Badgers Need No Stinking Quarterback In 2014 | Random NCAA Notes

As those of you who read this blog on a weekly basis no, I have spent a great deal of time making jokes of the Badgers current quarterback situation. Well last Saturday Melvin Gordon decided that to completely deem the Badgers quarterback is irrelevant. Gordon set an NCAA record with 25 carries for 450 yards and four touchdowns. By the way, Joel Stave finished 7-11 for 46 yards and a touchdown. I still say the quarterbacks need to play better because Gordon is not going to run for 450 yards every week. The Gophers slipped up against Ohio State last week, but it is no big deal as right now the Buckeyes are one of the hottest teams in America. I still think the Gophers may actually finally have what it takes to beat the Badgers this season for the first time in quite a while.

I originally ruled out Oregon after their crushing loss at home against Arizona. But somehow they have crawled their way back and now find themselves on the inside track to the playoffs this season. Also crawling their way back in has been Alabama. At halftime of the Arkansas game, I thought we were watching the beginning of the end for the mighty Crimson Tide under nick Saban. But they gathered themselves and fought their way right back into the playoffs. Auburn has ran into some struggles this season after last season’s miracle run. Still, they are not out of it yet and could still win the SEC, although with two losses already the playoffs may be unlikely.

Todd Gurley Comes Back To Bulldogs and Random Notes

 Over in the SEC East Todd Gurley returned for Georgia. On his first touch coming off his suspension, Gurley returned a kickoff for a touchdown but is was brought back due to a holding penalty. His day got worse and he tore his ACL, effectively ending his season. Florida has finally made a decision on head coach Will Muschamp, he will not return in 2015. Many have been calling for the hiring of Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen. You know what, that kind of crap sickens me. These big poster schools can not stand let someone else have the spotlight for five minutes. Let the man at least finish the season before you make any such demands.

Badgers 2013 Football Schedule Game By Game Breakdown

The Badgers currently stand as the back-to-back Big Ten Champions, but that doesn’t mean they were that good. Well, in 2011 they were, and that was primarily due to the fact that Russell Wilson was their quarterback, and that was a situation that worked out perfectly for them. But here’s the problem going forward. That sort of situation isn’t real. It only comes along once in a generation, meaning that will never happen again to the Badgers. In 2012, yes they did win the Big Ten championship, but you have to remember this, the division they are in, the two programs which were supposed to be their two biggest obstacles to the Big Ten Championship game, Ohio State and Penn State, were not eligible for postseason play. This year, Ohio State is eligible for postseason play. So what is in store for the Badgers in 2013? Their schedule might give us an idea.

After starting out with two yawners against UMass and Tennessee Tech, the Badgers travel to Arizona State. The game against the Sun Devils will not be an easy task, and there is no guarantee the Badgers walk out of there with a win. After that they come home for Purdue, and the Boilermakers are never to be taken lightly.

Badgers Big Ten Opponents In 2013

Then the big one, and at this point is when the Badgers schedule begins to get “meaty”. Ohio State is off of their postseason ban and hungry to reclaim their place at the top of the Big Ten. I don’t think the Badgers win that game. After that Northwestern, and the Wildcats are a program that just slowly, but steadily, keeps getting a little bit better. They do get a break against Illinois and maybe a break against Iowa, if they are careful and pay attention to detail. At that point the schedule gets a little tough again. BYU comes to town, and this is one of the few teams in the country that could beat up the Badgers are their own game. The BYU game is followed with Indiana coming to town, and this is a program that is getting serious about football quick. They follow that up with a trip to Minneapolis to take on the Gophers, and this is going to be a key season in the rebuilding efforts of Jerry Kill and the Gophers. The Badgers then finish the 2012 season with Penn State coming to town, a game the should win.

So what do I think specifically about the Badgers being able to win a third Big Ten title in as many years? Well, you will have to check back later on this summer to find out.

Badgers Head to Minneapolis In November 2013 | Will The Axe Stay With Bucky?

Will the Badgers crush the Gophers the next time that they fight for the Axe?  If you go back in time to October of 2012, you will recall that Wisconsin took care of business in a big way.  They finished that day with a 25 point margin of victory over the hapless Golden Gophers.  James White destroyed the Minnesota defense, rushing for three touchdowns that day.  Montee Ball also had a field day, racking up over 160 yards on the ground.

That victory put the Badgers at 3-1 in the Big Ten.  Will it happen again this season?  We won't find out until November 23.  That's when Badgers fans will be scrambling for Minneapolis tickets in a big way.  Their beloved Badgers will have to repeat their success on the road in 2013.  That game is part of a three game, season ending stretch, where they face three Big Ten teams in a row.  First they will play Indiana at Camp Randall, then play the Gophers on the road.  The final game of the season is on 11/30, when they host Penn State. 

Badgers Basketball Team Comes To Life | NCAA Tournament Still In Sight

As the calendar turned to 2013, the Wisconsin Badgers wereleft for dead. Their season was pretty much toast and they were given no chance to make the NCAA tournament. It's not like the season was being considered a disappointment either. Many thought this was Bo Ryan's worst team ever during his tenure in Madison and the preseason loss of point guard Josh Gasser really hurt. At that point, any chances they had of making the tournament yet again this season had been thrown out the window. Something unusual, and this is what makes sports so darn awesome happened after New Year's- all of a sudden the Badgers gained some traction and their season sprung to life.

The Badgers began Big Ten Conference play with several okay wins, at home against Penn State and on the road against Nebraska. Alright then, couple of so-so wins. It’s nothing to get excited about. It's what happened after the Nebraska that caught everyone's attention. Illinois came into the Kohl Center on January 12^th feeling confident and left, well, not so much, losing 74-51. The Badgers went on the road three days later and pulled off perhaps the biggest upset of the college basketball season, defeating preseason number one and currently ranked number two Indiana 49-47. Wisconsin came down to earth in the next two games and I thought that the Badgers had peaked and were on their way down. They proceeded to come home and beat 12^th ranked Minnesota on a last second shot.

Some of this has been luck though. Indiana couldn't hit a shot to save their life that night and the Badgers needed to Gophers to have their worst game of the season offensively. But still, a win is a win is a win. The Badgers travel to Columbus tonight to take on Ohio State. How long can the magic last though? Well, let's wait and see, shall we?

Badgers beat Gophers in OT

The No. 21/22 Wisconsin men's basketball team (8-4 Big Ten, 19-6 overall) rebounded from its most recent loss against Ohio State, albeit not easily, as it defeated Minnesota (5-7, 17-8) in the 190th meeting of the Border Battle Thursday night, 68-61 in overtime. This was the Badgers' first win at The Barn since 2008.

"I'd be lying if I said this didn't mean a lot," senior guard Jordan Taylor said. "I'm elated to get a win here [at Minnesota]."

In sports, the saying goes that when one has an opponent down they have to step on their throat and finish them, but the Badgers were unable to do this to the Gophers. The Badgers led comfortably for most of the second half, even leading 49-36 with just under nine minutes left. But there is a reason they call it a rivalry. With the Badgers unable to deal the final blow, Minnesota got on a 15-2 run to tie the game with 1:02 to go. There was no scoring from that point on and the game was forced to overtime.

In the overtime period Wisconsin's nine-minute scoring drought was finally broken by a pair of free throws from sophomore guard Josh Gasser to put the Badgers up by two. Junior forward Ryan Evans then stepped up, hitting a jumper and a pair of free throws to put the Badgers back up by six. The Badgers continued to make their free throws down the stretch to finally vanquish their arch-rival.

The star for Wisconsin was a man who hails from the Land of 10,000 Lakes, senior guard Jordan Taylor. What a homecoming it was for Taylor as he was unstoppable in the first half, making 5-6 shots including 4-4 from three to score 14 points. Although he cooled off in the second half and overtime, he still finished with a game-high 27 points.

Evans also had a big game for the Badgers, posting a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Evans was clutch in the overtime period, leading the Badgers with six points in the extra session.

One of the big reasons for the Badgers' disappointing loss to the Buckeyes on Saturday was their inability to hit the three-point shot, shooting only 5-26 on the day.

This was definitely not the case against Minnesota as the Badgers made nine threes and made more threes in the first half against the Gophers, seven, than they did against Ohio State. This quality three-point performance makes perfect sense if you look at the Badgers' season numbers. The Badgers came into this game shooting 40 percent from three on the road, but only 23 percent at home.

A big reason for this great shooting performance was the unselfish passing the Badgers displayed. Wisconsin found open man after open man, assisting on 13 of their 19 made baskets.

Wisconsin started the game off on fire, making five of their first six shots. Wisconsin then went on a 0-6 cold streak, however, that lasted over six minutes and found them down by two. But Taylor stepped up for the Badgers and propelled the team to a six-point lead by scoring eight straight Badger points. The Badgers would continue the momentum from there, taking a 32-24 lead into halftime.

The team that Wisconsin fans dread to see reappeared once again late in the game as the Badgers went on one of their patented cold stretches and shot 28 percent in the second half.

The leading scorers for the Golden Gophers were freshman guard Andre Hollins with 20 and junior forward Rodney Williams with 16 points.

The Badgers will now have a week to gear up for another Big Ten road showdown against Michigan State next Thursday.

It is good to see the Badgers are living up to the hype.  GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jon Leuer is ICE COLD in his Return

Wisconsin was supposed to have an added lift entering Thursday’s game against hated Minnesota. With UW getting junior forward Jon Leuer back from his broken wrist and with the Gophers being losers of seven of their past 10 games, this contest had a Badger win written all over it.
Somebody forgot to write that in the script.
Behind 16 points from junior guard Blake Hoffarber and a dominating effort on both the offensive and defensive glass from a hungrier Gopher squad, Minnesota extended its current winning streak over UW to three with an emphatic 68-52 win inside a sold-out Williams Arena.
With the loss, UW not only dropped its second of three games, but also essentially squashed any hopes of a Big Ten title.
“It’s always tough to lose a game in the Big Ten,” said senior guard Jason Bohannon, who chipped in 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting. “Especially when you’re right in the heat of a title race. It’s tough.
“Minnesota came ready to play, and we just didn’t finish the game tonight.”
The Gophers finished the game by hitting 47.6 percent of their shots from the floor in comparison to UW’s 30.5-percent clip. Minnesota also controlled the glass, as the Gophers out-boarded Wisconsin by a 41-28 margin.
Let's hope the Badgers can learn from this experience and turn in around. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!