Evaluating Greg Gard after the Badgers latest early NCAA Tournament departure

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard reacts during the first half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the High Point Panthers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images The Wisconsin Badgers saw their season come to an end on the first day of the NCAA Tournament, marking the second time in three years that they were a first-round exit as a No. 5 seed.

The abrupt departure came after the Badgers were riding hot heading into March Madness, knocking off the Purdue Boilermakers and the Illinois Fighting Illini in the final two weeks before the NCAA Tournament. After a 9-5 start to the season, Wisconsin finished 24-11 with a 14-6 record in the Big Ten, recording arguably the best group of wins in the country with Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, and Illinois (2x). For a variety of reasons, this season just had a lot of layers to it.

This group looked far different at the beginning of the year, as they initially struggled to mesh with each other. That’s natural for a team with eight new faces, but there were some early frustrations in the season, best recapped by Wisconsin’s heartbreaking defeat to the Villanova Wildcats at the Fiserv Forum that left Nolan Winter in tears at the postgame press conference. But it really felt like the Badgers were in a tough spot during their 89-73 loss to Purdue back in January.

That was a game that really tested Wisconsin, as they were very competitive in the first half, getting to within seven at halftime. But the collapse was ugly in the second half as Wisconsin went from a four-point deficit to a 24-point deficit in the span of seven minutes, which just felt demoralizing at the Kohl Center. At a huge inflection point of the season, everything turned around with the Michigan game, as Wisconsin shocked the world by upsetting the hottest team in the country on the road.