Big Ten Basketball Coach Rankings

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Mar 25, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard reacts during the second half in a semifinal game in the East regional of the NCAA Tournament against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

Figuring out where Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard fit in this list was difficult. He coached the majority of the season last year and the team did pretty well.

Illinois Fighting Illini /

Illinois Fighting Illini

Just 12 games into last season, legendary coach Bo Ryan stepped down as the head coach of the Badgers. This was a chance for assistant coach Gard to take the reins.

Gard led Wisconsin to a great season. They were 15-8 under Gard and made it all the way to the Sweet 16 as a No. 7 seed.

This team performed for Gard and that is something that they didn’t do under Ryan this past season.

If Gard didn’t do well last year to finish off the season then I think he would have been lower on this list.

But, Gard did help lead the Badgers to the postseason and advanced pretty far as well.

There are a lot of unknowns with Gard. One of the unknowns is his recruiting ability.

We have seen what Ryan can do in the recruiting field. He picks up players that others pass over and they become NBA talents like Frank Kaminsky.

But, will Gard have the same coaching ability and recruiting sense? That is still left to be determined.

I think Gard’s ranking could go either way still. He could vault up this list, or he could potentially get passed by some coaches who turn around their teams.

The jury is still out on Gard for now.

Next: No. 7

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