NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - COLGATE VS WISCONSIN

March 17, 2022

Johnny Davis

Brad Davison

Tyler Wahl

Greg Gard

Fiserv Forum

Wisconsin Badgers

Media Conference

MODERATOR: Coming to the podium now is Wisconsin student-athletes Johnny Davis, Big Ten Player of the Year; Davison, and Tyler Wahl. Questions, please.

Q. Johnny, I know this is a team sport and you have team goals, but I just wonder personally for you what it meant to have your brother here with you, whether it was goals that you originally set out years ago in high school or whether he's a sounding board for you at all, basketball, post-basketball, film, anything like that?

JOHNNY DAVIS: It's great having him here with me. When he's not able to play as many minutes as he wants, he's able to analyze the game. And anytime I come to the bench during a timeout or I'm getting subbed out, he just gives me tips and advice on what I need to do better.

Q. To any of y'all, just the motivation, the early exit -- I know the last two games haven't gone the way y'all wanted, how much motivation has that been, or has it been, kind of, any sort of wake up call or anything like that?

TYLER WAHL: Yeah. Obviously, it wasn't the result we wanted, but I think we can look at it where we took it as kind of a slap in the face, and now I think we're ready to go for this NCAA Tournament.

BRAD DAVISON: Yeah. To add on to that, whether it's a win or a loss, there's a lot of learning opportunities there. So watched the film for the last couple games, looked at things we did well, maybe some things we didn't do well, and we had a whole week to get healthy, to have some good practices, and to get back on track. So we're eager to get back on the court tomorrow night.

JOHNNY DAVIS: It was good to get those losses out than, rather, in the tournament.

Q. For any of the players, for all of you, the ability to play here just 90 miles from home in your home state, was that a stated goal knowing that Milwaukee was a potential landing spot in the NCAA Tournament, and when did that kind of come to a reality in your minds?

JOHNNY DAVIS: Yeah. It's great to be able to play in your home state just knowing that we're going to have the same fan base we've had at home all year, but we're more focused on the game rather than the location of it.

BRAD DAVISON: I wouldn't say it was a goal, per se, but we're very thankful for the opportunity to play in Wisconsin. We're just focused on the 40 minutes between the lines. It's definitely special for our family and friends and our fan base not to travel too far, save a little bit of money traveling to support us at the NCAA tournament, and we're looking forward to having a lot of red and (indiscernible) tomorrow night.

TYLER WAHL: I don't think it was a goal, but we definitely heard rumbling as the season went on. We're happy to be here and ready to go on Friday.

Q. Johnny, you looked really ticked off when the bracket came out the other day, just like stone-faced, and I think Brad said something to you. Can you share with us what, if anything, the story behind that is?

JOHNNY DAVIS: No, I wasn't mad. We got seeded in Milwaukee. I just wasn't going to be excited about it just because we're playing here. Like I said, we're more focused on the game rather than the location.

Q. Brad, I know you said for the last couple of years, you come to Wisconsin to play in the NCAA Tournament. So as one of the more experienced guys, knowing this is going to be your last opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament, what's your advice to your teammates? A lot of them haven't been on this big stage. There's a lot of turnover since the last time you were in the big dance.

BRAD DAVISON: Yeah. My first piece of advice would be it's the same game of basketball. The hoops are still 10 feet, still a 40-minute game, and all the same things that made us successful throughout this season will make us successful in that tournament. With that being said, you're only guaranteed those 40 minutes in front of you, so there's got to be a sense of urgency not from when tip starts but when practice starts, when preparation starts, the way you're eating, the way you're sleeping, everything you do. You've got to ramp it up with that sense of urgency because these opportunities, you can't take them for granted. At this point, everyone's backs are against the wall 0-0, and you have 40 minutes to earn the opportunity to compete again with your brothers. So that's my message. The game doesn't change. With that being said, don't take it for granted, and let's dial it up.

Q. What have you seen from Colgate, their ability to shoot the 3 and just scouting in general these last couple days?

TYLER WAHL: Yeah. You hit it right on the head. They shoot the ball well. They're a really good team. They pass it well. They've got some big guys that are able to dominate in their league, and we're going to do a good job defensively, hopefully, as a team.

BRAD DAVISON: Yeah. It's definitely a veteran group. They play really well with each other. Obviously, they're looking for the three-point shot and knock 'em down at a very high rate, I think, like, second best in the country. So got to try to run them off the three-point line. But they've got a lot of really good individual players. They're really well-coached, and they just play with the toughness. And obviously, they did really well in their league this year, and they're coming in with a lot of momentum, but we're looking forward to the challenge tomorrow night.

JOHNNY DAVIS: They're very fundamentally sound on both ends of the floor, but I think we should be able to use our length and athleticism to make it tough for them to get those three-point shots off.

Q. For any of you, all of you, whichever, we heard all year if you guys were picked, wherever it was, tenth in the Big Ten, you win part of the title. Now you're a three seed in the tournament playing the central home game. What is a realistic successful ending to this season? What is the realistic goal at this point?

JOHNNY DAVIS: The realistic goal is not to lose another game the rest of this season. I ain't going to really sugarcoat it or anything.

BRAD DAVISON: Yeah, that's our mindset. You know, we're not coming here to make it to the second weekend or just make it to the third weekend or make it to the weekend of -- the first weekend. We're here to win it all.

TYLER WAHL: Yeah. We've got a competitive group of guys. We're not looking to lose another game for the rest of the year.

Q. I'm wondering if you guys -- I know the program history guys are very close, the guys that played before. Have you heard from guys that maybe played in that last team to get to the Final Four saying, you know, "Finish what we started"? Do you hear from guys like Frank or anyone saying, "You guys got this"?

BRAD DAVISON: Personally, I haven't heard from any of those guys. From my teammates the past couple years, a lot of them have reached out, "Good luck. We're rooting for you. Love the draw," yadda, yadda. They add their own two cents. We got a nice little message from J.J. Watt this morning giving us encouragement and advice, saying the state of Wisconsin is behind us, the university's behind us, just go out there and enjoy every moment. Take it all in.

Q. For Johnny, I know last week Coach Gard said after the game that you didn't really have the consistent practice schedule because of the injury. How well have you been practicing this week? Has it been any different than unusual?

JOHNNY DAVIS: No, it hasn't been any different than usual. I've been participating.

MODERATOR: Please welcome Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard, the Big Ten coach of the year. Questions for the Badgers coach, please.

Q. Coach, your players were up here just a couple moments ago, and they were asked what their goals were for the rest of the season, would they consider it a successful season. They all said we want to win it all. Do you embrace that we're going to, you know, not try to look ahead past any opponents, but that's the attitude that we're going to take?

COACH GREG GARD: Yeah. I think that's the -- you embrace it. Because I do a goal sheet with them every year back in September, and that always appears on almost everybody's goal is to try to win a national championship. Obviously, you're a long ways from it, even today. You've got to win six games, and you can't win six if you don't win the first one.

So they understand and embrace that and want to chase that, which is good. But at the same time, I think they understand, have a good appreciation for what it's going to take to get there and obviously how challenging tomorrow night's going to be.

Q. Greg, on top of just emphasizing that this is a business trip, how do you also balance that with making sure that the guys do live in this moment that's ahead of them?

COACH GREG GARD: Yeah. I think this group has done a very good job all year of staying in the moment, kind of embracing the journey. We talk about it repeatedly. But just being around them, they're loose. They're doing the same stuff they did during the regular season, joking with each other. So I think just we've talked about enjoying it and enjoy every road trip, enjoy every practice. I think that's what's helped this group be successful. They haven't got consumed in what's down the road either individually or as a team. They've stayed right true to where their feet are, and it's helped them over the course of this season.

Q. Greg, your team has been well-publicized, exceeded preseason expectation. I think they were picked to finish 10th or whatever. Now you guys got that three seed on the front of your name on the bracket. There are expectations. Your guys, are they good at managing that? Do you talk to them any different or saying anything, or do you think they're ready for that moment?

COACH GREG GARD: No. I think they're ready for it. Much like one of the previous questions, they understand, and we talk all the time. Erase the numbers in front of the seeds because all the average and poor teams are out on spring break right now, so you're going to play a really good team that's had a very successful year, that's won somewhere between 25 and 30 games or in that realm. So stay true to who you are. I think is -- you don't -- I think you make a mistake if you overemphasize some things because then you get away from who you are and what's made you successful.

Obviously, you have longer to prepare for this first game, maybe more than any other team in the season, any other game in the season, just because we've had a week but, at the same time, staying true to who we are, trying to fine tune and improve some of the things that we need to get better at but, again, embracing the moment, enjoying it, giving it everything you've got for the 40 minutes we have in front of us.

Q. Greg, you were asked a lot about the 3-point shooting for Colgate the other day. What do they look like at the other end of the court? What stands out about their defense?

COACH GREG GARD: I think they're very smart in how they play. They don't give up anything easy. They'll squeeze the floor. They'll make driving lines hard to get to. You won't see a lot of gaps and space. They protect the rim pretty well in terms of how they do it collectively. I know Records has quite a few blocked shots, the starting five, but, at the same time, collectively how they're able to squeeze the floor, somewhat similar to how we do and how some of the teams in our league really make it hard for you to get anywhere one on one. So you've really got to move the ball. You've got to share it. And we're going to have to play inside out and be unselfish with the ball.

Q. I know last week you had said after the Michigan State game that Johnny hadn't been able to practice quite as consistently as he generally does because of the injury. What's his practice been like this week? What have you seen from him?

COACH GREG GARD: Yeah. It's been right in normal with everybody else. I've mixed practice through the week in terms of contact, no contact, drill only, just knowing that we want to be fresh and healthy for everybody, and, obviously, he's at the top of the list. He's gone through everything that everybody else has through the week.

Q. Greg, Jim had asked Johnny about his reaction to when they found out you guys were going to be coming to Milwaukee. He was kind of stone-faced in the video. And when he responded to it up there, he was still pretty stone-faced, just saying that he was focused on the game, not the location. How do you describe his personality? It seems like he's kind of locked in on another level right now.

COACH GREG GARD: Very stone-faced. He always has been. I had a hard time a year ago trying to get an emotional reaction out of him, and I thought it was me and what button I wasn't pushing. It's just how he is. Even though he has a twin in Jordan, they could be polar opposites in terms of personality unless you really get around them and see them behind closed doors, so to speak.

But he's like that. That's his personality. I've always said his No. 1 skill and trait is his competitiveness. No matter what he's doing, he wants to win every drill. He wants to compete. And that's permeated to our team. But I learned through the course of last year that that's just who he is. You want him on your poker team. You don't want to be playing against him because you can't read what he's got in his hand.

Q. When the pairings were announced, did you think -- did you think there was much of a chance that you would end up in Milwaukee? And, I guess, can you kind of -- if I remember correctly, your region was the third one that was -- that they got to. Were you kind of doing the math in your head as it went along?

COACH GREG GARD: Yeah. We thought we had a pretty good chance because, looking at all the metrics -- and I know everybody's a bracketologist these days -- we thought we had a pretty good chance of being on the three line. Where we fell in that, the first three, the third three, you know, obviously that can change. And that can change just based on flipping pods around, too. So we had a little technical difficulty when we did our fan event back in Madison on Sunday. About the time they were unveiling the -- our region, the technology failed. So there we are with a blank screen in front of us. I'm on my phone on Twitter trying to see did we get announced. Then when it came back, they were just popping to our bracket. Obviously, that's exciting. It's great for our fans. It's great for our alumni base. It's great for the state of Wisconsin, obviously for all our players' families that are able to get here that are close enough, former student-athletes.

There's a lot of positives, but I've also talked to the team about all the distractions that come with it, and we've tried to manage those as we've gone through the week, because I've been with teams here that have had success, and I've been with teams here that didn't have success. So I just want to make sure they focused on what's most important, and they've done a good job of that through the week.

Q. Coach, having the crowd behind you here and also against a team that can get pretty hot from three, how important is the start to this game for you guys to set a tone?

COACH GREG GARD: Well, the start is always important because you want to play the game well. As I mentioned earlier, all teams at this time of year are good, and they all are here for a reason. And what's made them good is what they'll try to stick to.

I think -- I don't want to be dependent on the crowd. I think our guys understand that. We have to play well. None of the 18,000 in here can dribble or play any defense or rebound. We have to do that, take care of those things, and then give the crowd a reason to -- hopefully something positive to get behind. I don't want to be dependent on it. Like I said before, I've seen it being an advantage. And we were also here in 2005 and lost to a very good -- was it '05? '06? '04? Okay. 2004 -- a very good pit team when we were playing close to home, too. We have to take care of what's in between the lines.

Q. Greg, the last time Chris Vogt was in an NCAA Tournament, he was the 14 seed playing the 3. And this time around, he's the 3 playing the 14. Have you utilized that at all? Have you had him talk to the team about how important it is to not underestimate a 14 seed because he's lived it?

COACH GREG GARD: Well, I think what you have just said there without saying it is that he's been a part of really good teams, both in Northern Kentucky and at Cincinnati. As I mentioned earlier, to have a big eraser, erase the 3 and the 14, the 2 and the 15, the 7 and the 10. Erase all that stuff because, for the most part, it doesn't matter when you really boil it all down. I just saw an 11 beat a 6 today. Michigan beat Colorado State. Doesn't surprise me. The numbers really didn't matter. Colorado State's really good. Michigan's good.

So if he's passed on experiences privately, great. But I think where he's helped us is what he's helped us with throughout the year, just the maturity in the locker room. Obviously, what he's done on the court's been instrumental for us, too. If he can draw on some experiences -- but they understand there's no underestimating here, meaning Colgate is very good. Any team we're going to play from here on out, they aren't here by accident.

Q. Coach, when you look at the season that you had a year ago, some off-the-court -- I don't know if "distractions" is the right word, but just some well-publicized issues, but -- how gratifying has this season been for you? Again, picked tenth in the Big Ten to win a share of the Big Ten title; yourself, coach of the year. Obviously, you have more games to play, you hope. But how gratifying has this season been for you?

COACH GREG GARD: Who I'm most happy for are the players in the locker room and what they go through day in and day out. They understand and appreciate and embrace, and I've talked about just the togetherness of this group. Really, I watched that start last April and then into the summer when some of that stuff came out of how they just almost -- it sucked them all in tighter, more together with me and our staff. It's just how they've embraced the challenge of trying to become a good team. And they've blocked out all the outside noise. It really didn't matter.

They know what they have within that team and within this locker room -- or that locker room and also the sanctity of it and appreciating and trusting each other in that locker room. You don't have a championship-caliber team like we do this year without that trust and that togetherness and that willingness to really confide in each other and grow through good and bad together. They've done a phenomenal job of really accepting all those challenges and sticking together. "Together" is probably the word I use more than any other in the English language with this group, and they've done a phenomenal job of it.

Q. Obviously, last year, you guys made the tournament, but maybe not such an enjoyable experience, kind of maybe trapped in the hotel during free time. Can you just speak to what it's like this year for your players compared to last year?

COACH GREG GARD: Yeah. The guys that have been -- obviously, we have a lot -- you know, some transfers and some freshmen that weren't in that environment last year, but it makes you appreciate what you have this year, you know. I was doing all these interviews via Zoom, right, and there were very few in person. Our quarantine in our hotel rooms and having your meals knock on the door when the meal arrives, get a little yard time at the baseball field in Indianapolis, the minor league field, it gives you an appreciation for what you're a part of this year. And obviously, you have to have had a really good year to be a part of it. They're all special. That one, I'll remember just because of the uniqueness of everything that went into it, to even have a season that year or last year, let alone being able to pull off a tournament.

MODERATOR: Coach, thank you. Good luck tomorrow night.