Sports - The Daily Cardinal

COLUMNS

Wednesday word: LaVar Ball setting son up to fail with outlandish public behavior

By Jake Nisse | Mar. 30, 2017

LaVar Ball is loving his moment in the spotlight. What may have started as an honest attempt to drum up NBA interest for his son Lonzo, a projected Top 3 pick in the upcoming draft, has cascaded into the formation of his own celebrity and mass attention around his family. LaVar has said his son is better than Steph Curry, told of his desire for a $1 billion dollar shoe contract for his three sons and even appeared on ESPN’s First Take alone to spout that he could beat Michael Jordan in a one-on-one matchup.

MEN'S TENNIS

Strong doubles play powering Badgers to excellent season

By Will Stern | Mar. 30, 2017

In head coach Danny Westerman’s first year at the helm in 2015, the Badgers managed to double the previous year’s win total with 14 victories, their best season in half a decade.

SOFTBALL

UW softball off to best start in years by way of stellar veteran leadership

By Jonathan Mills | Mar. 30, 2017

After a stellar 2016 campaign, the UW softball team has knocked already-high expectations out of the park in 2017.

COLUMNS

Diamond digest: Keys to drafting a championship fantasy baseball squad

By Dylan Anderson | Mar. 28, 2017

Greetings! To introduce myself briefly, I am an impassioned fantasy baseballer of approximately one decade who has won four of his past five leagues.

SPORTS

Wisconsin Badgers open up Big Ten play with series win over Northwestern Wildcats

By Andrew Guckes | Mar. 28, 2017

No. 21 Wisconsin (2-1 Big Ten, 23-3 overall) entered last weekend’s series against Northwestern (1-2, 12-16) in Evanston with tons of momentum, riding a 12-game win streak that included a no-hitter from freshman Kaitlyn Menz just a few days earlier.

The 2017 senior class led a phenomenal era for UW basketball.

COLUMNS

Mondays with Rasty: 'What-ifs' will remain, but senior class Wisconsin's greatest

By Zach Rastall | Mar. 27, 2017

To have the greatest four-year stretch in Wisconsin basketball history end the way it did Friday night feels unfairly cruel and yet, almost heartbreakingly appropriate at the same time. The departing senior class of Nigel Hayes, Bronson Koenig, Vitto Brown and Zak Showalter will hold a special place in Badgers fans’ hearts for years to come given the crucial role they played in the program’s success over the last four seasons.

Wisconsin celebrates its win over Boston College in the national semi-final, which sent them to the national title, a contest which they dropped to Clarkson.

WOMEN'S HOCKEY

Despite postseason losses, Wisconsin seniors left lasting legacy

By Cameron Lane-Flehinger | Mar. 27, 2017

With 125 wins, two WCHA regular season championships, three conference tournament titles and four straight Frozen Four appearances, Wisconsin's senior class has had a career that most collegiate players can only dream of. Yet for as much as they've won, those six players—Sarah Nurse, Sydney McKibbon, Mikayla Johnson, Mellissa Channell, Jenny Ryan and Ann-Renée Desbiens—have always been defined as much by their failures as by their successes. While they won the WCHA, they couldn't beat Minnesota in Minneapolis.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Wisconsin Badgers' March Madness run cut short in chaotic Sweet Sixteen matchup with Florida

By Ben Pickman | Mar. 25, 2017

NEW YORK—While the Florida Gators (27-8) were celebrating their 84-83 overtime victory over the Wisconsin Badgers (27-10) mere feet from the spot of Chris Chiozza’s game winning 3-point shot, Ethan Happ walked over to Zak Showalter, pulled him away from the Gators’ jubilant scrum and put his arm around Showalter’s right shoulder. “I told him that it was good,” Happ said.

The Wisconsin Badgers fell one win short of capturing their fifth national title in program history. The Clarkson Knights celebrate their championship in the background as the horn sounds.

WOMEN'S HOCKEY

Wisconsin Badgers plethora of scoring chances not enough to capture national title

By Cameron Lane-Flehinger | Mar. 25, 2017

ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Even the best game plans can fail to produce results, and even the best players can make mistakes. Wisconsin’s women’s hockey team learned those lessons the hard way in their 3-0 championship game loss to Clarkson last Sunday at the Family Arena in St.

Bronson Koenig was one of a few Badgers who had success at the free throw line against Florida, but Ethan Happ's and Nigel Hayes' struggles from the charity stripe hurt them when it mattered most.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Free throws cost Wisconsin Badgers in overtime thriller, leave seniors wondering 'what if'

By Ben Pickman | Mar. 25, 2017

NEW YORK — Inevitability, Wisconsin’s consistent poor free-throw shooting was going to rear its head out at the worst possible of times.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Gators down Badgers at buzzer in instant March classic

By Ben Pickman | Mar. 24, 2017

NEW YORK — After sinking a pair of free throws with four seconds to play in overtime to put Wisconsin (27-10) up two points, senior forward Nigel Hayes looked to yet again be the Badgers’ hero in March.

With a victory over Florida Friday night, the Badgers would advance to their third Elite Eight in four years.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Experienced Badgers look to knock off Gators in Sweet Sixteen

By Ben Pickman | Mar. 24, 2017

NEW YORK — Moments after knocking off No. 1 overall seed Villanova 65-62 in Buffalo last Saturday, No. 8 seed Wisconsin (27-9) senior forward Nigel Hayes went over to the crowd to find his family.

WOMEN'S HOCKEY

Top-ranked Wisconsin Badgers upset by No. 2 Clarkson in National Championship Game

By Ben Leadholm | Mar. 21, 2017

ST. CHARLES, Mo. — It wasn’t supposed to end this way for the Wisconsin women’s hockey team.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Hayes, seniors carry Wisconsin Badgers over defending champion Villanova Wildcats

By Ben Pickman | Mar. 20, 2017

BUFFALO, N.Y. — As Zak Showalter watched the final seconds of No. 8 seed Wisconsin’s (27-9) 65-62 win over No. 1 seed Villanova (32-4) tick off the clock, his arms shot up toward the sky.

MEN'S HOCKEY

Wisconsin Badgers fall short of NCAA Tournament with double-overtime loss to Penn State

By Bobby Ehrlich | Mar. 20, 2017

After winning just 12 games over the last two years, Wisconsin rebounded from a dismal stretch with a 20-win season in Tony Granato’s first year at the helm.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Wisconsin upsets Villanova, advances to Sweet Sixteen

By Ben Pickman | Mar. 19, 2017

BUFFALO — When the clock hit 0.00 redshirt senior guard Zak Showalter’s two hands shot up into the sky.

WOMEN'S HOCKEY

Drive for five: Wisconsin must avoid slow start, miscues in National Championship

By Cameron Lane-Flehinger | Mar. 19, 2017

Get pucks to the net and good things will happen. It’s nearly a piece of hockey gospel; a line repeated ad nauseam by players and coaches as a way to deal with the luck inherent in their sport. And if getting pucks to the net is gospel, then Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson is one of the primary disciples.

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Klutch Koenig: Senior guard shines in big moment once again

By Ben Pickman | Mar. 19, 2017

BUFFALO, N.Y. — After picking up his fourth foul just over seven minutes into the second half, No. 8 seed Wisconsin (27-6) senior guard Bronson Koenig sulked as he headed to the bench. After the game, the senior guard said that he knew after picking up the foul, that he had to come out of the game.

HOCKEY

Ann-Renée Desbiens becomes fifth Wisconsin player to earn top college hockey award

By Cameron Lane-Flehinger | Mar. 18, 2017

ST. CHARLES, Mo. — A year after rewriting the NCAA record books, Wisconsin’s senior goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens became the third netminder to win women’s collegiate hockey’s most prestigious award. Desbiens was announced as the winner of the Patty Kazmaier Award Saturday, in her second year as a top-three finalist.

BASKETBALL

Perimeter defense key as Wisconsin Badgers look to upset No. 1 Villanova

By Ben Pickman | Mar. 18, 2017

BUFFALO, N.Y. — When Ethan Happ, Zak Showalter and D’Mitrik Trice watched tape in preparation for No. 8 seed Wisconsin’s (26-9) matchup with No. 1 seed Villanova (32-3) Saturday afternoon, they recognized what they were seeing. “They remind us of us,” Trice said.