The Wisconsin Badgers (21-3-0 overall, 11-3-0 WCHA) returned home to sold-out LaBahn Arena Friday night to host the St. Cloud State Huskies (8-16-2 overall, 3-12-0 WCHA). The Badgers shut out the Huskies 5-0 in the first game of the weekend, pouring in 44 shots on goal in the dominant victory.
Wisconsin (1-7 Big Ten, 10-10 overall) dropped its straight game in a close contest with the Penn State Lady Lions (3-5 Big Ten, 10-9 overall), falling 65-59 to continue a slide that has undone the excitement of the season’s strong start.
Wisconsin triumphed 72-60 over Illinois Wednesday night at the State Farm Center in Champaign to improve to 5-3 in Big Ten play (13-6 overall) — its 14th consecutive win against the Illini (1-7 Big Ten, 5-14 overall). Sophomore forward Nate Reuvers led the way with a career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds. Illinois seven-footer Giorgi Bezhanishvilli paced the Illini with 20.
At the start of head coach Tony Granato’s tenure, Wisconsin went into opposing teams’ buildings and played like they had slept the night in their own beds. The Badgers went 14-13-1 away from Madison in the first two years under Granato — better than their 15-18-4 record in the Kohl Center — despite traveling to some of the toughest road environments in college hockey.
In its second series of the new year, No. 1 Wisconsin (11-3-0 WCHA, 21-3-0 overall) split its rivalry series with No. 2 Minnesota (12-3-1-0 WCHA, 22-3-1). The Badgers walked away with a 2-1 win on Friday night but dropped Saturday’s rematch 3-1 as the top two teams in the nation faced off at Minnesota’s Ridder Arena.
Wisconsin needed a change. The Badgers had just lost at home to Purdue in overtime — their second home loss of the season and third loss in four games.
Tai Strickland has always been the son of a household name. His father, Rod Strickland, was a first round draft selection, played 17 seasons in the NBA and ranked seventh all-time in assists when he retired in 2005.
There are some moments in a team’s history that live forever in the memory of its fans and those of us fortunate enough to cover its games. Saturday at the Kohl Center, against one of the only two unbeatens remaining in the nation, Wisconsin’s basketball team delivered just such a moment.
Forget the deflating losses to Minnesota and Purdue, or the schedule-fillers earlier in the season; Saturday morning was the Kohl Center in its purest form, the Badgers showing up for a big-time rival and feeding off of a raucous mid-winter crowd.
After their third straight loss, the Wisconsin Badgers (1-4 Big Ten, 10-4 overall) look to regroup against a familiar opponent whose season is also in free-fall: the Minnesota Golden Gophers (1-4, 12-4). This will be the second showdown between these two border rivals as they met earlier this season in an ugly 56-74 defeat for Wisconsin.
A sense of déjà vu permeated Wisconsin’s (3-3 Big Ten, 11-6 overall) loss to Maryland Monday. Terrapin junior guard Anthony Cowan Jr. scored 21 points and knocked down a dagger three-pointer in the final minute as Maryland (4-1, 15-3) held off a late Wisconsin comeback to win 64-60. Sophomore forward Nate Reuvers led the way for the Badgers with a career-high 18 points.
Wisconsin (1-4 Big Ten, 10-7 overall) lost its third straight game in a 75-68 loss to the 25th ranked Indiana Hoosiers (4-1, 15-2).
The Wisconsin women’s basketball team (1-3 Big Ten, 10-6 overall) will look to break a recent slump as they play the No. 25 Indiana Hoosiers (3-1, 14-2) Sunday.
In a matchup of bona fide superstars, the Purdue Boilermakers (3-2 Big Ten, 10-6 overall) and junior guard Carsen Edwards bested senior forward Ethan Happ and the Wisconsin Badgers (3-2, 11-5). In need of a win to keep pace in the Big Ten race, the Badgers instead turned in a sloppy performance, falling 84-80 in overtime despite late heroics at the end of regulation. Here are the key takeaways from the disappointing result.
After a humiliating home defeat to rival Minnesota three days earlier, No. 22 Wisconsin traveled to Happy Valley to take on a struggling Penn State team, and came away with a 71-52 victory that was just the tonic it needed. The Badgers improved to 3-1 in Big Ten play, (11-4 overall), as the Nittany Lions (0-4 Big Ten, 7-8 overall) posted another listless performance in a rebuilding year.
Wisconsin (1-2 Big Ten, 10-5 overall) looks to bounce back after its second conference loss of the season as it prepares to take on No. 19 Iowa (1-1 Big Ten, 10-3 overall) Monday at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Even Wisconsin’s (4-3-3 Big Ten, 8-9-3 overall) magic on Saturday night couldn’t save them from losing another tough game to No. 8 Denver (4-4-0 NCHC, 12-4-2 overall).
Wisconsin made history Thursday night. It wasn’t the paltry 14 points that the No. 22 Badgers (2-1 Big Ten, 10-4 overall) finished the first half with, or the 11 turnovers, or the 17 three-point attempts they clanked throughout the night — Though none of those things helped.
The Wisconsin Badgers underwhelmed on the road as they fall to the Penn State Lady Lions (1-2 Big Ten, 8-6 overall) 64-71. With this setback, their second loss in three games, the Badgers droped to 10-5 overall and 1-2 in Big Ten play.
After outlasting the Purdue Boilermakers (10-5, 1-1) in a 76-69 near-collapse, the Wisconsin Badgers (1-1 Big Ten, 10-4 overall) now face the Penn State Lady Lions (0-2, 7-6) as part of a two-game road trip.
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