The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team concluded its 10-day, four-game exhibition tour across France on Monday; finishing said tour with a 4-0 record.
“It got really physical, which is good,” said Gard in a post-game video. “I think it exposed things that our younger guys maybe weren’t accustomed to with college basketball. It won’t be quite this physical, but it’s still good for us.”
Still, in the early stages of mixing and matching lineup combinations, coach Gard essentially deployed two separate line changes that remained fluid and everchanging throughout the trip.
“I’m really not concerned about what the score says,” Gard explained. “I’m more concerned about making sure we get guys experience, specifically guys who are new to the program or haven’t played a lot in the past. That’s forcing me to play a lot of guys. I wanted to force myself specifically to give everyone a chance.”
Although the trip’s primary focus was geared toward bonding and growing as a team, there were also several notable takeaways on the court.
Here are my main takeaways from Wisconsin’s overseas trip: