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Football Badgers picked to win Big Ten West

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After winning the Big Ten West under Paul Chryst in 2016, 2017 and 2019, the Wisconsin Badgers have been picked to win it again in 2020.  Cleveland.com released the annual Big Ten media poll, selecting Ohio State to win the overall league title.

The Badgers received 19 first-place votes and was picked to win the West again this season.  Minnesota finished second with 14 first-place votes, followed by Iowa and Nebraska.

Ohio State was picked to win the East, ahead of Penn State and Michigan.

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields was named the preseason Offensive Player of the Year.  Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons was named the preseason defensive player of the year.

 

Badgers add goaltender for upcoming season

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The Wisconsin Badger men’s hockey team has added a veteran goaltender for the upcoming 2020-21 season.

After three seasons at Michigan Tech, graduate transfer Robbie Beydoun comes to Madison to compete for playing time in the Badgers net.

In 28 career games with the Huskies, Beydoun posted a 10-11-2 record with a 2.28 goals-against average, a .919 save percentage and three shutouts.  Last season, Beydoun went 2-2-0 in net with a 2.32 goals-against average and .919 save percentage.

As a sophomore, Beydoun led Michigan Tech with a 1.98 goals-against average, a .931 save percentage and a pair of shutouts, including one against then-No. 10 Bowling Green.

Prior to college, Beydoun played in the USHL for Waterloo and Fargo.  He was a 2017 Third-Team USHL All-Star for Waterloo, ranking third in the league with a 2.22 goals-against average and sixth with 24 victories and a .919 save percentage.

 

Pritzl to play professionally in Serbia

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Brevin Pritzl

Former Wisconsin Badger guard Brevin Pritzl is taking his game to Serbia after agreeing to a deal to play for KK Tamis of the Basketball League Serbia.

Pritzl averaged 8.0 points and 3.7 rebounds in 31 games for the Badgers last season.  Pritzl’s 37% mark from three-point distance was third on the team, behind Micah Potter and D’Mitrik Trice.  Wisconsin finished with a 21-10 overall mark, 14-6 in the Big Ten.

The former De Pere High School standout helped the Badgers win their final eight games last season.

UW-Madison to offer free COVID-19 testing this fall

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When students and staff return for the fall semester at UW-Madison, the campus is getting ready to provide free COVID-19 testing.

University health services director Jake Baggott says it just makes good sense. 

“There are folks who may not able to get a test for insurance purposes or otherwise or they may not have the ability to go off campus to another site readily and so we want to make that as convenient as possible.”

Baggott says that despite the fact that most classes will be remote, there will still be a presence of people on the campus every day. 

“It’s not just for students that would be physically here but those that would be also located near here who are taking classes online.”

That testing will complement other measures on campus to keep students safe, including increased cleaning protocols, social distancing in classrooms and lecture halls, and requiring face masks on campus. 

“So it will be part of a major communication campaign to make sure that people understand where they’re at, how to take advantage of that and encourage them to do so.”

Kalynuk signs with NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks

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Wyatt Kalynuk – Photo Courtesy of UWBadgers.com

Wisconsin junior defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk is forgoing his final year of collegiate eligibility after signing a two-year entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.  The deal runs through 2021-22 with a $925,000 salary cap hit.  The Blackhawks announced the signing on Thursday.

Kalynuk served as the Badgers team captain this past season and finished his college career with 19 goals, 59 assists and 78 points in 110 games played.  He posted at least 25 points in each of his three seasons in Madison.

A first-team All-Big Ten defenseman in 2020, Kalynuk was a second-team All-Big Ten pick in 2019 after earning All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and getting to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team in 2018.

He was the team’s Spike Carlson/Chris Chelios Most Valuable Player in 2019.

Originally drafted 196th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the seventh round of the 2017 NHL Draft, Kalynuk signs with Chicago as a free agent.  He joins sophomore defenseman K’Andre Miller (New York Rangers) and freshman forward Alex Turcotte (Los Angeles) as early departures from school who signed professional contracts since the end of the 2019-20 season.

Seven Badgers have played for Chicago all-time including Rene Bourque, Adam Burish, Chris Chelios, Vic Posa, Jack Skille, Gary Suter and most recently Jake Dowell.

 

Camp Randall renovation put on hold

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Camp Randall Stadium (Photo by David Stluka)

Renovation of the south end zone seating area inside Camp Randall Stadium is being put on hold temporarily.

The project was due to begin at the conclusion of the 2020 football season and open by the start of the 2021 campaign.  It is now more likely that work will begin sometime in 2021 with a target opening for the 2022 campaign.

“We are obviously operating in a time of great uncertainty,” said Wisconsin Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez.  “Given our construction timeline and the timing around when decisions had to be made, we felt it was best to be prudent and delay the project for a bit.  I have been thrilled with how strong sales have been thus far and I want to thank those who have already committed to purchasing seating in the new south end zone, leading to over 75 percent of loge box inventory being committed to date.  Once finished, this will be a transformative project for Camp Randall.”

Known as the CR Future project, the renovation will allow for a more interactive and engaging fan experience through enhanced seating options, including loge boxes and club seats, access to indoor and outdoor hospitality clubs, climate-controlled amenities, expanded premium food and beverage offerings and best-in-class service and operations.

 

UW making a statement with uniform logo

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Wisconsin student-athletes will be showing their solidarity with Black and other underrepresented communities on campus when Badger sports teams return to action.

UW Athletics uniforms will include a university crest logo with a black “W,” a show of support, inclusion and unity from Badger student-athletes, the UW Athletic Department and UW-Madison as a whole.

“I have previously stated my commitment to taking meaningful steps involving issues of diversity and inclusion in our athletic department,” UW Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez said.  “There is plenty of work to do, but I am pleased we will be able to show our support in a way that is important to our student-athletes.”

Earlier this summer a number of current and former Badger student-athletes publicly stated their desire to wear the university’s “Crest W” on their athletic uniforms.  The “W” in the crest is white, but will be changed to black on Badger athletics uniforms.  UW Athletics officials worked with student-athletes to also include a black Motion W that will also have a presence on select athletic apparel.

 

Big Ten Conferences reduces schedule to conference games only

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The Big Ten Conference has decided to play conference-only schedules in all fall sports, should the league be able to participate in athletic events in the face of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The Conference issued a release detailing the latest news on Thursday.  Football, men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball are all affected.

Details for these sports will be released at a later date, while decisions on sports not listed above will continue to be evaluated.  By limiting competition to other Big Ten institutions, the Conference will have the greatest flexibility to adjust its own operations throughout the season and make quick decisions in real-time based on the most current evolving medical advice and the fluid nature of the pandemic. [Read more…]

Wisconsin football won’t play at Wrigley

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Due to the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic, the Wisconsin Badger football team will face the Northwestern Wildcats on November 7 at Ryan Field on the Northwestern campus in Evanston, not the originally scheduled location of Wrigley Field.

Northwestern’s vice president of athletics and recreation, Jim Phillips said, “The uncertainty of football and baseball schedules, and the possibility of limited attendance, made this an easy choice to make for our student athletes and fans.”

Latest Badger COVID Numbers

The University of Wisconsin reported Wednesday that seven athletes have tested positive for COVID-19.

The school originally tested 117 student-athletes with two testing positive.  Roughly a month later, the school conducted 428 tests with seven testing positive.

The University has isolated those who test positive and the athletic department’s infection response team is monitoring their recoveries.

Three Badgers make Big Ten’s All-Decade Team

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Chris Borland (Photo by David Stluka)

The Wisconsin football teams of the last decade won a total of 102 games, second only to Ohio State’s 117 victories.  The Badgers had three players named to the Big Ten All-Decade Team.

The Detroit Free Press surveyed six conference writers from the USA Today Sports Network to select the Big Ten’s All-Decade team.

There were a total of 10 teams represented on the all-decade squad.  Ohio State had the most with six.  Michigan had five, Michigan State had four, Penn State, Wisconsin and Iowa all had three.  Maryland had two and Minnesota, Indiana and Purdue each had one player make the squad.

Leading the way for the Badgers is running back Jonathan Taylor, who played from 2017-19.  Taylor won the Doak Walker Award twice, is a two time All-American, a three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection [Read more…]