A struggling Wisconsin team coming off a stretch of underwhelming performances who’s status in the Big Ten and on the NCAA Tournament bubble uncertain welcomes a last-place Michigan State team to the Kohl Center and looks to re-energize itself in the first home series of the new year. Deja vu, anyone?
As the final buzzer sounded in Lincoln and the Wisconsin men’s basketball team (2-3 Big Ten, 9-9 overall) dropped to .500 nearly 20 games into the season, the situation felt unprecedented. The Badgers have dropped out of the NCAA Tournament conversation entirely and have slipped to No. 75 in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings.
Wisconsin’s 19-year NCAA Tournament appearance streak is in dire straights. Following a season-long five game winning streak, the Badgers (2-2 Big Ten, 9-8 overall) fell last Friday to once-lowly Rutgers.
For many, the new year is a time for change, a time for reinvention, a time to improve yourself and to achieve your goals.
The Wisconsin women’s basketball team (0-4 Big Ten, 7-10 overall) wrapped up their tough opening stretch of conference play Sunday afternoon as the No. 13 Maryland Terrapins (4-0, 15-2) used a 20-4 run in the second and third quarters to secure a 71-44 victory at the Kohl Center.
The Wisconsin women’s basketball team (0-3 Big Ten, 7-9) will welcome the No. 13 Maryland Terrapins (3-0, 14-2) into the Kohl Center Sunday at 2 p.m., hoping to stop a four game losing skid. It’s a tale of two different starts to conference play as Maryland has started out with two dominant performances and a nail bitting win against Penn State, while the Badgers have had a less than ideal start to conference play struggling in their first three contests to have offensive consistency. The Terrapins have the second best scoring offense in the Big Ten scoring 88 points per game and also lead the Big Ten in three-point field goal percentage at 39.1 percent.
Riding a five-game winning streak into snowy Piscataway, N.J., the Wisconsin Badgers (2-1 Big Ten, 9-7 overall) are looking to continue their winning ways and overcome their recent string of injuries against Rutgers (0-3, 10-6). After already missing guards D’Mitrik Trice and Kobe King, the Badgers had to make another adjustment to their starting lineup in their most recent victory against Indiana when redshirt sophomore guard Brevin Pritzl was ruled out with a concussion that he suffered pregame.
After trailing the entire game, the Wisconsin women’s basketball team (0-3 Big Ten, 7-9 overall) fell yet again at home 80-57 to a more dangerous Michigan (2-1, 13-3) squad.
Outside No. 2 Notre Dame, which is still undefeated in Big Ten play through ten games, the rest of the conference has been unpredictable, with each team having major fluctuations in their play.
The Wisconsin men’s basketball team (2-1 Big Ten, 9-7 overall) re-arrived at its conference schedule as the Badgers downed Indiana (1-2, 8-7), 71-61, for their fifth straight win. With redshirt sophomore guard Brevin Pritzl joining the ranks of the medically sidelined for UW, the Badgers desperately needed a win. Redshirt junior forward Ethan Happ laid down his best performance of the season, torching the Hoosiers inside to the tune of 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting despite making just six of his 11 free throw attempts. Happ also grabbed 10 rebounds, handed out four assists, blocked two shots and recorded four steals — all team-highs.
The Wisconsin’s women’s basketball team (0-2 Big Ten, 7-8 overall) will take the court against No. 21 Michigan (1-1, 12-3) at home on Thursday at 7 p.m., hoping to break their recent three-game stretch of losses.
As the final horn rang in Mackey Arena, the University of Wisconsin-Madison women’s basketball team (0-2 Big Ten, 7-8 overall) walked off the floor with a dismal 57-35 loss to the Purdue Boilermakers (1-1, 10-6) — along with a whole new list chocked full of New Year’s resolutions as they head into 2018. Improvements in offensive execution, overcoming scoring lapses, taking care of the ball and transition defense are at the top of the agenda for the Badgers, as the team looks on towards the second half of their season.
The No. 10 Miami Hurricanes (7-1 ACC, 10-3 overall) had the rare opportunity to host their own bowl game, but after four quarters of the Capital One Orange Bowl, the No 6. Badgers (9-1 Big Ten, 13-1 overall) owned the field at Hard Rock Stadium.
Just hours before the Wisconsin football team kicks off against Miami at the Orange Bowl, the Badger men’s basketball team (1-1 Big Ten, 7-7 overall) will welcome the UMass-Lowell River Hawks (6-6) to the Kohl Center in its last contest before conference play resumes.
The Wisconsin women’s basketball team (0-1 Big Ten, 7-7 overal) had not played in over two weeks entering Thursday night: It showed.
After a close defeat against in-state rival Milwaukee two weeks ago, the Wisconsin Women’s Basketball team (7-6) returns to the hardwood tonight as they open conference play against the No. 23 Iowa Hawkeyes (12-1) at home.
When the Badgers (9-1 Big Ten, 12-1 overall) face off against the Miami Hurricanes (7-2 ACC, 10-2 overall) on January 30 in the Orange Bowl, it will be the 16th straight season that Wisconsin has played in a postseason game. Various players along the way have made their way to the pros, and the coaching carousel of college football has hit Wisconsin just like other major programs. But even with the program’s familiarity to bowl games, it’d be remiss to ignore the uniqueness of this season to the Badgers. In 2017, Wisconsin recorded its first-ever undefeated regular season, a major milestone for a program that has long been known as a stable one rather than a national powerhouse. That spotless record, which would later be tarnished by a 27-21 loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship, was produced on the backs of a truly exceptional defense. Led by the stellar inside play of senior Leon Jacobs, junior T.J.
After a long layoff for final exams, the Wisconsin Badgers (1-1 Big Ten, 6-7 overall) refocused on the coming conference season as they walloped Green Bay (5-8) 81-60 at the Kohl Center Saturday evening. The result was never in doubt as UW raced out to a 25-9 lead, finding the bottom of the net on its first 10 shots to open the game. The Badgers were unstoppable in the lane, outscoring the Phoenix 46-14 in the paint as redshirt junior forward Ethan Happ, freshman guard Brad Davison and junior forward Khalil Iverson each scored in double digits.
The last time the Wisconsin Badgers were on the Kohl Center floor came more than one week ago, when freshman guard Brad Davison drew a charge 94 feet from UW’s basket with two seconds remaining.
After a hard fought battle on both ends of the court, the Wisconsin Badgers (7-6) were unable to secure a win over Milwaukee (8-2), falling just short Thursday night, 67-64.
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