In March 2012, Cannon Clifton and Brett Pinfold, competing on different teams and living on opposite sides of Houston, Texas, were at Texas A&M lining up a couple lanes away from each other to race in the finals of the 100-yard butterfly at a sectional meet.
ST. LOUIS — When Bo Ryan stepped down in mid-December, the Wisconsin Badgers appeared on the fast track to the NIT after a 7-5 start to the season. Three months later, they are headed to their fifth Sweet Sixteen in the last six years thanks to some Bronson Koenig heroics. Koenig buried a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to hand the Badgers () a 66-63 win over No. 2 seed Xavier (28-6), the latest twist in a roller coaster season for Wisconsin. “I’ve seen him make a lot of big shots, but none bigger than that one,” redshirt junior guard Zak Showalter said.
Led by junior Danielle Valley’s All-American designation and seventh-place finish in the 1650-yard freestyle, school records fell and personal bests were lowered at the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships last week at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Valley, a transfer from the University of Florida, proved to be stellar; her 1650 time of 16:00.43 set a new school record and made her the only Wisconsin woman to get first-team All-American honors.
After a rather ugly 47-43 win over Pittsburgh, Wisconsin is moving on to face No. 2 seed Xavier in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. But to earn a fifth trip to the Sweet Sixteen in the last six years, the Badgers know they will have to put forth a better performance than what they did Friday night against the Panthers. “Xavier is very similar [to Pitt], but bigger,” UW head coach Greg Gard said.
DURHAM, N.H. — “We will get them next year,” is a phrase much too familiar to the No. 2 Wisconsin women’s hockey team (24-3-1 WCHA, 35-4-1 overall) after a hard-fought 3-2 overtime loss to No. 3 Minnesota (24-3-1 WCHA, 34-4-1 overall) in the semifinals of the NCAA Frozen Four at Whittemore Center in Durham, N.H.
There is nothing on Earth like college basketball in March. Picture it: Your small school of just a few thousand students hasn't been relevant in the basketball world in 50 years, making the NCAA Tournament just eight times since 1954 and losing every game. Your team last made the tournament in 2007, losing by 10 in the first round to Southern Illinois.
It was far from pretty, but the Badgers remain alive in the NCAA Tournament. In a game that was the living embodiment of “survive and advance,” No. 7 seed Wisconsin (21-12) grinded out a 47-43 win against No. 10 seed Pittsburgh (21-12) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday night. The play of redshirt freshman forward Ethan Happ was key for the Badgers in the victory, especially in the second half.
Athletic Director Barry Alvarez announced early Friday morning that head coach Mike Eaves would not be retained after 14 years at the helm.
Despite outshooting No. 22 Penn State 37-29, Wisconsin fell in the opening game of the Big Ten Tournament 5-2, bringing its season to a close Thursday in St.
In a year that has been nothing short of a total roller coaster ride, the Wisconsin Badgers enter the NCAA Tournament coming off one of the lower points of their up-and-down season. After suffering a shocking loss to Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament last week, No. 7 seed Wisconsin (20-12) will look to shake it off and regroup as it looks to make a run in the NCAA Tournament, starting with its first-round matchup with No. 10 seed Pittsburgh (21-11) Friday at 5:50 p.m.
Last Sunday marked probably the fourth-most important Sunday of the year: Selection Sunday. On this day, thousands of collegiate basketball players discover their temporary fate, some favorable and some, not so much.
For the third consecutive season, the No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers (35-3-1) return to the NCAA Women’s Hockey Frozen Four looking to bring a National Championship trophy back to Madison for the first time since 2011. Their semifinal matchup comes against an opponent they are very familiar with.
The Badgers will begin postseason play in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals against No. 22 Penn State Thursday in St.
In Part I of the March 15 Cardinal Zone podcast, sports editors Jake Powers and Zach Rastall chat with football beat writers Lorin Cox and Andrew Tucker about the first two days of spring practice.
In this episode of the Cardinal Zone podcast, sports editors Jake Powers and Zach Rastall are joined by Thomas Valtin-Erwin to preview the NCAA Tournament, evaluate Wisconsin's draw and reveal their Final Four picks.
This year’s women’s NCAA swimming and diving championships start Wednesday in Atlanta. This is usually the biggest event of the year for collegiate swimmers, but this year it is overshadowed a bit by June’s Olympic Trials. The No. 12 ranked Wisconsin women have qualified in 17 swims, including four relays, and are poised for a strong finish.
One year ago today, the final chapter to the Bo Ryan-Tom Izzo rivalry was written. When Wisconsin and Michigan State met on March 15, 2015 in the Big Ten Tournament title game, no one knew that it would be the final installment in the iconic Ryan-Izzo rivalry, which had helped define Big Ten basketball for a decade and a half. But their meeting in Indianapolis did, in fact, end up being their last, which perhaps was fitting given the significance and high quality of that game. Wisconsin entered the game as the favorites after winning the outright Big Ten regular-season title.
For the first time since the Joel Stave versus Tanner McEvoy competition began brewing in 2014, the Badgers are working through spring practice without knowing who their starting quarterback will be come fall camp. With the graduation of both Stave, who left as Wisconsin’s all-time winningest quarterback and McEvoy, who found his niche at wide receiver and safety, redshirt senior Bart Houston and redshirt freshman Alex Hornibrook have both been working with the first team in UW’s first two practices at Camp Randall Stadium.
Women’s Hockey No. 2 Wisconsin (24-3-1 WCHA, 31-3-1 overall) defeated No. 13 Mercyhurst 6-0 in the NCAA quarterfinal round Saturday and clinched a Frozen Four matchup with WCHA rival No. 3 Minnesota (24-3-1, 33-4-1). Head coach Mark Johnson believes the pressure won’t affect his veteran team. “Having been there and having had players that have been in this game last season, other than our three freshmen, I think everybody will be somewhat comfortable under the circumstances, but getting a chance to practice at the Kohl Center and playing a familiar opponent, you know, there is nothing really new other than the magnitude of the game,” Johnson said. “So we will go about our week similar to going about our week for playing Minnesota either here or up in their building and do the things that put us in this position and not try to do things outside of that, make them aware of some things, and then it's going to come down to when they drop the puck, who can execute.” With a matchup of two teams that know each other well, Johnson said UW needs to play to its strengths and execute. “I think for both teams, you know, as we prepare for the game Friday night, what are our strengths and how can we play to those strengths and I'm sure they're probably doing the same kind of things?
The Daily Cardinal has created its own predictive rating system to project winners of any matchup in the NCAA Tournament.
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