MADISON – His basketball team wasn’t projected to contend for the Big Ten regular-season title.

Contend for the title? Reporters who cover the Big Ten picked Wisconsin to finish outside the top five.

The reasoning was obvious and understandable. UW wouldn’t be able to overcome the departure of three seniors, particularly Ethan Happ, a four-year starter who left UW as one of the more decorated players in program history.

Yet Greg Gard and his players performed well above the preseason projections and won a share of the league title with a 14-6 mark. The Badgers clinched a share of the title by rallying for a 60-56 victory Saturday at Indiana.

Not surprisingly, Gard on Monday was named Big Ten coach of the year by the league coaches and by reporters who cover the league.

Those honors came after Gard was named Big Ten coach of the year by reporters who cover the league for the USA TODAY Sports Network.

"This is a team award," Gard said during and interview on the Big Ten Network. "You’re not in this position if you don’t have a really good team. I’m fortunate enough to be able to coach those guys … and the job my assistant coaches has done has been phenomenal."

UW, picked No. 6 in a preseason poll compiled by the media, became the first team to win a Big Ten regular-season title without a first- or second-team all-conference pick. Since the Big Ten began recognizing all-conference performers in 1948, a total of 95 teams have won at least a share of the league's regular-season title. Of those 95 teams, 91 featured a first-team all-league player and three had a second-team all-league player.

Junior Nate Reuvers and redshirt junior D’Mitrik Trice were the only UW players honored by the Big Ten coaches and writers. Reuvers and Trice were third-team picks according to the coaches. Reuvers was a third-team pick and Trice honorable mention according to the media.

Reuvers led UW in scoring (12.0 ppg) and blocks (1.5) in league play. He also averaged 4.0 rebounds per game. Trice averaged 8.9 points and 3.8 rebounds in league play. He also had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.7 with 92 assists (4.6 per game) and 35 turnovers (1.8 per game).

Iowa center Luka Garza swept player of the year honors. Garza received eight of nine votes for player of the year after leading the Big Ten in scoring at 23.7 points per game. The 6-foot-11 big man, who also averaged 9.9 rebounds, was a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten pick.

Illinois center Kofi Cockburn was named freshman of the year.

UW (21-10) is seeded No. 1 for the Big Ten tournament, which runs Wednesday through Sunday in Indianapolis.

Gard has guided UW through a tumultuous season that began Memorial Day weekend with a horrific auto accident involving assistant Howard Moore and his family. Moore lost his wife and daughter, suffered severe burns, subsequently suffered a heart attack and remains in a long-term rehabilitation facility.

"He has been in our thoughts every single day," said Gard, adding he planned to visit Moore on Monday to show him the program's newest Big Ten trophy.

Gard brought in former All-American Alando Tucker to replace Moore and then oversaw a turnaround that included UW winning its final eight Big Ten games.

"We were trying to find our way," said Gard, whose team was 6-6 in the league and 13-10 overall after a Feb. 5 loss at Minnesota. "And we were literally – I know it sounds cliché – walking one day at a time, one practice at a time, one game at a time. Just trying to get better every day.

"Fortunately for all of us, our team did a phenomenal job of rallying around each other and bonding together and continuing to grow as the season unfolded."

UW went 9-2 down the stretch despite the departure of Kobe King, who was the team's leading scorer in Big Ten play when he left the team in late February.

"I think they came together," Gard said of his remaining players, "and they understood that the whole was greater than the sum of the parts.

"And once they figured that out and really believed in that, they just took off and we had unbelievable contributions across the board."

After UW's victory over Indiana, Gard brought his three assistants -- Joe Krabbenhoft, Dean Oliver and Tucker -- to a post-game news conference so they could receive credit for their work.

“I can’t be more proud of these three guys,” Gard said after the victory over Indiana. “They have been to hell and back the last nine months."

USA TODAY Network all-Big Ten teams

FIRST TEAM

PG Cassius Winston, Sr., Michigan State*

F Daniel Oturo, So., Minnesota

F Jalen Smith, So., Maryland

F Lamar Stevens, Sr., Penn State

C Luka Garza, Jr., Iowa*

*unanimous selection

SECOND TEAM

PG Zavier Simpson, Sr., Michigan

G Anthony Cowan, Sr., Maryland

G Ayo Dosunmu, So., Illinois

F Xavier Tillman, Jr., Michigan State

F Kaleb Wesson, Jr., Ohio State

SUPERLATIVES

Player of the year: Luke Garza, Jr., Iowa

Coach of the year: Greg Gard, Wisconsin

Freshman of the year: Kofi Cockburn, Illinois

The voters

Mike Carmin, Lafayette Journal & Courier

Player of the year: C Luka Garza, Iowa

Coach of the year: Greg Gard, Wisconsin

Freshman of the year: C Kofi Cockburn, Illinois

Graham Couch, Lansing State Journal

Player of the year: Luka Garza, Iowa

Coach of the year: Steve Pikiell, Rutgers

Freshman of the year: Kofi Cockburn, Illinois

Mark Emmert, Des Moines Register

Player of the year: Luka Garza, Iowa

Coach of the year: Greg Gard, Wisconsin

Freshman of the year: Kofi Cockburn, Illinois

Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch

Player of the year: C Luka Garza, Jr. Iowa

Coach of the year: Greg Gard, Wisconsin

Freshman of the year: Kofi Cockburn, Illinois

Chad Leistikow, Des Moines Register

Player of the year: Luka Garza, Iowa

Coach of the year: Greg Gard, Wisconsin

Freshman of the year: Kofi Cockburn, Illinois

Zach Osterman, Indianapolis Star

Player of the year: Luka Garza, Iowa

Coach of the year: Tom Izzo, Michigan State

Freshman of the year: Kofi Cockburn, Illinois

Jeff Potrykus, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Player of the year: Luka Garza, Iowa

Coach of the year: Greg Gard, Wisconsin.

Freshman of the year: F Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana

Orion Sang, Detroit Free Press

Player of the year: Cassius Winston, Michigan State

Coach of the year: Greg Gard, Wisconsin

Freshman of the year: Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana

Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press

Player of the year: Luka Garza, Iowa

Coach of the year: Greg Gard, Wisconsin

Freshman of the year: Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana