Coaches Roundtable: How Wisconsin turned its season around play Seth Greenberg explains why Wisconsin is on the rise in his power rankings while Texas A&M is on the decline. (1:51) Feb 18, 2016 ESPN.com Email print comment Among the three of them, Seth Greenberg, Fran Fraschilla and Dan Dakich have more than 40 years of head-coaching experience at the Division I level. Each week they get together to discuss the hottest topics in college basketball.
Dakich: Greg Gard has done a ton of things to improve Wisconsin not only on the court but off as well. There had been a ton of uncertainty surrounding Wisconsin since Bo Ryan announced he was retiring, not retiring, then retiring again. Gard was going to be named coach, then not named coach. All this was very un-Wisconsin-like. Wisconsin had always been the bastion of stability in the Big Ten since Ryan got there. Then it was chaotic, to say the least.
Gard calmed all of that for the players. He gave them stability and peace of mind.
Next, Gard went back to the swing offense that Ryan and Gard had popularized during the years. The change in offense helped offensive efficiency, but more than that, it brought structure to a very young, very inexperienced group of players.
On an individual player basis, two things:
Gard stood up to star forward Nigel Hayes. Hayes was playing well, but Wisconsin has always been about playing for the team, the whole being greater than the parts. Hayes wasn't dogging it, but his play wasn't nearly up to Gard's or Hayes' standards.
He has trusted his bench. Lengthening the bench, especially the addition of Jordan Hill, has made Wisconsin deeper, smarter and more athletic. Give Gard the job!
Greenberg: Gard has been tremendous in taking ownership of his program. Coaching is fitting the system to the players and their skill sets, putting players in position to play to their strengths. Upon taking over, he immediately went back to the swing offense, which enabled him to move the ball and attack mismatches. The offense enabled him to invert and post Hayes, force bigs to defend Vitto Brown away from the basket and use Ethan Happ's ability to play at the elbow as well as on the block and baseline. It took pressure off Bronson Koenig, and Zak Showalter has started to demonstrate some of the same traits as former point guard Josh Gasser. Just as important as the technical side, you can see the trust and relationship he has with his team. His players are working for him because he has earned their trust and support.
Fraschilla: It's obvious, although Dan has seen the Badgers more than Seth and I have. They space the floor better, and it has made their inside and outside game better. When I saw the Badgers at Oklahoma early in the season, they were standing around and bunched up. When Gard took over and installed their old tried-and-true swing offense with more movement and cutting, it fit this particular group better. Lately, the Badgers have been on fire behind the arc, and Happ and Hayes have established a true inside game. By the way, credit Gard for saving Wisconsin's season. Not bad for an interim coach.
Maryland freshman Diamond Stone will miss the Terrapins game at Minnesota on Thursday. Steven Branscombe/USA TODAY Sports Fraschilla: There's no challenge at all for Turgeon. Assuming he already has accountability in his program, explaining the one-game suspension to Stone is easy. Stone, who shoved the head of Wisconsin's Vito Brown on Saturday, knows what the consequences of his actions are, and, more importantly, his teammates know. They are watching to see if that incident, even whether it's a one-time incident, is tolerated. I used to tell my players, "Discipline isn't what you do to someone, it's what you do for someone." Hopefully, Stone understands the small lesson he is being taught.
Dakich: The challenge for Turgeon is to simply get Stone back playing well. The incident wasn't a huge deal, as both Maryland and the Big Ten handled things quickly and decisively, but remember: Stone is a young guy, so making him understand his mistake and move on is all that's needed.
Greenberg: There's no pressure at all. They're doing the right thing. A one-game suspension sends a clear message to his team that there is acceptable and unacceptable behavior. Playing for Maryland is a privilege, not a right. I am sure Stone regrets his actions and is embarrassed, but doing nothing would be condoning the behavior. I am sure the league would have taken action, but I think it is better coming from Turgeon. Lesson learned. Move on.
Alabama coach Avery Johnson has his team on the NCAA tournament bubble in his first season with the Crimson Tide. Joe Robbins/Getty Images Greenberg: I was on the bubble for 48 straight months. It is not easy! You can't hide from it. It is a reality. Every team has a bracketologist whether it's a player, manager or staff member. Players know every game means something. I never mentioned it! Every game you win brings more attention and pressure. Control your controllables. Have a good practice. Prepare with a focus and attention to detail, and go and play. If you win games, you are in.
Fraschilla: The NCAA tournament is the 800-pound gorilla in the room. The players and coaching staff already know what's at stake. I had a St. John's team that started Big East play 0-3 and ended the conference season 13-5, and our mantra once we began to win was, "Let's start a one-game winning streak." It simply meant focusing on the next game at hand and not trying to figure out how many games we needed to win to get into the tournament. It allowed our players to narrow the big picture down, to concern themselves with the next game on the schedule. It worked.
Dakich: Having been on the bubble a few times, I think it's silly not to acknowledge it. Players are hoops junkies, and most times ESPN is on with them 24/7. They see it, they know it, and hiding it only makes everyone uncomfortable. You also have to acknowledge, however, that those who know are making educated guesses, and the only thing that helps is playing really well. Let's face it, the teams that get off the bubble play well. So there is nothing more important.