The world of college basketball is now buzzing over the hectic scene that transpired in the late stages of No. 15 Wisconsin’s Big Ten home win against Michigan.
Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard opted to call a timeout with 15 seconds remaining in the game and his team already up by 15 points. This decision from Gard appeared to have created some confusion with Michigan head coach Juwan Howard.
As the final seconds of the game winded down and the two teams then proceeded to go to the handshake line, Howard ignored Gard, which prompted the Badgers head coach to confront him. The two head coaches exchanged words and chaos then ensued as Howard ended up taking a swipe at Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft.
Gard later explained to CBS Sports his reasoning behind calling a timeout with his team on the doorstep of clinching a double-digit conference win.
“Apparently he didn't like that I called the timeout to reset the 10-second call,” Gard said. “Because we only had four seconds to get the ball over halfcourt. I didn't want to put my backups — I had all my bench guys in the game — I didn't want to put them in that position of scrambling with only four seconds.
“So I took a timeout and got us a new 10 seconds and it helped them get organized and get the ball in. And he did not like that when he came through the handshake line. I'll leave it at that and the tape will show the rest.”
Gard further added during his post-game press conference that he advised his team to not shoot the ball, as he wanted the five on the floor to “break the pressure, come up and dribble out the clock.” He aspired to have his team operate with 10 seconds left on the shot clock — rather than a mere four seconds — to combat the full-court press from Michigan.
Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh noted following the game that there were injuries, but he opted to not elaborate on them. He also added that he expects Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren will take action for the incident in the contest.
It remains to be seen on just what Warren plans to do in the aftermath of this chaotic scene between the two Big Ten powerhouses.
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