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UW Volleyball team awarded the top overall seed in NCAA Tournament

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The Wisconsin women’s volleyball team has been ranked number-one in the country all season long.  Sunday, for the first time in program history, the Badgers earned the top overall seed for the NCAA Tournament.

The tournament was reduced from 64 to 48 teams, giving the top 16 seeds first-round byes.  UW (15-0) gets a first-round bye and will open against either Bowling Green 922-1) or Weber State (18-1) at 6 p.m. on April 15 in Omaha.  Bowling Green and Weber State will meet in the first round at 6 p.m. on April 14.

Five other Big Ten teams were seeded in the top 16.  Minnesota at number-three, Nebraska 5th, Purdue 7th, Ohio State 9th and Penn State 13th.

The Badgers have only lost three sets this season, but they’ve played only three matches since Feb. 22, due to COVID-19 issues [Read more…]

Caufield signs with Montreal Canadiens

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It didn’t take long for Wisconsin sophomore forward Cole Caufield to take the next step.  Just over 24-hours after the Badgers fell to Bemidji State 6-3 in the NCAA’s East Regional opener, the nations leading scorer in goals and points announced he would forego his final two years of collegiate eligibility after signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens.

Caufield was selected 15th overall in the 2019 NHL draft and helped the Badgers win the Big Ten regular-season title with his second straight Big Ten scoring title.  He also helped the Badgers reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2014.

The Big Ten Player of the Year and Hobey Baker top-10 finalist leads the country with 30 goals and 52 points in 31 games.  He holds a 12-goal advantage over the next closes goal scorer.  He also became the first Badgers since 1990 to tally 30 goals in a season.

Caufield finished out his collegiate career for the Badgers with 11 goals in a six-game goal streak.  He also wrapped up his career with a nine-game point streak that included 13 goals and 19 points.

In addition to his collegiate accolades, Caufield served as an alternate captain for Team USA to help the team capture gold at the 2021 World Junior Championship.

Caufield is expected to join the AHL’s Laval Rockets to start his professional career following a required quarantine period.

Wisconsin A.D. Alvarez expected to announce retirement soon

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Barry Alvarez

University of Wisconsin Barry Alvarez is expected to retire as the schools athletic director.  He’s served in that capacity since 2006 after first coming to Wisconsin in 1990 as the university’s head football coach.

Alvarez went 118-73-4 as head coach at UW from 1990 through 2005, leading the Badgers to three Big Ten titles and three Rose Bowl championships.  He held the dual role of head coach and A.D. from April 1, 2004 through Jan. 2, 2006.

According to Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Alvarez is expected to make his retirement official in the next couple of weeks.  He turned 74 in December.

Chris McIntosh has been the school’s deputy athletic director since July of 2017 and was being groomed as Alvarez’ successor.  But [Read more…]

UW names Gary Brown new running backs coach

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Gary Brown

The Wisconsin football program has named Gary Brown its new running backs coach, replacing John Settle, who left for Kentucky earlier this month.

Brown held the same position with the Dallas Cowboys from 2013-19 before taking last year off while battling cancer.

“Gary is really an impressive person.  Everyone I know that has worked with Gary speaks very highly of him and has loved working with him,” UW coach Paul Chryst said in a statement.  “I look forward to our staff being able to work with him, and I’m really excited that our players will get to learn from him.  He brings great experience at both the collegiate and professional level and is a heck of a good football coach.” [Read more…]

Badger men’s hockey to open NCAA Tournament against Bemidji State

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The Wisconsin Badger men’s hockey team was awarded a number-one seed in the NCAA Tournament’s East Regional and will face Bemidji State (15-9-3) in the opening round on Friday at noon at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The Badgers (20-9-1) are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014.  They’re 7-0 all-time against the Beavers.

It’s also the first ever NCAA tournament appearance for Badger coach Tony Granato, either as a coach or a player.

Massachusetts (16-5-4) and Lake Superior State (19-6-3) meet in the other regional semifinal with the winners to meet for the championship at 3 p.m. on Saturday.  The winner there will head to the 2021 Frozen Four at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on April 8 and 10.

The Big Ten landed four teams in the 16-team tournament field.  Minnesota (23-6-0) also landed a top seed.  Michigan and Notre Dame are the other Big Ten teams in the tournament.

North Dakota is the top overall seed.  Boston College also earned a number-one seed.

Wisconsin captures sixth NCAA Women’s Hockey title

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2021 Wisconsin Badger National Championship team – Photo by Robert Frank

The second-ranked Wisconsin women’s hockey team claimed its sixth NCAA title, knocking off Northeastern 2-1 in overtime on Saturday night in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Daryl Watts scored the game-winner in OT, her third game-winning overtime goal of the year, to clinch the Badgers’ second-straight National Championship title.

The Badgers outshot Northeastern 37-25 while Makenna Webster and Watts both scored goals to help propel the Badgers to the title.

Webster gave the Badgers a 1-0 lead midway through the final period, but Northeastern evened the game just 30 seconds later to eventually force overtime. [Read more…]

Wisconsin Women’s Hockey wins National Championship

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The Wisconsin women’s hockey team won their second national championship in three years with a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory over Northeastern Saturday night.

Daryl Watts scored the game winner from behind the net when she flicked the puck off the back of a defender who was standing in front of the cage, directing the puck into the net.

Makenna Webster scored earlier in the third period, and Northeastern tied the game 1-1 minutes later.  Goalie Kennedy Blair had 24 saves, and stopped 61 shots in the two games over the Frozen Four weekend.

The title is the sixth in program history, tying them with Minnesota for the most in NCAA Division I history.  Head Coach Mark Johnson has passed Shannon Miller for the most hockey titles in NCAA women’s hockey with six.  He is also the winningest coach in NCAA history with 539 wins.

Badgers dominate North Carolina 85-62 in opening round victory

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The Wisconsin Badgers played their most complete game of the season in defeating North Carolina in the opening-round of the NCAA Tournament 85-62 Friday night.

Brad Davison had a career high 29 points on 10/15 shooting.  D’Mitrik Trice added 21 points as the Badgers drained 13 of 27 three point attempts.

With the victory Wisconsin will play the top seed in the South Region, Baylor, on Sunday.

This game marked the first time in North Carolina coach Roy Williams career that he has lost an opening-round game.

Overall the Badgers shot 51 percent from the field and 57 percent in the second half.

Wisconsin took a 40-24 lead at halftime.  In the second half North Carolina got as close to 12 points on a couple occasions, but the Badgers answered with three’s.

 

Badgers have two Hobey Baker finalists

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Wisconsin sophomore’s Cole Caufield and Dylan Holloway have been named two of the ten finalists for the 2021 Hobey Baker Award.

Caufield leads the nation in goals (28) and points 49 in 30 games.  He was named the Big Ten’s player of the year on Tuesday before the Badgers fell to Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament championship game.  Earlier this year, the Montreal Canadians first round draft pick helped the U.S. win a gold medal in the World Juniors in Canada.

Caufield’s 28 goals are the most for a Badger since 2010 Hobey Baker-winner Blake Geoffrion scored the same number.

Holloway is tied for fourth nationally with 34 points despite missing eight games in the first half of the season to be at Canada’s World Junior Championship camp.

Holloway had 17 points in eight games during the month of February, matching his point total in 35 games played his freshman [Read more…]

Hockey Badgers make a haul in Big Ten honors

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2021 Big Ten Coach of the Year Tony Granato

The Big Ten regular season champion Wisconsin Badger men’s hockey team, set to play in Tuesday night’s Big Ten Tournament championship game, made a haul when the All-Big Ten honors were handed out today.

Eight different Badgers were named either All-Big Ten, All-Big Ten Freshman or a Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner.

The league’s scoring champion, Cole Caufield, was awarded the Big Ten Player of the Year.  He becomes the eighth Badger to win a conference player of the year award and the first since defenseman Jamie McBain took the WCHA Player of the Year honors in 2009.  The sophomore is the first Badger to be named Big Ten Player of the Year, an award that follows his title of Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2020.

Caufield tallied 24 goals and 43 points in 24 Big Ten games, outpacing the next closest skater by 10 goals and 10 points.  The 2019 Montreal Canadians first-round draft pick also set the Big Ten standard for goals in a conference season with the performance.

Other UW conference player of the year winners are: Mike Eaves (1978), Mark Johnson (1979), Curtis Joseph (1989), Gary [Read more…]