Greg Gard is coming off of a 2nd-round exit in the NCAA Tournament last season. Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel posted about what Gard said in a recent interview.

Steven Crowl has put in some work in the offseason. Crowl averaged 8.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists last season. Gard stated that Crowl has added more than 10 pounds since last year. The Wisconsin coach also mentioned how much more confident Crowl is.

Wisconsin will need players like Crowl to step up in order to make up for offensive production that Johnny Davis had. Davis is now with the Washington Wizards organization after getting selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

Gard was quick to make a joke about Davis. Gard stated that Davis made him look smarter than he was at times.

“He made me look really, really smart at times,” said Gard. “Sometimes the best play was to get the ball to Johnny and get out of the way.”

Wisconsin’s season opens with South Dakota on Nov. 7 at 8:30 p.m. ET.