Wisconsin Basketball Faces Tough Offseason After Early Tournament Exit

Head coach Greg Gard acknowledges team's defensive struggles as key factor in disappointing season

Apr. 4, 2026 at 5:53pm

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Wisconsin men's basketball head coach Greg Gard has spent the offseason focused on rebuilding the team's roster and analyzing the factors behind the Badgers' early exit from the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Despite beating several top-ranked teams during the regular season, Wisconsin struggled defensively and failed to make a deep tournament run, leaving Gard and the program with a 'bitter taste' as they look to bounce back next year.

Why it matters

Wisconsin has been a consistent NCAA Tournament team under Gard, but the program's inability to advance past the first weekend has become a growing concern. The Badgers' defensive struggles this past season highlighted an area that needs significant improvement if the team hopes to contend for a Big Ten title and make a deeper postseason run.

The details

Wisconsin finished the 2025-26 season ranked 24th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, giving up 96.3 points per 100 possessions. However, that number ballooned to 102.1 points per 100 possessions this past season, dropping the Badgers to 55th in the country in that category - their lowest KenPom ranking since 2018. The team allowed at least 80 points 13 times and held only three opponents under 70 points all year.

  • The 2025-26 season ended with Wisconsin's early exit from the NCAA Tournament.
  • The transfer portal officially opened on Tuesday, marking the start of the offseason roster-building period.

The players

Greg Gard

The head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team, who is focused on rebuilding the roster and analyzing the team's defensive struggles from the past season.

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What they’re saying

“You have a bitter taste in your mouth because you feel you should still be playing. With the teams that are still playing, you've gone toe-to-toe with and beat most of them.”

— Greg Gard, Head Coach

“This group, for me, we were never where we needed to be defensively. We've had some really good teams defensively. This was not one of them.”

— Greg Gard, Head Coach

What’s next

Gard said he will continue to watch and analyze game film throughout the spring and summer from the High Point loss and the other 34 UW games last season in order to identify areas for improvement ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

The takeaway

Wisconsin's early tournament exit despite beating several top-ranked teams during the regular season has left the program and its fans with a 'bitter taste.' Head coach Greg Gard acknowledges the team's defensive struggles as a key factor and is focused on rebuilding the roster and implementing defensive improvements to position the Badgers for a deeper postseason run next season.