Duke to visit Madison again

For the second straight year, Duke will visit Madison for the first time as part of Big Ten/ACC Challenge competition.
Only this time, it's the women who get a shot at knocking off the national power.
The Badgers will host the Blue Devils on Dec. 2 at the Kohl Center, UW announced Monday. Tip-off time and TV information will be announced at a later date.
Duke is coming off a season in which it went 30-6, shared the ACC regular-season title and won the league's postseason tournament, and advanced to the Elite Eight before losing to Baylor.
The Blue Devils are entering their fourth season under coach Joanne P. McCallie, who previously coached at Michigan State. Former Badgers assistant Al Brown serves on her staff.
The Duke men made their first appearance at the Kohl Center last year, and UW upset the eventual national champions 73-69 for its first-ever victory over the Blue Devils.
Likewise, the UW women are seeking their first win against Duke. In the only previous meeting between the programs, the Blue Devils prevailed 86-66 on Nov. 27, 1987 in Durham, N.C.
This year marks the fourth annual ACC/Big Ten women's basketball challenge, which began as a four-year agreement and has been extended until 2012.
The 2010 Challenge will take place over two days beginning on Dec. 1. See the full schedule below.
Wisconsin is 2-1 all-time in the event. The Badgers dropped their inaugural game on the road against Virginia in 2007 but were one of four Big Ten teams to win in 2008. Wisconsin defeated N.C. State 53-48 on the road in last year's challenge.
Wisconsin returns three starters, and much of its depth, from a team that went 21-12 in 2009-10 and reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in eight years.

Lets hope the Lady Badgers can take it to the house. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas From Bucky Badger

Here is to wishing all fellow Badger fans a Merry Christmas. After a year of living the highs and lows in Badgerland I believe we have many things to be thankful for. As a football fanatic I am sorry to say the number 1 highlight of the year is:

Wisconsin Men’s Basketball vs. Duke, Dec. 2, 73-69 Wisconsin
In college sports, there are not many more exciting moments for fans than when their school brings in a prestigious non-conference opponent for a big home game. That’s exactly what Badger fans got when the Duke Blue Devils traveled up to Madison. Wisconsin jumped out to a 12-5 lead to start the game and didn’t looked back. Propelled by 26 points from Trevon Hughes and some clutch free-throw shooting and defense late in the game, the Badgers never trailed, holding on for the upset victory over the No. 6 Blue Devils.
The victory for the Badgers was a special one on multiple levels, with the most obvious being the fact that Wisconsin beat a program like Duke. Regardless of who is on the team, or even particularly how good the team is that year, a win over Duke is a signature victory the UW fans, players and coaching staff can remember for the rest of their lives.
When one thinks about big college basketball victories, NCAA Tournament games will likely come to mind first. But there is something to be said about a big victory at home. The Duke victory was one thousands of fans could enjoy live, from the tip-off to the final buzzer. The crowd made the most of the chance, bringing the noise volume to an ear-piercing level at numerous points in the game and of course rushing on to the court, creating an unforgettable memory for fans at the Kohl Center.
The icing on the cake was that the game helped secure an unexpected victory for the Big Ten in the Challenge, its first in the 11-year history of the affair, and marked Duke’s loss in the challenge.
Wisconsin’s home win over No. 6 Duke this season should go down as its greatest regular season non-conference win ever. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wisconsin Vs. Duke

Wisconsin basketball senior guard Jason Bohannon assured reporters Monday after practice that while the Duke game Wednesday night will be a great competition, in the end, it is just another game on the schedule.
Yeah, right.
In hosting the Blue Devils as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge — an event the Big Ten conference has lost every year since its inception in 1999 — the Badgers get the chance to score a major nonconference win, along with gaining a little revenge from the last time these two teams met.
Facing off at Cameron Indoor Stadium for the aforementioned challenge in 2007, the Badgers left Duke with an embarrassing 82-58 loss — by far their largest deficit in any defeat that season.
Still, UW head coach Bo Ryan refused to acknowledge how the past could affect his team Wednesday night.
“You know, I really haven’t looked at that one that much because this is a different team,” he said. “We got into a foul trouble. [Duke] shot lights out. … You look at, and you can’t; if you overreact to one game or underplay a game, it’s probably not very good for the overall psyche of your players.”
At the very least, senior point guard Trevon Hughes conceded he was looking forward to the rematch with one of the ACC’s perennial top two teams.
“I was surprised, I didn’t think we would get Duke again, playing them two years ago,” Hughes said. “I’m glad we did — I need to redeem myself. The guys that are here, we lost at their place and we feel like we owe them something.”
Coming in as the No. 6 team in the nation, the Blue Devils have already scored strong wins over Arizona State and, most recently, then-No. 13 Connecticut in the NIT Season Tip-Off last weekend.
It would be awesome if the Badgers could take advantage of their home court and beat Duke. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!