MADISON, Wis. (AP) Wisconsin has posted a job opening looking for a men's basketball coach, a sign that interim coach Greg Gard could be one step closer to becoming the successor to Bo Ryan.
A job posted Thursday on the university's human resources website sought applications for the position by March 3, with an earliest anticipated start date of March 8. The Big Ten Tournament begins the next day. Other conference tourneys around the country also take place that week with teams preparing for the NCAA Tournament.
State rules prevent a permanent replacement from being named without the school going through a formal hiring process.
After a 1-4 start in league play, Gard has steadied Wisconsin using an expanded bench and a tweaked offense. The Badgers (18-10, 10-5 Big Ten) have won nine of their last 10 games, including wins over four ranked teams.
Ryan retired following a 64-49 win on Dec. 15 over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The abrupt timing gave Gard, a longtime assistant, a three-month audition to take over the job permanently.
''Every coach would like their top assistant to be the coach,'' Ryan said then in his final news conference.
Wisconsin hosts Michigan on Sunday in its regular-season home finale.
