After such a hot start for the Wisconsin basketball team, things are a bit of a mess for the Badgers. After losing back-to-back games to Michigan and Marquette, UW was in dire need of a victory on Tuesday night against Illinois.
Unfortunately, more bad news came in for head coach Greg Gard and his coaching staff, with Illinois posting an 86-80 victory over Wisconsin. Gard was not happy after the final whistle, but plenty of people are talking about one comment in particular that he made.
That was when he called out center Steven Crowl. On the night, the 7-0, 248-pounder finished with nine points, but somehow he didn't post a single rebound. That can't happen when he's on the floor for 19 minutes.
Greg Gard on Steven Crowl: You look at his line and he has no rebounds. How do you have no rebounds?#Badgers
— Benjamin Worgull (@TheBadgerNation) December 11, 2024
Greg Gard was not happy with Steven Crowl after loss to Illinois
The honeymoon is over for Gard and Wisconsin, as they're not 8-3 on the season. After starting off 8-0, highlighted by wins over Arizona and Pitt, the Badgers were the No. 11 team in the country not long ago. Now, though, they're probably going to be unranked again by next Monday.
As for the rebounding issue, it wasn't just Crowl who couldn't make a play near the glass. In total, Illinois was much better in that department, posting 40 rebounds to Wisconsin's 29. The Fighting Illini simply wanted the ball more and fought harder for those boards.
That alone is going to infuriate Gard whenever he sees it happen. This is something the coaches are going to have to preach more than anything for upcoming practices, especially with a weekend showdown against Butler on the way.
Things have fallen off the tracks a bit for Wisconsin and this team clearly has a lot to clean up. Rebounding can't be a major issue moving forward and Crowl isn't the only one who has to get better there. Gard needs to find a way to inspire his guys because things aren't fun for anyone due to his three-game skid.