Before the 2024/25 basketball season, what word would you use to describe Wisconsin Basketball?

Gritty? Tough? Controlling? Simple? Slow? Anything that describes a dominant defense and a slow-paced offense that runs the swing offense to perfection would work. Dick Bennet, Bo Ryan, and Greg Gard made Wisconsin a defensive powerhouse that could reliably win games as long as they scored 60 points. And that’s what they did. Since the 1995/96 season, Wisconsin has averaged 64.7 points a game. That includes Dick Bennet’s 2000 Final Four team that averaged 59.9 points a game. Wisconsin’s best offense during that time frame was last year at 74.7 points a game. Wisconsin’s second-best offense was Bo Ryan’s first Final Four team at 73.5 points a game. This year’s team? 81 points a game. A far cry from Bo Ryan’s 300th win, a 48 – 38 slugfest against Virginia. 

Why the change?

Why is this team scoring a historic amount? Simple, Greg Gard had to change things up to not lose his job. After multiple seasons where Wisconsin stalled out and ran simple offenses that were easily exploitable, Gard modernized his offense to be highly efficient. According to Ken Pom’s offensive efficiency rating, Wisconsin has the 9th best offense in college basketball. Where are they excelling? They are 20th in the country with 10.2 three-pointers a game and lead the country with an 84.08% free throw percentage. This is a team that isn’t afraid to play aggressively and can back it up at the free-throw line. A pleasant change of pace for a lifelong Badger Basketball fan I might say.

Who has made the difference?

Now, who do we have to thank for this scoring outburst? John Tonje is the obvious answer. He leads the team in most offensive categories and has become a much-needed leader for a team that lost Chucky Hepburn, AJ Storr, and Tyler Wahl. John Blackwell has taken a large step forward in running the offense in place of Chucky. Max Klesmit has been a rock despite an up-and-down season. Nolan Winter is taking strides and is showing an aggressiveness that has been lacking from Wisconsin big men for the past couple of years. And the bench is holding their own when called upon. More so on the defensive end, but a couple of clutch 3s from Gilly James don’t hurt. 

More than just one individual

But the thing that has been consistent from the get-go? Any one player can carry this team on a given night. This has been a full-on team philosophy change led by someone who was on the hot seat by some coming into this year. The chants of “Fire Gard” may be muted at this point in the season but they’ll return should Wisconsin not make it past the first weekend come March. Next week, I’ll be looking into Greg Gard’s legacy and why the editor of this article is a believer in “Fire Gard”.

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This article was written by Jordan Longseth and edited by Hayden Breene.