Wisconsin men’s basketball opened the 2026-27 season with a win on Monday night at the Kohl Center, but the final score probably tells a different story than the one Greg Gard would have preferred.
The Badgers built a 14-point halftime lead against Denver, only to see that advantage shrink in the second half before holding on for a 75-68 victory.
“We didn’t play to our standard,” Gard told reporters. “Regardless of score, regardless of opponent, we talk about how we want to play the game, and we didn’t. They’re an intelligent group and an experienced group, and a little game pressure’s good for us. We can be really good in spurts, but we’ve got to continue to strive for what the standards are and how we try to play.”
There were encouraging individual performances, some interesting developments offensively, and a few things that will need cleaning up as the competition improves.
Here are three thoughts from Wisconsin’s season opener.