After Michigan defeated Ohio State on the road on Sunday, there hasn’t been much debate about which team is the best in the B1G. At 11-1 in conference play, the Wolverines are getting the nod right now.

That’s not just coming from the national or B1G media, either. Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard believes it’s true, too.

In a recent interview with SiriusXM, Gard was asked for his opinion about which team is the strongest in the B1G right now. There are plenty of options to choose from — No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 5 Illinois and No. 9 Iowa — but Gard says it’s the Wolverines.

“We’ve seen Michigan twice, we’re gonna see Illinois this weekend, we’re gonna see Iowa again at the end of the season,” Gard said. “At this point in my evaluation, Michigan’s the best team. Illinois has the best combination, the best duo with [Ayo] Dosunmu and [Kofi] Cockburn. Ohio State is the best team that the whole is better than the sum of the parts. I think they, collectively, have formed a really, really good unit. And obviously you’ve got Iowa in there too, with [Joe] Wieskamp and [Luka] Garza.

“They’re all a little different. But, like I said, I think just my evaluation, Michigan has been very impressive in what they’ve done.”

So, even though Gard found a way to give credit to the three other teams in the mix, he’s still sticking with Michigan. Perhaps that’s because the Wolverines found a way to overcome a 12-point halftime deficit in Madison to defeat the Badgers following a 3-week COVID-19 pause.

Naming the B1G’s best team is a really tough task this year. Right now, though, Gard says that title belongs to Juwan Howard and the Wolverines.