Wisconsin

March Madness Ready to Start

2006-03-08T18:09:02Z

Its that time when all sports fans put on their thinking caps to break down the field of 64. Everyone looks forward to the chance to claim victory over coworkers, friends, and family. No you have the opportunity to do the same and compete to win great prizes, 1st prize being a Flat screen tv. All that you need to do is go to the link and sign up before the tournament starts and fill out your brackets. You can sign up right now at http://bracketchallenge.cstv.com/wisconsin/ to get started. The best thing about this its 100% FREE! Thats right I said FREE. So what are you waiting for? Get registered! Tell your friends, family, and coworkers. Anyone can join. Watch out for the 12th seeds! Start TODAY!
Happy March Madness from your Friends at CSTV Wisconsin

Badgers Pounce on Penn State

2006-01-27T19:57:45Z

After the surprising loss to the Bison of North Dakota State, the Badgers came back strong to defeat Penn State Wednesday night 72-43. The Badgers who lead the Big Ten improve their record to (15-4, 5-1) while Penn State falls to (10-7, 2-4). The games started tied at 5 a piece and then the Badgers took off. They shot about 50% from the field in the first half and didn’t look back in the second half. The Badgers took a big lead when they went on a 21-0 run. Penn State couldn’t climb back. The Badgers proved that they are still the same team and that the NDS game was just a bad day of shooting.
But the woes continue...

]]> Despite the win the Badgers lose to key players for the second semester. Both Greg Stiemsma and Marcus Landry were declared academically ineligible. These two players were key guys the made a huge impact off the bench, not only did the chew up minutes but they were a force that teams had to prepare for. This shortens the Badger bench but they feel confident that they can still play hard and as competitive.

The Pain of Defeat to North Dakota State!

2006-01-25T18:26:27Z

It has been hard for me to finally come to grips and write a blog about this game. Any sports fan that follows NCAA basketball knows that one of the biggest upsets happened on Saturday, January 21, at the Kohl Center. The Bison from North Dakota State, a third year rookie in the NCAA Division 1, traveled to Madison, WI to take on the Badgers. Two days prior the Bison lost to Utah Valley State in a tightly contested game 67-65. Badger players and fans must have believed that the little school from Fargo wasn’t going to be a challenge coming into the Kohl Center where under Coach Bo Ryan the Badgers were 68-3. But to the surprise of everyone, the Bison came out and played like the better team in the first half and lead 30-16. I didn’t have tickets to the game nor was it covered by any television stations so I listened to it on the radio. The broadcasters couldn’t believe what they were seeing and having to report, I also couldn’t believe, I thought it was a dream of some sort, but unfortunately it wasn’t. Wisconsin’s shooting percentage was in the teens for most of the game while the Bison were up around 40-50 percent. I was thinking during half time ok we are not down that much and they must have gotten lucky to get that lead and we will come back in the second half. The second half started and it was the same as the first….

]]> The Bison, with a sizeable lead did what it needed to do to hold off the late surge from the Badgers. The Badgers came within 5 point at the end of that game when Tucker and Taylor finally started to heat up, which was only about to medium low, but there wasn’t enough time. The Badgers were forced to foul and the Bison although shaky on the line, made enough to win the game 62-55.
As a long time Badger fan, I have to say that this is or at least one of the biggest upsets in Wisconsin history, from what I can recall. The then 13th ranked Badgers dropped eight spots in the rankings to 21st. One good thing is that it was a non-conference game and that it didn’t affect their lead in the Big Ten. While typing this I felt so much anger and am still confused how this all happened. One thing I do know is that Coach Ryan will have his team ready for tonight to take on the up and coming Penn State team. Please feel free to post your opinions on this topic, I am sure that many fans out there Badgers and not have something to say about this.

Badgers drop first Big Ten Match Up

2006-01-19T15:43:57Z

Wisconsin suffered its first Big Ten loss to the Buckeyes of Ohio State last night in Columbus 77-67. The game was close throughout its entirety changing leads 11 times with 3 ties. The Badgers fall to (14-3, 4-1) while the Buckeyes improve to (13-2, 3-2). The Badgers now only have a half game lead in the Big Ten with Indiana and Iowa posting Big Ten records of (3-1). The Badgers play a non-conference game on Saturday January, 21 versus North Dakota State.
In the Ohio State game all scores were led by Alando Tucker with 21 while teammate Joe Krabbenhoft pulled down 13 boards to lead all rebounding.
Two Badgers didn’t make the trip...

]]> to Ohio State, Marcus Landry, who was declared ineligible for the game. No reason was given for the ineligibility. In addition, backup center Greg Stiemsma was on what was called a "leave of absence for personal medical reasons."
When asked about the two missing Badgers, Coach Ryan ignored the question and moved on in the press conference.
The next Big Ten match up for the Badgers is scheduled for Wednesday, January 25, at 7:00pm vs Penn State at the Kohl Center.

Badgers Travel to Ohio State

2006-01-18T13:58:10Z

The Wisconsin Badgers (14-2, 4-0 Big Ten) are off to one of there best starts in the Big Ten in years. The Badgers, ranked No. 15 by AP and No. 13 by the coaches, remain the only undefeated team in Big Ten play. They are looking to have their best start to a season since the 1929-30 team began (and ended) 15-2.
But before that the Badgers take their game on the road to take on 19th ranked Ohio State (12-2, 2-2). This is the second ranked opponent the Badgers have faced in the last eleven days.

]]> Ohio State will be a tough challenge for the Badgers because they are very balanced on the court and they are coming off a loss to Michigan State at their home. Not only is Ohio State a well balanced team but the Badgers are playing their first ranked opponent on the road and the road in Big Ten is the toughest place to play. The Big Ten was deemed the toughest conference in the nation and the badgers lead them with an RPI ranking of 6. The Big Ten has six teams ranked.
Tonight’s game is being broadcast on ESPN2.

Letting no good idea go unstolen, it's the Simpsons Cavalcade of College Football

2006-01-14T23:16:23Z

Here is a site that I got emailed to me compairing football teams to Simpson characters. Its a neat little site, It includes just about all major schools, some examples are Georgia = Homer, Flordia = Bart, Wisconsin = Barney Gumble. Each comparison has a little part explaining why they are similar, check it out, its kinda funny!

]]> Here is it!
http://heyjennyslater.blogspot.com/2005/12/letting-no-good-idea-go-unstolen-its.html

Badgers win the border battle against Minnesota

2006-01-11T18:36:17Z

Despite the 19-point comeback from Minnesota and Wisconsin’s unreal amount of turnovers, the Badgers pulled out the win at Minnesota, 64-62. The Badgers are now (13-2, 3-0) and in the lead of the Big Ten Conference, with the rest of the conference playing tonight (1/11/06). The Badgers were led by Alando Tucker with 22 points and 10 rebounds. This win in huge road victory for the Badgers, the Badgers never seem to play at Minnesota so how ever you can come by a win there we will take it. Last year the Badgers lost by 10 at the Barn in Minnesota. The Badgers next opponent is Northwestern at the Kohl Center in Madison on Saturday January, 14.

Badgers start 2-0 in Big Ten Play

2006-01-09T03:37:15Z

The University of Wisconsin Men’s basketball team starts the Big Ten season 2-0 (12-2 overall) with wins over Iowa and 7th ranked Michigan State. In the opener for the Badgers, they trailed Iowa for the majority of the first half and was down by two point at half time. After a, what I am sure was a motivating, speech by coach Bo Ryan, the Badgers came out and dominated on defense and shut down Iowa’s offense. The Badgers jumped into the lead and never looked back and won the game 66-52.
The Sunday match-up pitted the 7th ranked Spartans (0-2 Big Ten) vs. the Badgers. The game started with a back and forth battle after early runs by both teams. Not to long after, the Badgers opened up a lead and never looked back. They led the Spartans by 10 at halftime. In the second half the Badgers looked just as strong and never let the Spartans back into the game, the closest they could come was 13 points. The Badgers took the game 82-63.
The Badgers are now in the lead for the Big Ten tied with Indiana and Northwestern who is 2-0 in the Big Ten for the first time in 20 years. The Big Ten is going to be very tough this year and I believe that the winner of the Big Ten title will have 2-3 losses. As we can see in early play home court advantage is huge. Major upset took place all over the league with most happening on the winners home court.

Auburn 14th - Wisconsin 15th?

2006-01-06T18:00:44Z

It's ridiculous that Wisconsin slipped in behind Auburn in the final rankings of both polls. I'm sure there are members of the Sports Writing and Coaching communities that still believe that USC is a better team than Texas, like Leinart proclaimed immediately following the lose. I'm sure some might say that best 2 out of 3, USC takes it. However, they've all had the decency to exclusively, with zero exceptions, pick Texas over USC in their rankings. This is certainly the right thing to do. I realize in Wisconsin's case that it doesn't apply to all of the sports writers and coaches with the mix and mash of the calculations as you get deeper into the rankings, but collectively it is their opinion. I'm not advocating for Wisconsin to move up to a position higher than 14th, but do feel that it's a poor reflection of those polling when it ranks as such immediately following a 14 point defeat of that team ranked ahead of them.

Along the same lines of respect, did anyone else think that Auburn showed little respect for Wisconsin late in the 3rd quarter and early in the 4th. I'm referring to when Auburn went for it on two occasions on 4th down, and relatively long; 4th and 10 (@ the WI 19) and 4th and goal from the 9. If it was a 4-down situation in the final few minutes of the game, this would be expected. Or, if it was 4th and 2 you could see giving it a try. However, on 4th and long a respectful team would have kicked the field goal (making it 17-6) and hoped to get two more touchdowns that would ultimately put them in front 20-17. I'm usually pretty subdued watching my teams, but when Auburn scored on that 4th and 9, I had to throw my hat to the ground in disgust. My frustration was still venting in the final drive when I was pleading for Barry to punch it in when Wisconsin was on the doorstep in the final seconds. However, my final, lasting impression of Barry as a head coach will be a positive one as he showed humility and took a knee to end the game, which after cooling down I realized was the right thing to do.

Tying all of this together, it makes me wonder something. Had Wisconsin punched it in to post a lop-sided 31-10 win, would they be ranked #14? I guess we'll never know but it's worth scratching your head over.

This post was written by a fan and emailed to me. I am posting their view for all to see. If anyone else would like to post something feel free to email me or drop a comment stating that you would and I can get in contact with you if you leave an email. Thanks for all the great posts!

THANK YOU TEXAS!

2006-01-05T16:22:38Z

Fans everywhere thank the Texas Longhorns today for winning the National Title at the Rose Bowl. Now we don't have to hear all that crap from USC about three in a row or the longest win streak. So again from fans everywhere including the great state of Wisconsin, THANK YOU TEXAS!

Wisconsin wins Capital One Bowl

2006-01-02T22:47:15Z

Behind retiring head coach Barry Alvarez, the Wisconsin Badgers defeated the Auburn Tigers 24-10. The Badgers were led by MVP running back Brian Calhoun along with an amazing performance by quarterback John Stocco who threw for 302 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Badgers took an early lead in the game and never looked back. They led at half time 17-0 and held off a charge by the Tigers in the 3rd quarter. The closest the Tigers could come was 17-10 in the 3rd quarter but then soon after the high spirited Badgers moved the ball down the field and punched it into the end zone to make it 24-10. The Badgers finished off the season with a 10-3 record and was the only team in the Big Ten to win a bowl game this season, BCS games were not completed at the time of this post. The Badgers look to use this win as a spring board into recruiting and the new tenure under new head coach Brett Bielema (Defense Coordinator under Alvarez). But before the start of a new era, Badger fans everywhere are going to enjoy this win and remember a legend in Coach Alvarez. Thank you Barry! ON WISCONSIN!

Ready For Action...again

2005-12-27T20:59:15Z

After a long holiday break which included finals at the University of Wisconsin, the Badgers are ready to hit the court again. The 9-1 Badgers take on Louisiana Tech at the Kohl Center Wednesday, December 28th and travel to Pittsburgh to take on Pitt December 31st to close out 2005. The Badgers look to come out stong just as they did to start the season. Their only loss came to Wake Forest in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Happy Holidays!

2005-12-27T20:48:05Z

Happy Holidays from the Reps at Wisconsin!
Here is to a great New Year and a Badger victory in the Capital One bowl.

Badgers Advance

2005-12-07T17:58:27Z

Under the direction from coach Pete Waite, the Wisconsin Badger Volleyball team swept their regional which was hosted at the Field House in Madison, WI. The Badgers defeated Loyala of Chicago in the opening round 3-0 then followed up by defeating Cal 3-0. The Badgers look strong as they are traveling to College Station, TX to play against a Midwest rival, Notre Dame (30-3) which carries the 6th overall seed in the tournament. The Badgers (25-6) and the 11th seed overall come in to the match as the underdog. This will be a big test for the Badger seniors knowing that its due or die time. The Badgers a familiar with the Irish as they defeated them last year in the tournament. The winner of the Badger Irish game will play the winner of the 3rd over all seed Washington and fellow Big Ten opponet Purdue. These games are bound to be full of action and excitment so what better thing to do this weekend then check out some Badger volleyball!

Freshmen Ready to Contribute

2005-11-21T05:02:17Z

Losing 4 starters means that the large, talented freshman class will be able to make an impact immediately. I covered practice last week and here are some quotes from a few interviews:

Joe Krabbenhoft on his goals for the season:
“I just want to help the team in anyway I can. If that’s out on the floor during the game, I do whatever coach asks. If it’s getting the team ready for a big game out on the practice court, I’ll do that too.”

Assistant Coach Gard on the freshman adjusting to the tougher play in college and grabs and holds not being called at this level:
“At times you got to play through that stuff. And it’s not so much the physical part of playing through it. It’s the mental part of not letting it bother you and just going ahead and making the next play.”

Marcus Landry on his game:
“I’m able to post up guys who are littler than me, or I can take them on the outside if they are bigger than me.”

DeAaron Williams on his red-shirt last season:
“I sat out last year, and that was tough for me. I feel like I got a lot better though and I’m taking strides.”

Coach Gard on Williams:
“The big thing for DeAaron is just to keep his nose to the grind and keep working like he has been working."

Gard on Mickey Perry:
“I think he is more comfortable playing at [shooting guard] right now because you don’t have to be in that quarterbacking role. Once he gains some experience then you can move him to other positions that require some more leadership like the point guard.”

Gard on Kevin Gullikson:
“He has become one of better passers for the big men. He battles extremely hard and [the big guys] know that they will have to play hard against him in practice.”

Williams on the Badgers' team goal:
“The team goal is to win the NCAA Championship at the end of the year.”

Wisconsin has started the year 2-0 with a blowout victory over Norfolk State on Friday night and a tough 95-89 double ovetime win over Eastern Kentucky on Saturday night. Alando Tucker had a career high 38 points in that game, while freshman Marcus Landry didn't waste anytime becoming a force off the bench, finishing with 19 points in 32 minutes.
The Badgers take on Old Dominion in the Paradise Jam Tournament championship Monday night.