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Caufield to return to Badgers for sophomore season

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Wisconsin right winger Cole Caufield informed coach Tony Granato that he’s planning to return for a second season with the Badgers.

Caufield led the team in scoring as a freshman.  He was the 15th overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft by the Montreal Canadians.  The Canadians had already recommended that the 19-year-old play another year in college.

The Badgers have already lost a pair of first-round picks to the NHL.  Freshman center Alex Turcotte and sophomore defenseman K’Andre Miller have both signed with their NHL teams following the end of the Badgers season.

Caufield is the first Badgers player to win an outright league scoring title.  He tallied 24 points in 24 Big Ten games.  Caufield finished with 19 goals overall, tied for the most nationally among freshmen.  He finished the season with 36 total points.

 

Bulaga gets three-year deal with the Chargers

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Bryan Bulaga

Bryan Bulaga had spent his entire career with the Green Bay Packers, after being drafted in the first round back in 2010.  On Tuesday, Bulaga agreed to a three-year, $30-million deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Bulaga started 111 of his 115 games, having gone through a pair of ACL injuries in 2013 and 2017.

The Packers counted on Bulaga’s leadership during his time in Green Bay.  They’ll now look to veterans David Bakhtiari and Corey Linsley for some of that responsibility.

The Packers did sign tackle Rick Wagner, the former Badger from West Allis, to replace Bulaga.  Wagner has started 87 of his 102 games and was released by the Detroit Lions in a cost-cutting measure.

Packers linebackers headed to the Big Apple

The Packers signed free agent linebacker Christian Kirksey to and have now seen two of their own head to New York. [Read more…]

Martinez, Graham land deals elsewhere

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Blake Martinez

With the Green Bay Packers adding free agent inside linebacker Christian Kirksey on Monday, former Packers linebacker Blake Martinez is headed elsewhere.

Martinez has received a three-year deal from the New York Giants, worth $30 million.

Martinez was a fourth-round draft pick by the Packers out of Stanford in 2016.  Martinez has collected at least 140 tackles in each of the last three seasons and hadn’t missed a game since his rookie season.

Tight end Jimmy Graham, released after two seasons in Green Bay, got a two-year, $16 million deal from the Chicago Bears.  Graham caught just five touchdown passes during his two seasons in Green Bay.

NFL Draft will go forward as scheduled

The NFL Draft is going ahead as scheduled, but without public events in Las Vegas.  The draft will take place April 23rd through the 25th and will still be televised.  NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says they are exploring innovative options for how the process plays out.

The NFL is putting its offseason workouts on hold.  Roger Goodell says the league and players union have agreed to indefinitely delay the start of team workouts.  Prospective free agents are also not allowed to travel to meet with teams or vice versa.

 

Marquette’s Howard honored

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Markus Howard – Photo Courtesy of Marquette Athletics

Marquette’s standout guard Markus Howard was named to the USA Today’s first team All-American squad on Monday.

Howard averaged 27.8 points a game and shot 41% from three-point range this season.

Forward Obi Toppin of Dayton was named the Player of the Year after averaging 20 points and 7.5 rebounds a game.

The rest of the All-American team includes Iowa big man Luka Garza, Oregon guard Payton Pritchard and Kansas center Udoka Azubuike.

San Diego State’s Brian Dutcher, after a 30-2 record, was named the Coach of the Year. [Read more…]

WIAC cancels spring sports season

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The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) announced on Monday that it is canceling the spring sports season, effective immediately, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

That includes the suspension of all sports-related practices.  All in-person athletic recruiting activities, on or off campus, are suspended indefinitely.  All in-person conference meetings are to be transitioned to telephone conference calls until further notice as well.

The Horizon League, which includes a pair of state schools, Green Bay and Milwaukee, is also canceling spring sports.

Packers secure deals with two free agents on Monday

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Packers GM Brian Gutekunst at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

Bryan Bulaga’s long run with the Packers in Green Bay would appear to be over.

The Packers agreed to a two-year deal with former Badger tackle Ricky Wagner on Monday morning.  Wagner was a fifth round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2013 and signed a five-year free agent deal with the Detroit Lions in 2017.  Detroit decided not to pay the $9 million due in 2020, releasing him March 13th in a cost cutting move.

The Packers were able to sign the West Allis, Wisconsin native right away because of his release in Detroit.  While with the Ravens and Lions, Wagner started 87 of 102 career games.

Bulaga started all 16 games for the Packers last season but is expected to get a considerable bump in pay elsewhere. [Read more…]

The NFL Draft will go on, without the fans

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Roger Goodell and Mark Murphy during Shareholder’s meeting

The NFL announced Monday that the annual draft will go on as scheduled, April 23-25, but it will do so without without fans.  The league says it will cancel all public events that were originally scheduled in Las Vegas in an effort reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Sunday that all gatherings of 50 or more people be postponed or canceled for at least the next eight weeks in order to help curtail the spread of the coronavirus.

“This decision reflects our foremost priority, the health and safety of all fans and citizens,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday in a statement.  “While this outcome is disappointing both to the NFL and to the Las Vegas community, we look forward to partnering with the Raiders, the City of Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for a future NFL Draft as well as evaluating opportunities for other major NFL events in Las Vegas in the future, including the Super Bowl.”

While the sports world has shut down a number of events, the NFL is continuing with the start of its new league year as scheduled, which opens at 3 p.m. CT on Wednesday.  But teams can begin negotiating with players today (Monday) as part of the league’s legal tampering window.

WIAA To Restrict Attendance at Basketball Tournament events

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The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, in accordance with policies and guidance from public health organizations and the World Health Organization for mass gatherings, will be limiting attendance at the remainder of all winter tournament events this weekend and next weekend.

The restriction also includes the boys basketball sectional semifinal and final games, the State Girls Basketball Tournament, and the State Boys Basketball Tournament.  The boys sectional competition runs tonight (Thursday night) and Saturday.  The Girls Tournament runs today through Saturday and the Boys Tournament is set for March 19-21.

The guidelines for mass gatherings calls for restriction of public events to 50-250 attendees, depending on the event and venue.  This pandemic has created unprecedented circumstances that make these decisions and actions prudent and necessary. [Read more…]

Packers set to part ways with Jimmy Graham Thursday

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Jimmy Graham

The Green Bay Packers are reportedly set to part ways with veteran tight end Jimmy Graham today, after two seasons with the team.

ESPN first reported the move that was highly anticipated.  Graham thanks Packers fans via Twitter on Wednesday for their support and memories from the past two seasons.

Graham’s departure will save the Packers about $8 million on their salary cap for 2020.

Graham had 38 receptions for 447 yards in 2019, both totals being his lowest since his 2010 rookie season.

Graham signed a three-year deal with the Packers in 2018 and played in every game during his two seasons in Green Bay.  But he dealt with a number of physical issues during that time.  When he signed, it was thought Graham would play a large roll in the red zone, but he finished with just five touchdown receptions.

The Packers roster will be thin at tight end with Graham’s departure, but the Packers are thought to be interested in Atlanta free agent Austin Hooper who caught 75 passes for the Falcons last season.  Hooper won’t turn 26 until October.

NFL teams can begin talking with potential free agents on Monday.

Short-handed Bucks drop third straight in Denver

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The Denver Nuggets pulled off a season sweep of the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks (53-12), pulling out a 109-95 win on Monday night in Denver.

The Bucks played without their top six scorers, including Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee).

Kyle Corver had 23 points to lead the Bucks off the bench.

Denver won both games in the two-game season series, winning 127-115 in Milwaukee back on Jan. 31.

The Bucks have now lost three straight games, all three coming on their trip out west.  They’ll return to Milwaukee and host the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.