Basketball Preview: Tiers of the Big Ten
By Jack Baer and Justine Colgan | Nov. 13, 2014The Favorite
The Favorite
Here we are. Over a week past the election. I think it’s about time I relax, take a deep breath and start complaining about something other than politics. For me, the next logical step is sports. When I first sat down to write this article, though, I struggled to find something that I could realistically malign for 500-900 words. I mean, things have been pretty good lately. The Packers are 6 and 3 and they just finished putting the smackdown of the century on the Bears, which I’m sure made Jay Cutler feel nothing because it’s clear by his play and demeanor that neither the city of Chicago nor the sport of football mean anything to him. On top of that, while the Badgers suffered a couple disappointing losses to start the season, it’s hard to complain when they’ve won four straight in decisive fashion and have a player with a realistic chance of winning the Heisman
After last season’s run to the Final Four, senior forward Frank Kaminsky and the No. 3 Wisconsin Badgers enter this year with lofty expectations.
Ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll. Unanimous preseason Big Ten favorite. Two players picked for All-American teams. It’s not crazy to say this is the most anticipated basketball team in Wisconsin history.
Wisconsin forward Nigel Hayes is one of two current college athletes that have been added as plaintiffs in an antitrust lawsuit seeking to allow student athletes to be paid beyond their athletic scholarships, according to Jon Solomon of CBSSports.com.
Returning the entirety of a Final Four team save one high-volume shooter in guard Ben Brust, you wouldn’t blame head coach Bo Ryan for changing as little as possible with his team. However, judging from what has been seen in practice and the Red/White Scrimmage, there are some changes coming to the rotations.
For the first time since March 5, basketball returned to the Kohl Center. The Badgers welcomed fans back home for their annual Red/White scrimmage to kick off a season with expectations higher than any in living memory.
As many Badgers are aware, yesterday was the day which student basketball tickets went on sale. After last year’s roller coaster ride of a season, which ended just two points short of a trip to the national championship, its no wonder the tickets were a hot item, completely selling out in just five minutes. Needless to say, there is a lot of anticipation flooding campus about the upcoming season. Undoubtedly there will be those left heartbroken when they discover they just weren’t lucky enough to snag their guaranteed place in the Kohl Center this winter. Who can blame them for feeling so distraught when the Badgers go up against the likes of Duke, Michigan State, Iowa, Indiana, and Nebraska at home this season.
Our writers all have their favorite Badger moments since we enrolled. Throughout the years, it’s been pretty good to be a Badger fan. Now, the question is what lies in store for you.
Wisconsin will not have an easy task repeating the success of last season, but it certainly has the ability.
Wisconsin will welcome Duke to the Kohl Center on the second day of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, according to a Sports Illustrated report. The pairings will be officially announced Thursday afternoon.
For years, people have been saying Bo Ryan can’t win in March. Why?
After a 16-0 start to the 2013-’14 season, nobody saw what would come next for Wisconsin. The No. 2-ranked team in the country went on to lose five of its next six Big Ten conference games.
Turning-point game: Florida
After such an up-and-down season for Wisconsin, a loss in the Final Four can be tough to swallow. All the hard work and emotion poured into the season is suddenly put to a halt, and the players, coaches and community have to cope with the reality that the team came up just short of the ultimate goal.
University of Wisconsin-Madison senior Alex Meyer had the Wisconsin men’s basketball team winning his whole NCAA bracket, a feat that would have been the perfect end to his last year as a Badger.
When the Wisconsin Badgers and Kentucky Wildcats squared off at the Final Four in Arlington, Texas, fans were treated to a matchup between two programs with very different philosophies when it comes to recruiting and player development.