Wisconsin Radio Network

Wisconsin News and Sports

You are here: Home / Archives for Badgers

Badger women’s hockey caps weekend with overtime win

By

Photo: David Stluka – UW Athletics

A crowd of 14,361 at the Kohl Center on Sunday saw the 2nd ranked Badger women’s hockey team skate to a 1-1 tie with 6th ranked Ohio State in regulation before the Badgers earned a 2-1 win in a 3-on-3 overtime.

Wisconsin (26-4-2, 16-4-2-1 WCHA) picked up a critical point in the league standings as Britta Curl scored the game winner in overtime.

The Buckeyes (18-9-5, 11-7-4-2 WCHA) scored the first goal three minutes into the game.  The Badgers wouldn’t tie it until Abby Roque went top shelf over Ohio State goaltender Andrea Braendii with 9:14 left in the third period.

Curl’s game winner was assisted by juniors Daryl Watts and Natalie Buchbinder to give the Badgers their first WCHA extra point of the season.

Wisconsin senior goaltender Kristen Campbell earned 21 saves while the Badgers outshot the Buckeyes 41-22.

The 14,361 fans that showed up ranks second in NCAA women’s hockey history being the 2017 record crowd of 15,359 that showed up to watch the Badgers at the Kohl Center.  Wisconsin now owns seven of the top-10 attendance marks in NCAA women’s hockey history.

The Badgers enter the final weekend of the regular season with a three-point lead on second-place Minnesota in the WCHA standings.  The Badgers wrap up their regular season at Minnesota Duluth on Friday and Sunday.

Badgers rebound with win over Buckeyes

By

The Wisconsin Badgers scored the final 16 points of the first half and led by 18 at the halftime break, on the way to a 70-57 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday at the Kohl Center.

Brevin Pritzl scored 19 points off the bench, including 5-of-6 from three, as the Badgers improved to 14-10 overall and 7-6 in Big Ten play.

The Badgers hit 8-of-18 three pointers in the first half and finished 12 of 32 for the game (37.5%).

The Buckeyes shot just 32% from the field in the first half.  That, along with their nine first half turnovers allowed the Badgers to go on a 31-7 run over the final 10-plus minutes.

The Badgers defensively didn’t allow the Buckeyes to get comfortable and held the Big Ten’s top three-point shooting team to 6 of 19 from distance (31.6%).  UW put an end to Ohio State’s three-game winning streak.

Aleem Ford also scored in double figures, finishing with 10 points and nine rebounds in the win.

The Badgers moved into a tie with Purdue with both teams trailing first place Maryland by 2 1/2 games.  The win over the Buckeyes is the second of the season for UW.

Wisconsin gets a couple of days off before returning to practice on Wednesday and facing the Cornhuskers in Nebraska on Saturday.

UW honored the 2000 Final Four team, coached by Dick Bennett at halftime on Sunday.

 

Badger strength and conditioning director resigns

By

The University of Wisconsin director of strength and conditioning, Erik Helland, resigned his position on Thursday afternoon.

UW Athletics administration was informed last weekend that Helland, while recounting a story from earlier in his NBA career, had used a racial epithet in the presence of multiple Wisconsin men’s basketball players.  UW Athletics confirmed that assertion on Sunday.

Helland was placed on administrative leave on Monday and did not travel with the Badger men’s basketball team to Minnesota for Wednesday nights game.

There had been numerous reports indicating that UW Athletics was investigating the alleged use of racially insensitive language directed at one student-athlete.  That allegation is inaccurate.  UW Athletics reports it has no evidence, nor has it been alleged to the athletic department, that Helland directed racially insensitive language toward any member of the men’s basketball team.

Helland had been the strength and conditioning coach for the Wisconsin men’s basketball program since 2013.

 

Badgers fall to rival Gophers

By

Greg Gard

The Wisconsin Badgers were riding high after last week’s upset victory over Michigan State, but the momentum from that win didn’t carry over to last night.  Wisconsin traveled to Minneapolis and fell to the Minnesota Gophers 70-52 at Williams Arena.

The Badgers the Gophers both came out of the gates shooting well, but only the Gophers continued that trend while the Badgers cooled off considerably.

Wisconsin (13-10, 6-6 Big Ten) shot just 28% from the field (19-67), and 24% from three-point range (7-29), including a 1 for 16 effort in the second half.  The loss drops the Badgers into a tie with Minnesota (12-10, 6-6) and Purdue (13-10, 6-6).  The Boilermakers crushed visiting Iowa Wednesday night 104-68.

The Gophers had four players score in double figures, led by Payton Willis, who had 21 points.  Forward Daniel Oturu also added 17 points and 14 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season.

Nate Reuvers led the Badgers in scoring with 14 points,  Micah Potter added 11 points and 15 rebounds.

“I didn’t think we were physical enough in the paint,” Coach Greg Gard said.  “We got the ball in there and didn’t finish, didn’t get to the free-throw line as much as we needed to.

“We faded away too much, settled for jump shots at times.  It showed itself in some of the shooting percentages.”

The Badgers return home and will host Ohio State on Sunday.

 

UW officials investigating racial comment

By

University of Wisconsin officials are investigating allegations that a racial comment was used in front of former Badger basketball player Kobe King.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the alleged slur came from a UW staffer.  King announced recently that he was leaving the program and planned to transfer.

Wisconsin senior associate athletic director Justin Doherty provided the Journal Sentinel with a statement.

“UW athletics administration was made aware of an allegation Sunday afternoon and has already taken measures to address it,” Doherty said.  “Anytime we are made aware of an allegation of any kind, it is handled with the utmost seriousness.

“There is absolutely no place in UW athletics for the type of behavior being alleged.”

 

Badgers finalize highest-ranked football recruiting class in school history

By

The Wisconsin football program finalized the highest-ranked recruiting class in school history on Wednesday.

Four-star running back Jalen Berger of Newark, New Jersey, submitted his National Letter of Intent and became the Badgers’ 20th scholarship signee for 2020, the final piece of a class that ranks 25th nationally by 247 Sports.

That gives Wisconsin its highest-rated class in the online rankings era, topping last year’s record-high national ranking of 29th.

The Badgers’ scholarship class features a five-star recruit in OL Jack Nelson (Stoughton, Wis.) and four four-star signee’s in Berger, OLB Nick Herbig (Honolulu), OLB Kaden Johnson (Minneapolis) and OL Trey Weddig (Oconomowoc, Wis.).

Wisconsin also added four walk-on’s Wednesday:  ILB Ross Gengler (Delavan, Wis.), OL Kerry Kodanko (Green Bay, Wis.), OLB Riley Nowakowski (Milwaukee) and K Jack Van Dyke (Neenah, Wis.).

Seven members of the Badgers’ 26-man signing class enrolled in January and will get a head start by participating in spring football workouts.

Big Ten Rankins

Ohio State is back on top in Big Ten recruiting.  Michigan is second, followed by Penn State, Nebraska and Wisconsin in the top five.  Iowa is number six, followed by Purdue, Maryland, Minnesota and Northwestern at number 10.  The final four teams are Indiana, Michigan State, Rutgers and Illinois.

 

Fiserv Forum to host Wisconsin Badgers hockey tournament in December

By

Fiserv Forum

The Fiserv Forum will host a four-team college men’s hockey tournament in December, featuring the University of Wisconsin and three other teams.  The agreement was first reported by the Wisconsin State Journal.

The event is reportedly scheduled to take place Dec. 28-29, 2020 and would also include holiday tournaments in 2021 and 2022.

The State Journal reported the three additional teams included in the 2020 event are Arizona State, Clarkson and Connecticut.

It would be the first hockey event hosted at the Fiserv Forum, but it has hosted a Disney on Ice event and will do so again later this month.

The Badgers previously held a tournament after the University of Wisconsin discontinued an annual Badger Hockey Showdown in 2010 at the Bradley Center.

 

Badgers blow second half lead, fall to #18 Iowa

By

Kobe King (Photo by David Stluka)

The Wisconsin Badgers blew a 12-point second half lead, falling to the 18th ranked Iowa Hawkeyes 68-62 at Carver Hawkeye Arena on Monday night.

The Hawkeyes (15-5, 6-3 Big Ten) trailed 57-45 with 7:13 left to play before going on a 19-2 run.  Joe Toussaint’s layup and free throw with 1:20 to go gave Iowa a 60-59 lead, and the Hawkeyes never trailed again.

The Badgers hit just 2 of its last 9 shots and Iowa finished the game on a 23-5 run.

Iowa struggled offensively most of the night, hitting just 20 of 60 (33%) from the field and 3 of 20 (15%) from three-point range.

The game was tied 30-30 at halftime, but the Badgers opened the second half on a 18-8 run and stayed in control until Iowa’s late rally. [Read more…]

Former Badgers & Packers quarterback Tolzien joins Cowboys coaching staff

By

Scott Tolzien File Photo – UPI/Robert Cornforth

Former Wisconsin Badger and Green Bay Packers quarterback Scott Tolzien has reportedly been hired by the Dallas Cowboys as an assistant coach.

Tolzien spent three seasons with the Packers under coach Mike McCarthy, who has now hired Tolzien in Dallas.

Tolzien made a pair of starts with the Packers during the 2013 season with Aaron Rodgers sidelined by injury.  He made two more starts during a stint with the Indianapolis Colts.  Tolzien spent seven-years in the NFL.

Tolzien spent the last season scouting upcoming opponents for the Wisconsin Badgers.

McCarthy has also added former Packer Al Harris as an assistant secondary coach and former Packers director of player development Rob Davis as an assistant coach.

Top ranked Badger women’s hockey sweeps rival Gophers

By

Senior Presley Norby scored two goals to lead the top-ranked Wisconsin women’s hockey team to a 3-0 victory over second-ranked Minnesota on Saturday afternoon, sweeping the Gophers in the two game series at LaBahn Arena.

Norby, who is a native of Minnetonka, Minnesota, moved her way closer to the century-point club with two points while leading the Badgers (23-2-2-1, 13-2-1-0 WCHA) to move Wisconsin back into the drivers seat of the WCHA race.  Wisconsin sits in first place in the league with 40 points, while Minnesota (20-4-3, 12-4-2-1 WCHA) is in second place with 39 points.

After a scoreless first period. Norby scored past Gophers’ goaltender Sydney Scobee with 15:32 left in the second period.  She doubled the lead just 10 minutes later off a feed from Delaney Drake to send the Badgers to the locker room up 2-0 after two periods.

Junior Daryl Watts put the game out of reach with 32 seconds remaining with an empty-net goal.

Senior goaltender Kristen Campbell made all 22 saves to add a fourth shutout this season and a 28th career shutout to her record.

It’s the second time in three years that the Badgers have swept the Gophers at home.  UW improved to 9-7-0 all-time against Minnesota at LaBahn Arena.

The Badgers also won the series opener, 5-4 on Friday night.  They’ll take on St. Cloud State at LaBahn Arena this Saturday, Feb. 1 at 3 p.m. and then wrap up the series on Sunday at 2 p.m.  Both games are sold out.