Badgers out to prove themselves at Madison Square Garden
By Matt Tragesser | Nov. 18, 2015
Coming into the 2015-’16 season, Drake University (2-0) was projected to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference. Not only did they return four starters, but they have the preseason conference player of the year, sophomore forward Lizzy Wendell, who averaged 21.8 points per game last season. Unfortunately for the Badgers (1-1), Drake’s experience and star power proved too much for UW to handle, as they lost for the first time this season, 89-70, Wednesday night.
No. 10 Wisconsin (12-4 Big Ten, 20-6 overall) will be looking to extend its win streak to nine games Wednesday when it hits the road to face No. 18 Illinois (9-7, 18-9).
Last Friday, when Western Illinois’ Garret Covington hit the game-winning free throws in the Leathernecks’ 69-67 win over the Badgers, every Wisconsin player, coach, fan and employee in and around the Kohl Center was stunned as well as heartbroken by what they had just witnessed. A team projected by Summit League coaches to finish last in its conference had just knocked off a team that had been to two consecutive Final Fours.
Aaron Rodgers’ performance on the podium postgame this past Sunday was much better than his performance on the field. For those who don’t know what I am talking about, I am specifically mentioning Rodgers’ comment denouncing an anti-Islamic slur yelled during a moment of silence to honor the victims of the attacks in France before Green Bay took the field. In a time where the lives of athletes are often dissected and ridiculed due to many negative off-field incidents, it is important to recognize and acknowledge the positive actions of many athletes in the face of tragedies and bigotry.
For the first time since Oct. 3, No. 1 Wisconsin (10-0-0 WCHA, 12-0-0 overall) allowed a goal, finally bringing an end to its incredible, NCAA-record shutout streak.
Playing just one day after the men’s basketball team suffered a stunning loss at the hands of Western Illinois, the Wisconsin women’s basketball team got off to a slow start in its regular-season opener against Louisiana Tech, the second-winning program in the history of NCAA Division I women’s basketball.
Despite starting its season opener with an energized ceremonial tribute to last years men’s basketball squad, the No. 17 Wisconsin Badgers (0-1) received the misfortunes associated with Friday the 13th and fell 69-67 to the Western Illinois Leathernecks (1-0).
The Badgers open their season Saturday against the Louisiana Tech Techsters. Saturday serves as the return of sixth-year senior Michala Johnson to the Kohl Center floor. Johnson is back in Madison after bypassing the pro ranks for one final season with UW and, at age 24, is one of the oldest players in college basketball.
The raising of Wisconsin’s second straight Final Four banner Friday night at the Kohl Center will be both a bittersweet and symbolic moment for fans, players and coaches alike.
No. 11 Wisconsin (11-4 Big Ten, 19-6 overall) won their rematch against Michigan (6-9, 16-10) 25-20, 25-19, 25-19 at Cliff Keen Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich., sweeping the Wolverines for the second time in five days.