The Badgers (1-11-4 Big Ten, 6-16-8 overall) squandered an opportunity to climb out of the Big Ten cellar this weekend, allowing late-game goals to the Buckeyes (5-8-3, 10-17-3) in both games, resulting in a tie and a loss.
With its final home game Sunday, Wisconsin (10-5 Big Ten, 18-10 overall) will look to all but seal up an NCAA Tournament bid against the Michigan Wolverines (10-6, 20-9). Winning nine games out of its last 10, the Badgers have been one of the most impressive squads in the entire nation over the past month and a half, owning wins over Michigan State, Indiana, Maryland and Iowa. Getting a victory Sunday will essentially clinch an NCAA Tournament spot for UW and will serve as another résumé booster.
It was a momentous Saturday for the No. 3 Wisconsin Badgers (32-3-1), as they defeated Minnesota State (3-29-4) 6-0, earning a series sweep and booking their place at the WCHA Final Face-Off next weekend, along with junior goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens recording her 18th shutout, breaking the single season NCAA record, all in front of a sold out crowd at LaBahn Arena in Madison.
After a hard-fought 77-83 loss to Maryland (15-2 Big Ten, 26-3 overall) last Thursday, the Badgers (3-14, 7-20) travel to Purdue (9-8, 18-10) to find a way to generate more momentum in their last regular-season game before the Big Ten Tournament. Last Thursday against Maryland, the Badgers played one of their most complete games of the season.
Wisconsin split its two games against the University of South Florida Saturday, winning the first 9-5 before falling by a score of 10-2 in the second. The first game, played at 10:30 a.m.
Percentages in parentheses are calculated using KenPom.com and represent the chance of that outcome occuring.
With a 67-59 win on the road against No. 8 Iowa Wednesday night, the Badgers all but locked up their spot in the NCAA Tournament for an 18th consecutive year. To do so, they relied on major contributions from their supporting cast and a barrage of 3-pointers to get the job done. Throughout Wisconsin’s remarkable turnaround over the last month and half, junior forward Nigel Hayes and redshirt freshman forward Ethan Happ have been the key cogs on offense most nights.
The No. 3 Wisconsin Badgers (31-3-1) were able to quickly forget their sweep against Minnesota last weekend, as they defeated the Minnesota State Mavericks (3-28-4) Friday night 4-0, winning the opening game in the first-round series of the WCHA playoffs. The last time Wisconsin faced off against Minnesota State was on Senior Day Feb.
Wisconsin (5-6) dropped its first two games of the USF Under Armour Showcase to Kansas (5-6 overall) 2-1, and to UNLV (8-4) 14-3 Friday in Tampa, Fla. The Badgers continued their early season trend of scoring first, jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning after an RBI double from freshman catcher Melanie Cross scored senior infielder Ashley Van Zeeland. Kansas tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning on a solo home run. UW missed two opportunities in the late innings.
The Badgers will travel to Columbus this Friday and Saturday for a two-game series against a struggling Ohio State team. The Buckeyes’ defense has allowed at least four goals in five of their last six outings.
With 45 seconds left to play in the first half, the Badgers (3-14 Big Ten, 7-20 overall) were remarkably down only one point to a Maryland (15-2, 26-3) team who currently ranked second in the Big Ten and sixth in the nation.
In this week's episode of the Cardinal Zone podcast, sports editors Jake Powers and Zach Rastall chatted with men's basketball beat writer Thomas Valtin-Erwin about Wisconsin's huge win over Iowa Wednesday, its chances in the Big Ten tournament and its March Madness outlook.
The No. 3-ranked and WCHA champion Badgers (24-3-1 WCHA, 30-3-1 overall) commence their postseason campaign at home this weekend versus Minnesota State (0-25-3, 3-27-4) at LaBahn Arena.
Less than 12 months ago, Frank Kaminsky drooped on a podium chair between guard Josh Gasser and head coach Bo Ryan with his left hand buried in his messy black hair.
Eighteen wins. Zero ties, zero losses. Seventy-five goals scored. Nine goals allowed. Ten shutouts.
Every college athlete hears the same thing: “You must be so busy with sports and school, I don’t know how you do it!” I normally smile, shake my head, mutter something about my schedule being hectic and move on with my life.
After the Wisconsin Badgers’ (3-13 Big Ten , 7-19 overall) 90-65 blowout home loss to the Maryland Terrapins in early January, junior power forward Avyanna Young called junior Maryland center Brionna Jones, “probably the best player” she had ever defended after the Terrapins center tallied 22 points and nine rebounds on Young and UW’s frontcourt. And while both Jones and Young are juniors for their respective teams, most of the Badgers’ core is graduating and, after an emotional 71-53 loss to Northwestern on Senior Day, Wisconsin hopes to regroup and finish its season on a high note. The challenge begins Thursday at Maryland for senior guard Dakota Whyte and her teammates.
Ever since the sudden retirement of Bo Ryan in late-December, interim head coach Greg Gard has utilized his bench more and more and has seen noticeable results. Freshmen bench players Khalil Iverson, Charlie Thomas and redshirt sophomore Jordan Hill proved this with their combined 23 points and crucial win over No. 8 Iowa (11-4 Big Ten, 20-7 Overall) 67-59 Wednesday night in Iowa City.
After narrowly avoiding what would have been a devastating home loss to Illinois this past Sunday, Wisconsin heads back out on the road for another opportunity to bolster its NCAA Tournament résumé. The Badgers (9-5 Big Ten, 17-10 overall) will take on No. 8 Iowa (11-3, 20-6) Wednesday night at 8 p.m.
Women’s Hockey No. 3 Wisconsin (24-3-1 WCHA, 30-3-1 overall) finished the regular season by getting swept by No. 2 Minnesota (24-3-1, 29-3-1) 4-0 Friday and 4-3 in overtime Saturday. The Badgers host Minnesota State (0-25-3, 3-27-4) in the first round of the WCHA Playoffs this weekend, and head coach Mark Johnson is excited for the postseason to begin. “I think as a coach, as a player, collectively as a team, it's an exciting time of year."
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