West Lafayette, Ind.—The final destination will be different, though the journey has been eerily similar to one Greg Gard enjoyed 15 seasons ago.
Wisconsin's rise up the Big Ten standings this season reminds Gard of the 2001-'02 season, his first at UW with Bo Ryan.
UW (20-10, 12-5 Big Ten) closes the regular season at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Purdue (23-7, 11-6). The Badgers can secure at least a tie for second place with a victory. A victory over Purdue would give UW the No. 3 seeding and a double-bye in the Big Ten tournament.