Coach reflects as No. 14 Wisconsin meets Green Bay

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Wisconsin coach Greg Gard was filled with a mix of emotions nearly one year ago during his first game as interim head coach when the Badgers posted an 84-79 victory against Green Bay.

Gard assumed a new role eight days prior to that game when his mentor, Bo Ryan, retired Dec. 15. Gard, a long-time assistant to Ryan, remembered well wishes, the fans' welcome and the team's 26 turnovers. He also missed his father, Glen Gard, who died Oct. 30, 2015 from glioblastoma multiforme, a brain cancer.

The intrastate opponents are set for their 23rd meeting as No. 14 Wisconsin hosts Green Bay on Wednesday night at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.

"I think overall everything is much more solidified, obviously, (and) we're much more entrenched in what we're doing," Gard said comparing the two seasons.

"It was a major transition that we were trying to undertake at that point in time. It was a bittersweet time, obviously, for me, too. With what we had gone through with my dad and to have that transpire, and not have him be there to see it."

The Badgers (9-2) ride a five-game winning streak and had six players register double-digit scoring in their 94-85 road victory Saturday at Marquette. Senior guard Bronson Koenig scored a team-high 18 points for Wisconsin, which shot 64.3 percent from the field in the second half against the Golden Eagles.

Koenig is the team's scoring leader at 16 points, while senior forward Nigel Hayes and sophomore forward Ethan Happ averaged 13.3 points apiece.

The Badgers averaged eight turnovers in its last three games. In the seven games prior to that, Wisconsin averaged 13.3.

Gard said players are making better decisions.

"We're not trying to force passes into places that they shouldn't be going," Gard said. "I think we've gotten better in terms of the angles that we're trying to use to feed post players or cutters. I think we've gotten better in terms of ball fakes and playing with two feet."

Green Bay (4-5) is led by senior guard Charles Cooper, who averages 13.6 points. Junior guard Khalil Small is the team's rebounding leader (5.8) and registers 11.0 points. Freshman guard Trevor Anderson averages 12.1 points and 2.7 assists per game.

One highlight in the non-conference season for the Phoenix was a stretch in its game last week against Central Michigan when junior forward Karem Kanter scored 20 straight second-half points in 5 minutes, 6 seconds. Kanter, a native of Istanbul, Turkey, shot 5 for 5 from the field and drained 10 of 12 free throws. Despite Kanter's effort, Central Michigan posted a 107-97 victory.

Linc Darner is working his second season as coach at Green Bay. The Phoenix reached the NCAA Tournament last season and Darner said players are working hard to remain competitive, despite losing its two top players through graduation.

Green Bay won the Horizon League tournament last year to earn its first NCAA berth in 20 years.

"We don't want to tell our team we want to be mediocre and finish in the middle of the pack," Darner told the Green Bay Press Gazette. "We want them to strive for greatness, and we have the same goals as we had last year. We want to get to the Big Dance."