And now Gard can't imagine where his program would be without Minnesota talent.
The Badgers established a recruiting pipeline across the border that's been challenging the Gophers for two decades, well before coach Ben Johnson took over at Minnesota in 2021.
Few things have frustrated Gophers hoops fans more over the years than seeing so many top Minnesota boys basketball players head to the Badgers. It's almost as bad as losing to them on the court.
On last Wednesday's signing day, Breck's Daniel Freitag and Lakeville North's Jack Robison gave Wisconsin six players from Minnesota since 2019, the same number of in-state players the Gophers have signed in that span. Last year, Gard signed Lakeville North's Nolan Winter, now an impact freshman.
"It's just a natural fit," Gard said. "It's far enough away but not too far away. It's a great academic school. Awesome campus and awesome city."
Johnson has yet to sign a Minnesota player who also received a Wisconsin scholarship offer, but he says not every top prospect in the state fits his program.
The Gophers signed in-state recruits Isaac Asuma from Cherry and Grayson Grove from Alexandria. In his first three U classes, Johnson has already signed five Minnesotans, one more than predecessor Richard Pitino did in his last five years from 2017-21.