College is all about new experiences and having a good time. Sure school is important, and that's why everyone is here. But when it comes to a Saturday evening or any weeknight, students need a place to go and forget about school for a couple of hours, and watch something that really matters... sports. For you freshmen that may not know much about Badger athletics, or didn't even realize that Wisconsin has an athletic department until now, here is a little refresher course on what to watch for.
Men's Basketball
The men's basketball team will look to improve on its record of 19-12 last year. After going into the Big Ten schedule with a very promising record of 10-2, the Badgers finished 9-10 and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Arizona. The loss of center Greg Stiemsma and forward Marcus Landry to academic probation halfway through the year was a huge blow to the Badgers, and they were never able to fully recover while playing the rest of the year with a very short bench. Wisconsin only lost one senior from last year's club, Ray Nixon, and should be able to compete at the top of the Big Ten once again. Look for Alando Tucker and Kammron Taylor to continue to be the main scorers for the Badgers. Also look for young players like Michael Flowers, Joe Krabbenhoft and Marcus Landry to play an even bigger role either starting or coming off the bench this upcoming season. With a more experienced and full roster, look for head coach Bo Ryan to once again have the Badgers competing for the Big Ten Conference title.
Men's Hockey
The Wisconsin's men's hockey team is coming off a stellar season in which it went 30-10-3 and won the NCAA National title by defeating Boston College 2-1. Wisconsin will look to make another run at a championship this year, but that road will be much harder to travel. The Badgers have lost five seniors from last year's roster, including Adam Burish and Tom Gilbert, both of whom were key members to the Badgers' success last year. More importantly, the Badgers lost forward Robbie Earl to the NHL. Earl was a second team All-WCHA as a sophomore, and led the Badgers with 20 goals. Head coach Mike Eaves will be looking to forwards Ben Street and Jack Skille to gain from their substantial playing time as freshmen last year and have a huge impact for the Badgers in the upcoming season. Replacing Earl, along with the departed seniors will be difficult, but Wisconsin will once again look to be at the top of the WCHA standings, with the return of senior goaltender Brian Elliott.
Elliott was a staple behind the Badger's success last season. He led the nation in winning percentage with .803, 1.55 goals per game, a .938 save percentage and tied the national lead for number of shutouts with eight.
Women's Hockey
The lady Badgers are also coming off of a national championship season and will look to do the same this year. The Badgers will have some big skates to fill with the loss of Nikki Burish, sister of Adam Burish of the men's team, who finished her four-year eligibility last season. Wisconsin will say goodbye to four seniors in total, all of whom were forwards, which will leave a lot of open ice for many young Badgers to fill. Head coach Mark Johnson should have no trouble finding ice time for many of his rising athletes. The Badgers will rely heavily on senior Sara Bauer, who won the Patty Kazmaier Award last year as the most outstanding player in collegiate women's hockey. Wisconsin will look toward Bauer for guidance especially if the young talent around her doesn't develop as quickly as expected. All in all, the women's team should not skip a step and will look to be competitive and in the race again for another national championship.
