MADISON, Wis. – The only stats Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard really cares about are team-centric, results that determine whether the Badgers finish on the left-hand side of the scoring column.

It’s the reason why the ninth-year head coach deflected the post-game spotlight after reaching rarified air among Big Ten coaches.

With No.13 Wisconsin earning a hard-fought 61-59 victory at Minnesota, Gard became the 23rd coach to earn 100 Big Ten wins.

“I don’t keep track of that type of stuff,” Gard said on the UW postgame show. “I keep track of where our team is. I’ve had really good players and really good teams. That’s how you get to this, and a phenomenal staff. You don’t do it alone.” My name goes with the number, but it’s because I’ve had really good players along the way.”

Those players and the results helped Gard, 53, to become the fourth UW coach to hit the mark. He accomplished it in just 162 games, the sixth-fastest of Big Ten coaches in the last 50 years: Indiana’s Bob Knight (135 games), UW’s Bo Ryan (140), Ohio State’s Thad Matta (141), Michigan State’s Tom Izzo (143) and Purdue’s Gene Keady (144). Gard's .617 win percentage ranks 11th in conference history.

It was fitting the victory came against the Gophers. Gard's UW teams have beaten Minnesota 12 times, more than any other Big Ten school.

Walter “Doc” Meanwell (158-80 from 1912-17, 21-34) and Bud Foster (143-182 from 1935-59) are other UW coaches on the list.

Gard’s overall record of 179-97 (.649) ranks 29th out of the 198 coaches who have roamed the Big Ten sidelines since the conference was formed in 1906. A long-time assistant under Ryan, Gard has been a part of 272 Big Ten wins and six regular-season championships since 2001-02, both best in the conference.

Leading the Big Ten by a half-game over Purdue, Wisconsin (15-4, 7-1 Big Ten) will host Michigan State and Tom Izzo on Friday. Izzo holds the conference’s coaching wins mark of 699.

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