UW players pushed for tough schedule
MADISON – Wisconsin coach Greg Gard gathered his players recently and, knowing the staff was in the process of rearranging the names on nonconference schedule, asked a simple question:
Tell us who you want to face. The players’ response, according to Gard, was: Find us the best teams you can find us.
“That is what they wanted so we went after the best we could get in the amount of time we had,” Gard said Monday during a Zoom session. “Fortunately, we’ve got two really good opponents here as we wrap up the nonconference.”
The first is Loyola (3-0) of the Missouri Valley Conference. The Ramblers are set to face UW (4-1), ranked No. 12 in both The Associated Press and USA Today coaches’ polls, at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin officials announced that pairing on Sunday. Then during Gard’s Zoom session Monday they announced the Badgers are scheduled to host Louisville (4-0) at 11 a.m. Saturday.
“Obviously, welcome to 2020 in terms of the ever-changing schedule,” Gard joked. “We're excited to be able to put these two together … on such short notice and all the moving parts.”
UW was initially scheduled to host Louisville on Dec. 9 but the Cardinals had to pause all team activities after a positive COVID-19 test.
UW was originally set to host Northern Iowa on Wednesday but the Panthers announced Sunday they were pausing all team activities and were canceling their final two non-conference games. Enter Loyola.
UW thus will play its full, sevengame non-conference schedule, barring any COVID-19 issues.
“We're thankful we could find two games,” senior guard Brad Davison said, “so that we get to play the same amount of games and we're not behind schedule by any means.”
UW briefly explored a match-up against Villanova (5-1), ranked in the top 10 of both polls, Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The Wildcats are set to face Virginia on Saturday. The Cavaliers recently had to pause all team activities because of COVID-19 issues but are hopeful to play Villanova.
“I actually went to bed Saturday night with the plan that we were going to play Villanova because Virginia was on shutdown,” Gard said. “And then Sunday it changed. Then Louisville became more real . ...
“To be able to get these type of games, challenging games, is a great challenge for our team.”
Loyola has victories over Lewis, Chicago State and Illinois Chicago. The Ramblers return five senior starters from a team that finished second in the MVC last season at 13-5 and 21-11 overall.
“Obviously, Porter has done a great job in the decade he has been there,” Gard said, referring to head coach Porter Moser. “It's a lot like looking in the mirror in terms of how they play. …
“They've got really good players and Porter puts them in a system that allows them to be successful.”
The Cardinals, No. 23 in the coaches poll and No. 22 in The Associated Press poll, should present similar challenges. The addition of the Louisville game has resulted in UW moving its Big Ten opener set for Dec. 21 against visiting Nebraska to Dec. 22.
Gard isn't surprised his players responded as they did to his recent query.
“That is why they come here,” he said. “That is why they want to play at this level. If we could line up seven in a row that were heavyweight fights, they'd do it. …
“This group doesn't have any fear. They want to play the best because they want to challenge themselves and be the best.
“We've told them all along, if you want to be at the top you've got to be willing to put your game on the line and go after it.”