Wisconsin lost a hard-fought battle to Illinois in the Big Ten tournament championship game in Minneapolis on Sunday afternoon, but Badgers coach Greg Gard didn’t want his team to focus on negative feelings after the loss.
Gard wanted the Badgers (22–13) to shift the energy toward the upcoming NCAA tournament without dwelling on Sunday’s 93–87 loss to the Illini (26–8). The words he chose for his postgame speech in the locker room were sharp.
“I’ve been part of a lot of, almost 25 years, amazing battles, in this league, in this tournament, in the NCAA tournament. That may be one of the best I’ve ever seen,” Gard said. “It’s you guys sticking together, coming together, picking each other up. I mean, raise your hand if you fouled out.”
“We aren’t done yet,” Gard reminded the Badgers.
Gard and the team then broke out into a celebration dance as House of Pain’s Jump Around played in the background.
The Badgers learned hours later that they earned a No. 5 seed in the South Region and will play 12th-seeded James Madison on Friday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
A video of the coach giving this postgame locker room speech went viral on Sunday as Gard’s positive message carried the day, and it caught the eye of Colorado football coach Deion Sanders.
Sanders, who’s had his fair share of inspirational locker room speeches, praised Gard for his words.
“I absolutely Love it. God bless you Coach & your Team!!!!” Sanders tweeted.
I absolutely Love it. God bless you Coach & your Team!!!! https://t.co/5UCFQq0VZg
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) March 17, 2024
