One of the big questions that Wisconsin fans have about the athletic department is how much money the basketball program gets. It seems as if every year Gard has to get very creative with his roster and finds value in underrated players. He was asked about the basketball budget at his "Garding for Cancer" event. He said that the resources have gone up, but don't hold your breath.
The problem for Badger basketball and Gard was quickly to explain this; the rest of the league has increased its budgets too. "The market has also climbed," Gard said, "and the competition hasn't stopped adding to their resources."
#Badgers coach Greg Gard on if he believes the program had enough resources heading into the offseason: "Our resources have gone up... But guess what? The market has also climbed, and the competition (hasn't) stopped adding to their resources." pic.twitter.com/WeeGk4ET2b
— Michael McCleary (@MikeJMcCleary) May 2, 2026
Greg Gard may have more money for basketball but the price for a player has also gone up
Related: Greg Gard weighs in on the open Wisconsin AD job: "This is really really important"
As the college sports world is unregulated, the price for players continues to rise every year. The bidding war is only intensifying as demand for top-end talent grows, with every high major competing for said players. This has created a problem for programs like Wisconsin, which have been slow to adapt to the NIL area, and fans are blaming the outgoing athletic director.
Chris McIntosh, the former Wisconsin AD, seems to have only recently realized the need for more financial support for his programs. He vowed to put more into football, and the early results do seem to be shaping up as the Badgers have added more high-end talent. What about basketball?
It seems as if Gard has been working with a poverty budget for awhile and McIntosh was spoiled by the reality that Gard figured out how to win without big dollars. However, that has to change if Wisconsin wants another shot at a title.
Even the latest news about Donovan Davis suggests that Gard may lose another bidding war with Iowa State. Which continues to happen. Kager Knueppel may end up being another example. If a recruit in Wisconsin gets to a 4-star or 5-star for basketball, Gard seems to be unable to keep up with out-of-state programs swooping in.
Gard admits there's more money, but don't hold your breath; the roster will continue to look very similar thanks to the rise of the market around the country.
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