Greg Gard has Final Four goals for Wisconsin basketball with path to get there

Greg Gard gets a ton of credit for being able to do more with less. He has an incredible knack for developing players, getting the most out of those players, and constantly tweaking to get the best product on the floor. His competitive spirit has continued to push Wisconsin as a basketball school. Yet, he hasn't gotten through the wall yet, past the sweet 16, and recently past the round of 32.

The goal hasn't changed for him, though, the Final Four and beyond that, the National Championship. In the Big Ten Media Days last week, he used the Final Four to describe his lofty goals for this team and the coming years.

Greg Gard has positioned Wisconsin for another big year in the Big Ten

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When talking about the goals for this year, Gard started with his defensive goals. He said that last year they were third in the Big Ten defensively and somewhere around 24th nationally. He wants to be in the top 10 for defensive metrics while keeping the offense in the top 10 (like they were last year). He said, if that happens and comes together, there's a "legit shot to play deep into March, Final Four on paper. Analytically, that's what a Final Four team looks like."

He finishes saying That's the ultimate goal. It starts with being a good defensive and offensive team. It can't just be one or the other. He's looking forward to seeing that jump in the defense this season, as he has a few veterans who understand what that jump will look like.

Gard says this team is more mobile and bigger, giving them more length to attack the lanes and make defensive stops. It's not just the big guys; he's happy with the length at every position.

It's good to hear the goals and the process to get there, but now it's putting it into action against real opponents, which starts next week.