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NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: ST. LOUISMarch 19, 2016Greg GardSt. Louis, Missouri THE MODERATOR: We're joined by the head coach of Wisconsin, Greg Gard. We'll start with an opening statement. GREG GARD: I went through the game film from last night. Obviously a very physical game both ways. I think two teams that pride themselves on defense and not making things easy for any offense. Obviously for both of us it was a struggle, but I think it was largely due to the opponent's defense on both ends of the floor. Probably as well as we played defensively all year. Then going into tomorrow's game with Xavier, a team that's had a phenomenal year. Chris has done a great job there over the years and it will be a similar type game in terms of physicality. The bodies they'll throw at you, how deep they are, how big they are, obviously experienced and talented, and obviously you're not 28 or 29 and 4 or 5, or whatever they are, and have been in the top five or 10 all year with not having that much talent. Obviously they do. They've always been very good. Excited to play them tomorrow. We'll have to play as well defensively and even better offensively against a very good team. Q. You and Xavier have contrasting styles. They get up and down, obviously, a lot and you are more grind-it-out in a lot of your games. How much does pace dictate the tone of the game, and is that a big key tomorrow -- whoever controls the pace would control the momentum? GREG GARD: Well, we like to get up and down too but the problem was the ball wasn't going in for us. So we had to make sure we did the right things in order to have a chance to win the game. So if teams allow us to run, we'll do that as well. But in our league, teams transition very well defensively and you really have to orchestrate what you do offensively in the half court, in terms of set defense with five guys back. I think our league prepares us for that. Really in order to be successful in the Big Ten you have to be able to play that way and line up and go toe to toe. I think anytime you get to this point in time in the year, each team can control tempo either way. Xavier has played in lower-possession games. They've played in a higher-possession games. And we played in lower-possession games, like last night, and we've played in higher-possession games. Our second game against Indiana was a higher-possession game. Our first game against Michigan State was a higher-possession game. So I think we've been able to adjust. I don't know if earlier in the year we would be able to win a game like last night and be in that type of battle. So our ability and our maturity over the last three or four months, to be able to morph, so to speak, and adjust to styles and adjust basically to how the game was being called and what was being allowed or what wasn't being allowed, from a defensive standpoint, we've matured in that regard and I don't think earlier in the year we would have been able to win a 47-43 game or been callused enough and tough enough to be able to stand with a team like that last night. Q. Greg, off-topic question, but just watching the game last night, watching the different coaches' styles made me wonder, you don't have any control over it but in the first half they're scoring in the basket farther from you. In the second half they're scoring in the basket closer to you. Do you have a preference? GREG GARD: Are you saying there's a conspiracy theory? Q. No, no, just wondering which you prefer? Which you think Wisconsin performs better on offense? GREG GARD: No, I've seen us play well in the first half offensively, but I don't get into too many theories. I don't try to overthink it or analyze it too in depth. I thought we did a better job of finishing in the second half. I thought we got to the rim in the first half. I won't go into analyzing possession by possession, but we had opportunities in the first half. We got to the ball in the paint. We drove it to the rim. We missed some wide-open shots. In the second half we were able to finish a few more, not an extraordinary amount more, but we were able to make enough shots and get to the free-throw line enough down the stretch. And the offensive glass helped us. We were able to extend some possessions and get more out of an offensive possession on a couple of rebounds and kick-outs. But I don't try to over-analyze which end we're playing at. Sometimes they shoot it better away from me without me yelling at them or saying anything to them on the sideline. Q. I don't know if you had a chance to watch Xavier much during the regular season with your own schedule. But now that you've had a chance in the last 24 hours or so to check them out, what do you see as some of the challenges heading into the game against their personnel? GREG GARD: Well, they're talented, obviously. Bluiett is as good a player as we've seen all year, similar to the scores we've seen in our league. They're big. They're physical. They're deep. They can roll a lot of bodies in there. They can play, like I said before, at different paces. They're very good and have always been very good defensively. I know Chris is using more of the 1-3-1 a little bit in recent years, and that obviously adds a little different flavor to it at times defensively in terms of what you're preparing for. But I think it's very similar to what we've seen in our league in terms of Michigan State, Purdue, Maryland -- teams that are big, that are physical, that are very talented. Obviously you get to this time of the year, like I said before, you have to have something in order to keep advancing. And they obviously have a complete package. Like I said, I used all the analytics of them I can. They're a handful. Two five-men that are very good with Reynolds and Farr. You can go on through the list. Go name by name but a very talented team that plays very well and they're well-coached. There's a reason they're, are they 28-5 right now or 29-5? They're 28-5. It's a good team. Q. Nigel had a tough shooting night last night. I think I read on Twitter just now he's not worried about tomorrow. He'll be able to bounce back. Is he one of those guys you never have to worry about that he's always positive? GREG GARD: Yeah, I think he always sees the cup as half full. I think he's always done that. So I'm not too worried. The biggest thing I always try to grade out when I look at each possession is the quality of the shot. If we're taking higher quality shots, then I'm okay with that. And I understand there's going to be some nights the ball's not going to go in. If you would have told me those two guys would be 4-for-28 I'd say I'm probably not here today, more than likely, but we were able to find a different way to win. And I think that's the mark of a maturing team that when your better players struggle shooting that you're able to find a way. Like I mentioned earlier, I don't think had that happened, 30, 60 days ago, we wouldn't be able to find a way. So fortunately we were able to and had the other guys step up just enough. Nigel will be fine. He's had rough nights before. Bronson's had rough nights before. And those guys are seasoned players that understand that it happens. You go with the flow and you make sure you don't make too big of a deal out of it when you go 9-for-10 or whatever he did against Michigan State when he had 25 and Bronson had 27. We didn't get too overreactionary there and we won't overreact when they struggle a little bit. But it would be nice to have them put the ball in the basket, not that I'm going to say, hey, keep going 3-for-17. If they can help us out offensively we'll gladly take it. Q. Xavier's media people put out a packet that had of all the people who made it to the second weekend of the tournament at least five times in the past, since like 2008. And if you look at the teams, it's all teams that you'll see perennially at the top of, like, the recruiting draft board, the recruiting boards, and then Wisconsin and Xavier. I was wondering if you see any resonances in that and you can at least speak for Wisconsin, and just how have you been able to maintain that consistency with different personnel and different seeds even in the tournament, because it's not just about qualifying for the tournament, it's getting to the second weekend? GREG GARD: Xavier was also on that list? Well, obviously I can't speak for Chris in terms of what his philosophy is -- but I think from our standpoint we're very big on player development. If you look at our track record over the years, I could say that maybe it's not always in the stars that the recruiting analysts aren't always right, and you can't predict how somebody's going to bode out in the future or mature. And we've had several. We had national player of the year last year in Frank Kaminsky, not a highly recruited player. Probably if you looked at recruiting rankings he was probably a two-star maybe a three in some regards. But a player that developed and matured. I think Chris has the same type of players over the years. And when you get a system in place and the people -- and you surround yourself with good people and you work towards that system and within that system, you obviously adjust and adapt as your personnel fluctuates, but to be able to maintain that and have a way of doing things and a formula for success. Obviously he has it there at Xavier and they've had it there at Xavier for a long time. We played -- when we were first got to Wisconsin, Thad Matta was the head coach at Xavier. And we played them then. We played them when Sean Miller was there. So it's been a program that's maintained consistency. In large part they've promoted assistants within. Ironically, I'm an assistant within that got promoted to help maintain the success. But I think once you have that formula in place, and understand what works at your university, then you stick to the course and stay the process and don't deviate from that too much. Don't try to become something that you're not. And for us that's how we've been able to do it and maintain it. We've had players that I think sometimes have been undervalued and underrated. But they've also been players that have worked extremely hard, paid their dues, understood that they were playing for what was on the front of their jersey and the University of Wisconsin, and understood that they had to be at, times had to be patient. Vitto Brown is a great example of a player who is lightly recruited that now has developed into a pretty good player. We've had others over the years too, stars that came in and made splashes right away. Sam Dekker played right away. Alando Tucker played right away -- Devin Harris. We've had younger guys come in and be marquee contributors, but we've also been able to maintain a constant pipeline, so to speak, of maturing players and incubating them, so to speak, as they come through their careers. And obviously we've been able to have a lot of success with upperclassmen. A lot of our teams have been junior and senior dominated. First time in 15 years we haven't had a senior starter or senior in our rotation. So this is a little unique and such a special tribute for our guys to be able to do it in this manner, going through the turbulence they've gone through this year and not having any seniors like I said, other than our one walk-on to be in this position is pretty exemplary in terms of a compliment to those guys and how they've been able to mature faster this year. They've had to grow up in a hurry. They've done a great job of that. Q. As you know, Zak Showalter's dad coaches at a Division II school here. Are there any advantages to getting a player who is a coach's son? GREG GARD: Yes. They've grown up around it. Zak's been in the gym since he probably could walk. Steve was a great player for Coach Ryan at Platteville, All-American NAIA. And Zak grew up around it, understands it. Knows what it's all about. I've always liked coaches kids, not to give my own kid any more credit, but hopefully he's been around it a little bit more. Understands it. I've got a 12-year-old son who has a pretty good understanding about what the game is about it and I've noticed it with coaches that I've watched. I won't go into details on every single one, I'll probably forget one along the way. But it's an advantage. There's no doubt, if it's used in the right way. It's definitely helped Zak, I know that. He plays a lot how his dad played in terms of the toughness. He was four inches shorter, which we hoped he would grow four more inches. But he's definitely brought the toughness and the mentality of I'll do anything to help my team win, and Steve played a lot the same way. Q. This is your first national tournament as the head coach of Wisconsin. What lessons have you learned from yesterday's game or from this tournament overall that you can build towards to help build this program? GREG GARD: I think the one thing that -- it wasn't one I just learned yesterday, but to stay the course and to not deviate from what your plan is. I think that helped us be able to turn those things around or navigate through the rough waters we were facing in mid-December a little faster, that we had a plan in place and we needed to stick to the plan. And even when we started 1-4, to not deviate and start to fragment and try to change ten different things. We just needed to be better at what we were trying to do and trying to accomplish. I think that experience that I've had over the last 25 years has helped. I've watched Coach Ryan navigate through a team maybe, that over the course of time, that maybe was wobbling a little bit, needed some maturing to happen, and he would never waver from his plan. And I think that was the biggest thing I've learned and taken forward was that, you know, know what you do, do what you know and stick to it and just work on getting better every day. That's what this group has done a terrific job of. Like I said, the turbulence they faced through the year starting 1-4 and 9-9 and those things that have been documented where we were at mid-January, for them to be in this position is a great tribute to them and how they've persevered. They stuck to it. They didn't flinch. They kept working and believed in each other and grew together. And, like I said, that's why they're here. Q. Speaking of Coach, have you talked to him the last couple of days, has he given you any words of encouragement? GREG GARD: No. Just a congratulations text, keep it rolling. He understood. He told me back in December: You know what you're doing; go coach the team. I'll stay out of your way. If you need advice, I'll help you whenever I can. But he just stayed in touch through text messages, congrats, those type of things, keep it going, good luck, all the normal things that about 300 other people have sent me the same text message in the last 24 hours. Q. Between getting your first tournament win, scouting Xavier, getting the practice plan today, are you getting any sleep? Do you have any time to enjoy this? GREG GARD: This probably has been a little more for me in terms of analyzing video, more in depth than even as an assistant because I've looked at not only the upcoming opponent, but also dove into our practices and really tried to break down what we were doing and tried to make sure we were doing the right thing. So I'm used to no sleep at this time of year. It's a good problem to have. It beats laying on a beach somewhere on spring break. I'd rather be up all night watching film, getting ready for what's next. That's a good problem to have. If you're sleep deprived as a college coach this time of year, thumbs up; you're still dancing. Q. How much pressure do you put on yourself and has that changed since you've gotten the head coaching job? GREG GARD: I haven't really ever looked at this as being pressure. I've never felt that. I've just tried to work every day to help our team have the best experience possible. And that's how we've been able to accomplish what they've accomplished this year, just stay until the moment, not try to get too far down the road, understanding that the most important day was today. And you can rewind that for the last 100 days or 115, whatever it's been since that time when I took over. And we've really lived in the moment and just tried to make sure we were improving every day, focusing on what was important, the things that were within our control. And as long as we did that, which our guys, like I mentioned before, have done a phenomenal job of staying focused and locked in on what we wanted to work on each and every day, they believed in the process. And I've talked a lot about the process over the last three months of not worrying about the end result or the scoreboard, just focusing on the task at hand and that specific day, we would eventually be in a pretty good position, which obviously has happened. I don't allow myself to really look down the road and play the games of what-if or where we're at. It's just a matter of practicing well here today, preparing for Xavier tomorrow, and going out and trying to play as well as possible tomorrow night. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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