The Wisconsin men’s basketball team is running five-on-five sets in practice. The reserves are in black practice jerseys, while the starters and main rotation guys are in white.

Freshman forward Alex Illikainen is in black, working hard offensively to prove his worth against the likes of Nigel Hayes and Ethan Happ. After a few possessions, however, interim head coach Greg Gard spoke up.

“Alex, go white,” he said.

Under Bo Ryan, Illikainen may have not expected to hear these words in practice, as, for the most part, minutes came sparingly for the true freshmen. But under Gard and his deeper rotation, Illikainen along with many other guys are expecting to see that coveted white jersey, and are stepping up their play in practice as a result.

“I think the competitiveness has definitely increased with more guys playing,” Illikainen said. “We’re going at it, trying to compete for time, so we are really pushing each other and that is helping my overall confidence too. Just being able to do more.”

Gard’s extended rotation has reached as many as 10 players compared to Ryan’s limit of seven or eight, and not only have the individuals involved regained some confidence, but the team as a whole has regained confidence and is putting together better on-court performances.

Someone who has seen extended time on the court, even more so than Illikainen, is redshirt sophomore guard Jordan Hill. In Ryan’s final game as head coach against Texas A&M Corpus-Christie, Hill played just two minutes after not appearing in the previous five outings.

Since then, Hill has played 20-plus minutes in each of the five games under Gard. The interim head coach has given Hill an opportunity he has been waiting two years for, and one Gard thought he was more than ready for.

“I feel I’ve been doing a good job and doing whatever coach Gard asks for,” Hill said. “I try to be a dog out there, create some havoc and try to make smart decisions on offense.”

So far, Hill has been very effective, posting 10 points, four rebounds and four assists in his first game under Gard against UW-Green Bay and has averaged 5.4 points in that five-game stretch after not scoring a single point in the first 12 games of the season.

But beyond his production, Hill has provided a much-needed spark of energy off the bench. With good ball handling and ability to slash to the basket, the redshirt sophomore gives the Badgers a dynamic that Ryan was reluctant to put on the floor.

This ended up being a big reason as to why Gard decided to play Hill as much as he has.

“I thought Hill could give us a little spark, so I put him in,” Gard said of his first game against Green Bay. “I thought we needed a shot in the arm.”

And despite the fact Hill must limit mistakes as he continues to fight for playing time, that does not mean he’s going to allow his aggressiveness to come to a halt.

But it does mean Hill needs to work on maintaining the balance of when to attack and when to stay more conservative.

“It’s tough to balance being aggressive and being under control sometimes, especially when I don’t always know when I should pass the ball or when I should take a shot,” Hill said. “But I think I’ve started to figure it out.”

And the team has started to figure it out as well, because despite posting a 2-3 record under Gard, the team has been able to remain competitive against not only the best the Big Ten has to offer, but the best the country has to offer.

In fact, their three conference losses against No. 14 Purdue, Indiana and No. 3 Maryland have come by just a combined 10 points, thanks in large part to the team’s improved defensive effort.

That stronger defense is likely coming as a result of the deeper rotation, key guys getting more rest and having fresh legs on the court much more frequently. This is something that, according to Illikainen, should continue to trend in a positive direction.

“Now that we are getting better, it’s going to allow the older guys to get more rest time and go in there and give it their all,” he said. “I think we are starting to get used to it.”

While the young, inexperienced players continue to get used to more minutes, more on-court action and ultimately more responsibility on this Wisconsin team, they understand it means they now have a lot more work to do.

And for Hill, he wants people to know that this young core hasn’t yet scratched the surface of what they’re capable of.

“We are still trying to find our way through this,” Hill said. “I know we have a lot more to offer.”