Greg Gard previews second round matchup with Iowa State

Wisconsin coach Greg Gard is prepared for a battle against Iowa State on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Badgers are coming off of a close call against Colgate in the first round, narrowly escaping with a 67-60 win after finding themselves trailing at various points in the second half.

In his postgame press conference following that victory, Gard said he hadn’t watched much of the Cyclones at that point, but knew they would pose a challenge. He also noted that two Big Ten transfer players are on the ISU roster in Penn State’s Izaiah Brockington and Minnesota’s Gabe Kalscheur.

“They’re good, they won tonight,” Greg Gard said of Iowa State. “I haven’t watched one second of them yet. Coach Oliver has that scout, so he’s a week into it and I’ll convey with him when I get back to the hotel, and it will be a long night watching the Cyclones. They’re good, though. Obviously the point guard is a good player. Up and down the line-up, know a couple of those guys that played in the Big Ten, Gabe Kalscheur, Brockington. So it’s a good team. Obviously, you win and get into this tournament and you win, you’re doing something right. So we’ll have to use the next two days here or day and a half to prepare and be ready for Sunday night.”

Iowa State secured a 59-54 win against LSU in its first round game behind a career-high 23 points from freshman guard Tyrese Hunter. He delivered two 3-pointers during the final two minutes, including the final dagger with 20 seconds left. First-year ISU coach TJ Otzelberger will look to continue his team’s Cinderella run Saturday against Wisconsin.

The Badgers are seeking their third Sweet Sixteen appearance in seven years under Greg Gard. Iowa State and Wisconsin are set to tip off at 6:10 p.m. ET Sunday at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.