The Wisconsin Badgers misplaced to the James Madison Dukes 72-61 within the first spherical of the NCAA Match, exiting early as soon as once more in March.
After the sport, head coach Greg Gard spoke with the media, breaking down his staff’s efforts within the disappointing loss.
Opening Assertion
GREG GARD: Initially, congrats to James Madison. Much more spectacular in individual than they had been on movie, and I used to be actually impressed with them on movie. I assumed their stress bothered us, particularly within the first half, clearly with 13 turnovers, they actually bought after us. We didn’t deal with it exceptionally nicely, and after we did, we weren’t capable of end at instances across the rim and missed some simple photographs.
However how this group battled again within the second half to get it again to 6. When you will have 13 turnovers and shoot 26 % within the first half, you’ve actually dug your self a gap, however this group has had no stop in all of them 12 months. And, you understand, to have it again to 6 twice, and photographs to get it nearer, they’ve given every part that they had and left it on the market on the ground.
So actually pleased with, clearly Tyler being our solely senior, what he’s given to this program and these guys to my left, I by no means needed to coach effort, and if you don’t have to teach effort, you’ll be able to have loads of good issues occur, which this group has accomplished. So that is going to sting for fairly a while as a result of we felt we may clearly play higher, however we’ll take in it and we’ll proceed to maneuver on.
Q. You talked about Tyler being a senior, however loads of this staff returned from final 12 months. How robust is that this loss, particularly given the momentum you guys had coming from the Massive Ten Match?
GREG GARD: Effectively, any time you get so far within the 12 months, any loss goes to be robust since you scrap and claw, and you’re employed all 12 months to get your self into this match. After which as we’ve seen with all the opposite video games occurring, you will have 40 minutes, and in case you have a foul phase of that 40 like we had a foul 20, and then you definately’re enjoying uphill like we did.
Yeah, it burns since you put quite a bit into this. This wasn’t simply — you weren’t getting ready for this only for 4 days after Choice Sunday. You’ve been working in the direction of this since final June. These guys have poured quite a bit into it and also you’ve seen the tears and the emotion, as a result of it means quite a bit they usually have dedicated and sacrificed quite a bit to present to this staff.
Q. You talked about you missed some photographs on the rim. Does the stress result in speeding these photographs, you assume?
GREG GARD: I imply, sport stress is actual. You’re not going to disclaim that. However I assumed their physicality brought about us to show the ball over early, after which I felt we additionally rushed typically when the turnovers had been coming due to the physicality. We had some unforced errors the place we bought sped up, threw the ball away.
And sure, we didn’t end across the rim. We had some fairly point-blank seems to be and even we don’t shoot the free throw line in addition to we did. I assumed offensively, particularly within the first half — defensively, we held them beneath a degree per possession within the first half. It was simply 13 turnovers and taking pictures 26 %. That’s fairly futile if you shoot that low.
Normally, in case you flip the ball over quite a bit, at the least you shoot it higher as a result of the photographs you’re don’t get, you’re throwing it away so it doesn’t depend in opposition to you. However we had a double-whammy within the first half.
Q. You mentioned in your opening assertion that you simply take in this and transfer on. What does that appear to be? Once you don’t make the match one 12 months and also you don’t win it the subsequent, do you will have to have a look within the mirror and take a look at to determine how one can get this program again to the place you need it?
GREG GARD: Effectively, I imply, you play by this and also you’re in a one-game playoff so something can occur. This group needed to win a Massive Ten Championship. We didn’t get there. We bought all the best way to the end line final week in Minneapolis, they usually didn’t get that one. They usually needed to win and advance on this.
So in a 40-minute sport, in case you don’t play nicely, like I’ve mentioned 100 instances, you’re going to go house. So for us, we fought turnovers and shot choice all 12 months, and people sins got here again to get us once more tonight, extra turnovers than perhaps ever. This is perhaps our highest turnover sport all 12 months. In all probability is.
However these issues, that’s why you battle all 12 months and educate and coach, to not have that scenario the place you don’t flip the ball over and also you don’t take unhealthy photographs, and you employ all these classes in the course of the 12 months to get so far so that you don’t have that occur.
A whole lot of that is credit score to James Madison, too. As these guys mentioned, we haven’t seen a staff actually come at us and we knew they might. Everyone that we talked to that performed them mentioned they’ll come at you and they’ll foul you, and it’s going to be bodily and they’ll attain and seize. And also you’ve bought to have the ability to deal with it, and we didn’t at first of the sport.
Like I mentioned, 13 turnovers in 36 possessions within the first half is a recipe for catastrophe, however this group discovered a solution to claw again and located a solution to handle the ball higher within the second half. The issue was the opening was too deep that we had dug.
Q. In right this moment’s period of the switch portal, you in all probability needed to do loads of re-recruiting of men final 12 months. Do you anticipate to have a number of this low season and what’s your pitch to those guys to come back again one other 12 months?
GREG GARD: We’re quarter-hour after the tip of sport, so I don’t know. They don’t know. I imply, we see the world we’re in. We’ll have conversations. A whole lot of guys, all however Tyler, have an possibility to come back again, and there can be different choices, I’m positive. If guys need to check the waters within the draft or get suggestions. We haven’t had these conversations but. We’re so uncooked after the tip of the sport.
And like I mentioned, you simply take a look at the panorama, that’s the surroundings we’re in. So you need to take care of it and put together. It may go 100 other ways. However this core is basically good. They’re actually tight. That locker room, it’s fairly emotional proper now and that instructed me, or tells me — it’s not the primary time I’ve seen an emotional locker room, however that tells me they’re right here for the suitable causes.
They’re right here for that, they usually did a extremely good job of representing the entrance of that jersey. However we’re in a distinct period. There’s loads of particular person decisions that folks have.
Q. This was your sixth match look. You’ve had a pair first-round exits, second-round exits, and also you’ve been to the Candy 16. The place does this loss, by way of how a lot it stings, given how nicely your staff carried out, how does this rank in comparison with the remaining?
GREG GARD: I don’t examine years as a result of each staff is totally different into itself. In ‘13, we bought blown out by Arizona and within the first spherical, and we flip round and go to the Last 4 the subsequent 12 months. I don’t like evaluating years as a result of the gamers are totally different. The momentum by a season is totally different. Your season ebbs and flows in a different way. This one stinks as a result of this group has put quite a bit into it they usually had actually excessive targets, and had performed very well.
You already know, like I mentioned, we didn’t play nicely tonight, and this isn’t a seven-game collection. So you set your greatest hand on the market, and if it’s not ok, you go house.
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