Wisconsin Coach Seals Fate After Stunning Purdue Upset

Wisconsin basketball coach Greg Gard isn't going anywhere.

Gard's seat had grown increasingly hot since the start of February when the Badgers went 3-8 in the team's final 11 regular season games.

After an incredible first few months that saw the team shoot up to sixth in America, the Badgers collapsed in unreal fashion.

It looked like the team was in for another disappointing season under Gard. Fans were throwing in the towel and in open revolt.

However, fate sure is a funny thing in sports, and Gard sealed his Saturday with a stunning upset over Purdue.

Greg Gard cools hot seat with win over Purdue.

The Badgers pulled off a truly stunning 76-75 win over top-seed Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, and that's more than enough to make sure Gard doesn't go anywhere.

As I wrote earlier in the week, there are five scenarios that could play out. Scenario two was the team making a Big Ten Tournament run and losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

This is now the worst case scenario for Wisconsin, and it's a scenario that I said would guarantee Gard doesn't go anywhere.

Being a Wisconsin basketball fan under Greg Gard's leadership is incredibly frustrating at times. Wisconsin hasn't been to a Sweet 16 in seven years, has no Big Ten Tournament titles but he does win a lot in the regular season, including two B1G regular season championships.

However, fans want and expect much more. Remember, Bo Ryan elevated Wisconsin to a national power by the time he retired. There's no question the program has regressed since back-to-back Final Four appearances.

At the end of the day, that falls on Gard. The buck stops with him. Missing the tournament this year would have likely cost him his job, but that's no longer a concern.

In fact, there's a real chance Wisconsin could snatch a four seed with a win over Illinois in the B1G Tournament title game.

The refs damn near bodied Wisconsin, but Gard and his guys still found a way to get it done.

There were also plenty of fans and analysts quick to celebrate the shocking win and Gard sticking around.

I'll be the first to admit that I've been beyond frustrated with Gard and the state of the program in recent years. However, there's simply no change that will be made at this point. He threw water on his hot seat the moment the clock hit zero against Purdue. Now, it's all about what he can do against Illinois going into the NCAA Tournament. Let me know your thoughts on Gard at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.