Ford's career-high 19 points paces Wisconsin over Purdue
MADISON — Wisconsin built its lead over Purdue behind the 3-point arc.
Alexander leads No. 15 Creighton past No. 19 Marquette 73-65
MILWAUKEE — Ty-Shon Alexander came up big for Creighton on both ends of the floor.Alexander had 22 points and helped limit high-scoring Markus Howard to 13 as the No. 15 Bluejays beat No. 19 Marquette 73-65 on Tuesday night.“He’s done a good job on everybody all year and he doesn’t get talked about enough, frankly,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. “He wasn’t necessarily a great defensive player when he came to Creighton.
Davison, Badgers send Huskers to 10th straight loss 81-64
LINCOLN, Neb. — Brad Davison couldn’t hit a shot in practice the last two days, but that changed Saturday, Feb. 15 when he scored 30 points on 8-of-11 3-point shooting to lead Wisconsin to an 81-64 win and send Nebraska to its school-record tying 10th straight loss 81-64 on Saturday.“I’ve shot the ball really well outside of practice and games the last couple of weeks but some something about the games and practices that it gets me — that's a joke,” Davison said. “My teammates found me in really good spots.
'It means a lot to us:' Badgers' 2000 Final Four team reunites 20 years later
MADISON -- They went from fighting to get into the NCAA, to making it all the way to the Final Four.
Howard's 17 points lead Marquette past No. 19 Butler, 76-57
MILWAUKEE — Markus Howard scored 17 points and Brendan Bailey and Koby McEwen added 16 apiece to lead Marquette to a 76-57 victory over No. 19 Butler on Sunday.Marquette (17-6, 7-4 Big East) put the game away when McEwen hit back-to-back 3 pointers and Bailey followed with another to give the Golden Eagles a 62-45 lead with 6:09 remaining.The victory avenged an 89-85 overtime loss at Butler on Jan. 24, Marquette’s only loss in its last seven games.Kamar Baldwin had 23 points and Bryce Nze added 14 for Butler (18-6, 6-5), which has lost five of eight after a 15-1 start.Marquette went to the free-throw line 28 times, making 21, compared with 7 of 8 for Butler.
Pritzl scores 19, Wisconsin cruises past Ohio State 70-57
MADISON — Brevin Pritzl scored 19 points.
Badgers men's basketball strength coach resigns, used 'racial epithet' in front of student-athletes
MADISON -- Erik Helland, director of strength and conditioning at UW-Madison, resigned Thursday, Feb. 6 after the athletic department was informed that he used a racial epithet in front of multiple student-athletes.Helland had been the strength and conditioning coach for the men's basketball program since 2013.
Minnesota Golden Gophers romp past Wisconsin Badgers 70-52
MINNEAPOLIS — Payton Willis scored a career-high 21 points on 5-for-7 shooting from 3-point range to lead Minnesota's romp past rival Wisconsin 70-52 on Wednesday night.Daniel Oturu had 17 points and 14 rebounds, Marcus Carr scored 12 points, and Gabe Kalscheur added 11 points for the Gophers (12-10, 6-6 Big Ten), who led the entire game and posted their largest margin of victory over the Badgers in 26 years.Nate Reuvers scored 14 points and Micah Potter had 11 points and 15 rebounds off the bench, but the Badgers (13-10, 6-6) had their worst shooting performance of the season at 28.4% — 19 for 67 — despite the return of guard Brad Davison from a one-game suspension.The Gophers beat Wisconsin at home for the first time in six years.
Davison's return to Badgers sure to be jeered by Gopher fans
MINNEAPOLIS — Brad Davison is one of the many Minnesota natives who have crossed the border to play for Wisconsin, a sure path to enemy status in college sports.The junior guard has also been widely branded, fair or not, as the biggest villain in the Big Ten for his intense habits on the court.
Wisconsin edges No. 14 Michigan State 64-63
MADISON — Michigan State coach Tom Izzo talked with Wisconsin counterpart Greg Gard earlier in the week about what the Badgers were facing — including the suspension of starter Brad Davison.So Wisconsin's performance against the 14th-ranked Spartans didn't surprise Izzo.“I can take a little joy in my profession that kids still rallied around (their coach),” Izzo said.Nate Reuvers scored 15 points and D’Mitrik Trice had 14 to help Wisconsin edge the Spartans 64-63 on Saturday, Feb. 1.
Howard gets hurt, Marquette rallies over Xavier 84-82 in 2OT
CINCINNATI — When Markus Howard headed toward the locker room with a bloody nose and 11:15 left in regulation, Marquette's chances seemed to go with him.Instead, a couple of Golden Eagles took over as shooting stars.Howard reached a career milestone with his 2,500th point before getting hit in the face, but Sacar Anim scored a career-high 28 points as the Golden Eagles rallied for an 84-82, double-overtime victory over Xavier on Wednesday night.“When Markus went down, I knew I had to step up, but I'm not the only one,” Anim said. “It was a big loss for us.”Koby McEwen scored 17 straight points for Marquette (15-6, 5-4 Big East) after Howard left, keeping the Golden Eagles in it.
Wisconsin guard Kobe King to transfer; coach 'disappointed'
MADISON — Kobe King, the second-leading scorer at Wisconsin, said Wednesday he intends to transfer out of the program.King, a redshirt sophomore guard, announced his decision on Instagram, two days after he did not travel with the team for a game at Iowa.
Luka Garza, No. 18 Iowa rally to beat Wisconsin 68-62
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Luka Garza had 21 points and 18 rebounds and No. 18 Iowa rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to beat Wisconsin 68-62 on Monday night, Jan. 27.The Hawkeyes (15-5, 6-3 Big Ten) trailed 57-45 with 7:13 to play before going on a 19-2 run.
Marquette falls to No. 13 Butler in OT; Howard scores 26
INDIANAPOLIS — When No. 13 Butler needed scoring punch Friday night, Kamar Baldwin came up with a flurry.He delivered the knockout punch, too.The senior guard scored the Bulldogs' final nine points of regulation, erasing a six-point deficit in the final 2 1/2 minutes, then added 10 more in overtime as Butler rallied for a remarkable 89-85 victory over Marquette.“We just hang together like we're going to get the job done, just encourage one another to fight through it," Baldwin said.Things easily could have gone the other way for the Bulldogs (16-4, 4-3 Big East).
Purdue continues home dominance of Wisconsin in 70-51 rout
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Isaiah Thompson scored 14 points and Purdue responded to coach Matt Painter challenging his players’ toughness with one of the season’s best efforts in a 70-51 home rout of Wisconsin on Friday night.The Boilermakers (11-9, 4-5 Big Ten) improved to 41-4 lifetime at home against the Badgers (12-8, 5-4).
Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor among 99 juniors granted eligibility for NFL draft
MADISON -- Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Ohio State defensive end Chase Young, and Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor were among 99 juniors granted eligibility by the NFL into the draft.The NFL on Tuesday, Jan. 21 released the official list of 120 players who gave up college eligibility to enter the draft.
Winston sets record, No. 15 Spartans top Wisconsin 67-55
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Cassius Winston had six points and four assists to give him the Big Ten record for career assists as No. 15 Michigan State beat Wisconsin 67-55 Friday night.The Spartans (14-4, 6-1 Big Ten) stayed in sole possession of first place in the Big Ten and bounced back from a 71-42 loss at Purdue.The Badgers (11-7, 4-3) trailed the entire game, but went on a 13-0 run with Nate Reuvers scoring 11 points to cut their deficit to six points early in the second half.Michigan State pulled away with balanced scoring and stingy defense, building a 63-39 lead.Shortly thereafter, Winston threw an alley-oop lob to Xavier Tillman, giving him four assists in the game and 817 in his career.
Howard's big night sends Marquette past Xavier
MILWAUKEE — Markus Howard scored 35 points with five 3-pointers and Marquette beat Xavier 85-65 on Wednesday to end a two-game losing streak.Sacar Anim scored 12 points with eight rebounds and three steals for Marquette (12-5, 2-3 Big East Conference).
Micah Potter led Wisconsin to 58-49 win over No. 20 Penn State
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Micah Potter scored 18 of his 24 points in the first half and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Wisconsin over No. 20 Penn State 58-49 on Saturday, Jan. 11.Brad Davison had 11 points and 13 rebounds for the Badgers (10-6, 3-2 Big Ten), who bounced back nicely after losing 71-70 to Illinois on Wednesday night.
National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveils 'Draft Day' bobble of JJ Watt
MILWAUKEE -- The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum on Friday, Jan. 10 unveiled an officially licensed, limited edition bobblehead featuring Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt after being selected in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft out of the University of Wisconsin.Officials with the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee said in a news release Texans fans initially booed the team’s selection, but since then, Watt has become one of the most popular players in Houston sports history.The bobblehead features a smiling Watt wearing the suit and Texans baseball hat that he wore on draft night while proudly holding a Texans jersey with the name Watt and No. 1 on the back.The release offered this background on Watt's career: