Greg Gard has bounced back once already after missing the tournament, and he’s earned that right to try and fix it again.
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1 Comment
You say the situation between Chryst and Gard is different because Gard has won 63% of his games (Chryst won 63% of his games) and because Gard has only had one losing season (look at Chryst’s record – it’s right in your article. His only losing season was the partial season when he got fired). So I think it is exactly like Chryst and Gard should go. Oh and about the two big ten championships – let’s face it, the only reason they won a big ten championship last year was because Johnny Davis became phenomenal the summer between his freshman and sophomore year – when he wasn’t playing for Gard. There is no denying that Davis improved far more that summer than he did either his freshman or sophomore years playing for Gard. Further, you mention that we should cut Gard some slack because he has a young team. You mean like Wahl – who is a senior, Klesmit – last year of eligibility, Crowl – junior, Jordan Davis – junior, Gilmore – senior. Hepburn and Essegian are the only two players you can call young. And as far as giving Gard another year – with who? Steven “I can’t finish at the rim” Crowl? Jordan “I’m a decent offensive rebounder but that’s all I bring to the table” Davis? Or maybe you think Gard can field a competitive team with Lindsay and Mcgee and Gard’s kid? That team might be competitive at the DIII level – maybe. Last time I looked Gard is responsible for recruiting so who is coming in next year such that we don’t have to rely on those D3 caliber players. He was picked to finish 9th in the Big 10 at the beginning of the season and yet, with such a low expectation, they managed to underperform and finish 11th?! And then lose to Ohio State in the first round? To have the lead they did against Nebraska and lose? To barely eek out a win against the lowly Gophers? This is a team that almost beat Kansas early in the season and with Gard’s tremendous coaching ability he molded them from that team in November to the team they were in late February/March? With that kind of performance, how can you not fire Gard?