ST. PAUL, Minn. — With four of the top six teams in the country taking the ice at the Xcel Energy Center after becoming familiar with each other throughout the regular season, execution and energy stood as the main determinants.
The Wisconsin women's basketball team, appearing in its first NCAA tournament game since 2002, had a strong amount of momentum heading into Sunday's first round matchup against Vermont. However, the Badgers ran into a Catamount team with veteran leadership, strong poise, and stellar shooting, and fell to Vermont, 64-55.
They say defense wins championships, but having a good offense doesn't hurt either.
The Wisconsin women's basketball team, receiving its first NCAA tournament bid since 2002 and just seventh overall, were handsomely rewarded for their strong efforts all season with a seventh seed. The Badgers take on the No. 10 seed Vermont Catamounts Sunday at noon in South Bend, Ind.
March Madness is finally upon us and I couldn't be more excited. The Badgers have a No. 4 seed, there are no clear-cut favorites besides Kansas and there are a plethora of upsets waiting to happen—it's going to be a fantastic tournament. That being said I'm still a little disappointed with the chance of any Big Ten team making a deep run. What follows is my attempt to be a Joe Lunardi-wannabe in analyzing the Big Ten's Big Dance possibilities.
The Badgers' quest for an NCAA Championship begins today as Wisconsin takes on Wofford in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
One might think there is a temptation among members of the Wisconsin men's hockey team to take their Friday contest against St. Cloud State in the WCHA Tournament semifinal for granted. After all, the Badgers spent nearly the entire year at the top level of the conference, joined by only one team—Denver—a squad they could face for the conference playoff championship Saturday night.
After three straight victories at home, the Wisconsin men's tennis team takes on its highest-ranked opponent yet this season in Sunday's conference opener against No. 11 Illinois.
Columnist's note: Yes it's almost March Madness, yes the column name has changed but somehow it's about hockey. Well here's the thing, the Dance has been analyzed and overanalyzed with most points of view being taken. This column could throw out something outlandish with the hope it would grab attention or move over already traveled ground and get lost in the noise. Instead, it's about hockey. Enjoy the column and the most wonderful two days of the sports year.
With the eyes of Wisconsin sports fans fixated on this weekend's NCAA basketball tournament and WCHA playoffs, senior quarterback Scott Tolzien and the Wisconsin football team quietly began their spring practices this week.
This year's WCHA Tournament has not exactly been upset-heavy.
You would be hard pressed to find a better week for sports fans than this one.
The Badgers are going dancing.
Senior forward Aaron Bendickson says he is not a spotlight type of guy, that he doesn't like a whole lot of attention. It would be hard to imagine, however, that he did not enjoy his final seven minutes at the Kohl Center. The center scored his 10th and 11th goals of the season in a 12-second span to put the game out of reach in the third period and send the Badgers to the WCHA Final Five next weekend in St. Paul.
The NCAA announced Wisconsin earned a No. 4 seed and will face Wofford this Friday in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
In the midst of Ryan Miller's string of dominating performances between the pipes for Team USA in the Olympics, Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves said that a hot goaltender ""can steal you a series, can steal you a cup, can steal you a national championship."" After sweeping Alaska-Anchorage and punching a ticket to the WCHA Final Five next weekend in St. Paul, it appears that UW junior goaltender Scott Gudmandson is heating up at the right time.
The Wisconsin men's tennis team tallied two more wins this Sunday in their last pre-conference tune-ups against No. 70 Illinois State and Western Illinois, 6-1 and 6-0.
INDIANAPOLIS—4:51.
If the regular season stood as a barometer of success in college hockey, the Badgers would have to be satisfied. Their second place WCHA finish is the highest since Mike Eaves took over as head coach in 2002. They ranked in the top-five nationally in goals scored, scoring average, scoring margin, shots allowed and scoring defense. Ultimately, though, the success of this team will be measured on what happens over the next four weeks.
The Badgers were eliminated in their first game of the Big Ten Tournament, dropping a 58-54 game to Illinois. Trevon Hughes hit four 3-pointers in the final two minutes but could not overcome a terrible offensive performance by the team as a whole.
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