Five coaches came to the podium Monday afternoon, all going through various levels of success.
Men’s Hockey
The Badgers (1-9-2 Big Ten, 3-19-4 overall) look to use their first conference win from last Saturday night against Ohio State as momentum in their upcoming series.
“I think guys are, when they come to the rink after a win, they’re more willing to listen and work hard,” head coach Mike Eaves said. “Rather than back off, we’re going to use that to push forward.”
Wisconsin will host Michigan State Friday and Saturday. This is the first time these two teams have met this season.
“They play really hard. They block everything,” Eaves said about the Spartans. “They’re playing with great desperation and playing hard and we will expect that as they come in here.”
Wisconsin will navigate four more Big Ten series before it tries to salvage a lost season as it defends its Big Ten Tournament title.
Women’s Hockey
The Badgers (18-5-3-1 WCHA, 23-5-4 overall) are also looking forward to an exciting matchup this weekend in their last regular season home series against St. Cloud State. Wisconsin defeated the Huskies 4-0 and 3-0 in their first meetings in November.
Former Badger Jinelle Zaugg-Siergiej will return to Madison as an assistant coach for St. Cloud State in this series. It will also be an emotional weekend for head coach Mark Johnson as it is the 35th anniversary of the “Miracle on Ice” game. Johnson plans to fly to Lake Placid for a ceremony on Saturday and be back before the Badgers play the Huskies on Sunday.
Men’s Basketball
The Badgers (11-1 Big Ten, 23-2 overall) are coming off a victory over Illinois and will take an eight-game win streak into a road trip to Penn State this Wednesday. Wisconsin defeated Nittany Lions in their last meeting late December by a score of 89-72.
The Badgers have been able to get off to strong starts in the last few weeks and it has not gone unnoticed by head coach Bo Ryan. “I think you got to give credit to the players,” said Ryan. “You talk about games, you practice the sets of the other team, you run their stuff, you do your due diligence as a coaching staff but it’s the players that make it happen.”
Wisconsin is two-and-a-half games ahead of Maryland and Purdue in the Big Ten, and the Badgers are currently ranked fifth in the nation.
“They’re a good team,” said Ryan. “They’re a bunch of young men playing hard together.”
Much of the Badgers success can be attributed to Player of the Year candidate Frank Kaminsky. He had 23 points in Wisconsin’s victory over Illinois and currently holds the Big Ten lead in double-doubles with 10.
“I think he is one of the top players in the country that I’ve ever coached for sure and that exists in college right now,” said Ryan on Kaminsky.
Wisconsin looks to get a win on the road this Wednesday and keep their momentum going.
Women’s Basketball
Wisconsin (4-10 Big Ten, 8-16 overall) has lost its last three conference games and will have to bring its A game to break that streak, as it welcomes No. 5 Maryland this Thursday to the Kohl Center.
“Anybody that’s seen Maryland knows that they’re a great team,” said head coach Bobbie Kelsey. “They have some great players in Lexie Brown and a couple other folks out there that are doing a great job for them.”
The Badgers remain optimistic and ready for the challenge though as the Terrapins come to Madison.
“I always tell our kids, you can beat anybody on any day,” said Kelsey. “We go into every game with that mind-set, and I think that’s why we have been able to improve even though we haven’t won games.”
With junior guard Nicole Bauman ranked fourth in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage, Wisconsin hopes to have other players step up as well as they head into this game.
Women’s Swimming and Diving
The women’s swimming and diving team will head to the Big Ten Championships in Ohio this week to compete for the conference title and NCAA qualification.
“A win for us is getting the people we need to at the meet and feeling good about it and ready to go for the Championships,” head coach Whitney Hite said about the upcoming meet.
The Badgers are currently ranked 24th in the nation by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America. “Our motto is if we want to be the best, we got to beat the best, and we’re not afraid to challenge ourselves in that way,” Hite said.
Sophomore Ivy Martin was named Swimmer of the Championships last year and looks to continue her success at this year’s Big Ten Championships.
“I’ve seen some really, really fast swimmers. She is as good as there is, in my opinion,” Hite said.
However, there is always room for improvement, and no matter the results this weekend, that will be the focus of Hite.
“As a coach, the team knows that I’m never satisfied,” Hite said. “I’m the guy that is always saying, hey, well, we can be better.”
