Coaching a team that last year fell short of conference and postseason expectations, Greg Gard was put as the opening speaker on day two of the Big Ten’s Media Days at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Standing at the podium at 8:30 in the morning, Wisconsin’s ninth-year head coach fielded only three questions and used only five of his allotted 10 minutes before being dismissed.

Such is life for a team that finished 11th in the conference and missed the NCAA Tournament the previous season.

But while the early morning wake-up call was far from prime viewing, there was a large sense of optimism coming from Gard that the Badgers have a group that mixes veterans with battle scars with high-energy youth.

“I think the word I've used the most over the offseason is retention,” Gard said. “To have the vast majority of our nucleus back from last year, plus what we've added through the transfer portal and with our freshman class, this group has a chance to be a really, really good team.”

It is true that when fans sit down to watch this year’s team – with their first chance being this Sunday afternoon during the Red/White Scrimmage at the Kohl Center – they will see plenty of familiar faces.

The entire starting five – forwards Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl and guards Connor Essegian, Chucky Hepburn, and Max Klesmit – all return, representing a large chunk of UW bringing back 92 percent of its points and 88.9 percent of its rebounds from last season. UW also added St. John’s wing A.J. Storr from the transfer portal and three scholarship freshmen in guard John Blackwell and forwards Nolan Winter and Gus Yalden to help improve depth and add a scoring punch.

“In college athletics, there is a lot of turnover,” Gard said. “We're fortunate that we didn't have much. I still think when you come down, you've been in those situations, you've been in those games, you've been in those pressure situations. Hopefully, we're better not only from those experiences mentally and how to handle those situations, but physically have made a jump and are bigger, stronger, and hopefully not in those positions as long as many times as what we were a year ago.”

The situations Gard referenced (and what all three of the questions asked of him Tuesday centered around) was the Badgers constantly being involved in down-to-the-wire games. Of the 35 games Wisconsin played in 2022-23, 23 games were decided by five points or less or in overtime. UW finished 13-10 in those games, which included eight losses in which the Badgers led at some point in the last four minutes.

In their 56-54 season-ending defeat to North Texas in the NIT Semifinals, the Badgers committed four turnovers and made only one shot over the final 13:10, a string of 15 misses in 16 shot attempts.

As he broke down the late-game errors in the offseason, Gard cited the inability to draw fouls to get to the free-throw line, converting once players got to the line, and rushing offensive possessions that sacrificed the quality of shot selection.

“I think some of that's personnel, and obviously I think some of the changes in growth that have taken place with guys that are returning,” Gard said. “Then some of the additions we've added will help us in those situations.”

The additions go beyond the four new scholarship players. Finding the right balance has become personal to many returning players on a team where Gard stated previously that minutes and positions weren’t guaranteed. Klesmit and Hepburn opted to drop weight while Essegian has added 10 pounds after playing all 35 games of his true freshman season. Crowl has more confidence after a dominant postseason run while Wahl’s versatility and presence coming back for his extra COVID year makes him the team’s natural leader.

Those gains (and losses) from a group of veterans that fought adversity and frustration throughout last season lead Gard to believe the Badgers could have a head start on the current college landscape where players can move from place to place with relative ease.

“I think guys physically have matured, mentally obviously the experiences we went through last year,” he said. “The depth is the biggest thing that jumps out with this team. We're deeper, bigger, more athletic than we've been in a while. I think all those things together put yourself in position. Obviously, you have to play the games. You have to stay injury-free for the most part, but the experience and the depth really jump out with this group.”

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