Bohannon Hopes To Learn Some Tricks From Former Badger

UW coaches have been showing Jason Bohannon some tapes of former Badger Kirk Penney in hopes that he can learn some tricks for getting himself open, and also pick up more of a shooters mentality. Bohannon is the closest thing the Badgers have right now to a sharpshooter from beyond the arc, but he's often times cannot get open, and when he does get a decent look he's usually too hesitant to shoot. We saw him come out of his shell a bit during the game this past Saturday against the Crusaders. He hit a couple three pointers, and even when they didn't go in, it was nice to see him shooting when he had an open look. Hopefully he can keep that up and continue to improve, because the Badgers sure could use it.

Link: JSO | Bohannon Hopes Penney Can Help Him Get Open

Latest NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings Released

As I mentioned in my post last week, I didn't expect the Badgers to crack the top 25 this week. So expectedly, they did not. They did manage to climb to #31 in the AP poll, but what is surprising about this week's rankings is that they dropped in the coaches' poll, falling to #39. To be honest, I didn't see that one coming. Though the win over Valpo was ugly, but it was a win nonetheless.

Regardless, as always, you can check out the latest rankings right here on Badger Realm courtesy of ESPN. You can find the polls on the right-hand side of the screen.

Happy Holidays

I want to wish Happy Holidays to all of my readers. Everyone drive safely (crazy weather in Wisconsin) and enjoy the holiday season (aka Bowl season).

I'm going to try to get a couple updates out today. Keep an eye out for them as the day goes on.

More On Vols' Ineligibility

Another Tennessee starter, WR Lucas Taylor, will be ineligible for the Outback Bowl. Taylor was a 1,000 yard receiver for the Vols this year, and he caught 5 touchdown passes. In addition to Taylor, and the two defensive starters that were revealed last night, there are three more players that will have to miss the game, bringing the total count to six. For my post on the situation last night check out the link below.

Link: BR | Two Tennessee Football Players Ruled Ineligible For Outback Bowl

Badgers Targeting Army All-American DB From Texas

The Badger have been targeting Keanon Cooper, a defensive back from Texas, for quite some time now. Recently, though, it was announced that Cooper would be a starter for the East team during January's High School Army All-American Bowl. In addition to that great feat, he was also named to Texas' First-Team All-State squad. Cooper holds offers from schools like California, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Minnesota (where three of his teammates are attending). Minnesota holds the early lead, but it's also the only school he has visited. Wisconsin has an advantage in that his dad, whom he just recently reunited with, lives in Milwaukee. Not to mention that he's looking for a good city, and it doesn't get a whole lot better than Madison.

Check out the articles on his accolades below, and also take a look at his profile at Rivals.com.

Link: Cooper An Army All-American
Link: Cooper Named First Team All-State
Link: Keanon Cooper's Rivals Profile

Breaking News: Two Tennessee Football Players Ruled Ineligible For Outback Bowl

ESPN is reporting that Junior DT Demonte Bolden and Sophomore LB Rico McCoy have failed to meet academic expectations and will not be eligible to compete in the team's January 1st bowl game against our Wisconsin Badgers. Both players were starters for the Volunteer defense, and McCoy was second on the team in tackles (106).

Big, big hit to the Tennessee defense. An official announcement is expected to be made by Tennessee coaching personnel Friday.

Link: Two Vols To Miss Outback Bowl

Around The NCAA

Some interesting happenings in college basketball so far tonight. Here's a recap:

• LeVance Fields hit a trey late in overtime to give #9 Pitt a win on the road against #7 Duke. Fields led all scorers with 21 points, but their Freshman DeJuan Blair dominated the glass with 20 rebounds and also chipped in 15 points.
  

• Oklahoma just knocked off #20 Gonzaga 72-68. This is the Bulldogs' 3rd loss of the season. They are as good-as-gone from the top-25.

In Big Ten action:

• Miami of Ohio traveled to Champaign and surprised the Illini in overtime, 61-58. Things have not been looking too bright recently for Weber and Illinois.
  

• Northwestern got their 5th win of the year, beating Howard 77-51.

Pitt is an interesting subject. The past couple years there have been rumblings about adding another team to the B10. Personally, I'm for it. One of the names thrown around is bringing in Pittsburgh. Sign me up. They'd add a lot of strength to our conference as far as basketball goes, and they have their moments in football as well. Solid academic institution too, which we know the B10 cares about.

Happy Birthday, Bo

Basketball Coach Bo Ryan turned 60 years old today. Happy Birthday to the man who says 60 is the new 40. He also had the following thoughts to share about retirement:

"Why should retirement come up in a conversation? It doesn't make any sense to me," he said.

"The most important thing is that the players know that what you're doing is in their best interests and your attention to detail and what you're trying to get them to do is consistent," Ryan continued.

It's all about making sure his players get what they need to succeed as student-athletes at Wisconsin. Ryan's record at Wisconsin (150-57) shows he has done that as well as any coach in the Big Ten Conference since he arrived in Madison in 2001. He also knows his system has stood, and should continue to stand, the test of time

Sure doesn't sound like a man ready to stop anytime soon.

Link: WSJ | Ryan Turns 60

Beckum On Board One More Year

Junior tight end Travis Beckum announced today that he will be returning to Madison for his Senior season to continue playing as a member of the Wisconsin Badgers. Great news for Badger fans, and for whomever takes over at QB next year (Evridge). Here's what Beckum had to say:

“Playing at Wisconsin in front of the greatest fans in college football is something I want to continue doing for one more year,” said Beckum, a junior and finalist for the 2007 John Mackey Award. “I looked into my options and found the best one is right here with this university. I’m enjoying being a Badger and can’t wait for our bowl game in Tampa, as well as for next season. I’m glad this decision is behind me and I’m looking forward to another year at Camp Randall.”

Gotta love bringing back a First-Team All American!

Link: UWBadgers Official Press Release

DT Recruit Dan Moore Expected To Have Signed Today

JUCO football players across the nation could begin signing their letter's of intent today, and it is expected that Badger recruit, DT Dan Moore did just that. I'm yet to see any official confirmation on this, but when I do, I'll be sure to update you here. For now, check out my previous post on Dan Moore for some information on this motivated, hard-working defensive lineman.

Link: BR | Wisconsin DT Recruit Dan Moore Celebrates Success

Roderick Rogers Promoted From Broncos' Practice Squad

Former Badger safety Roderick Rogers has been promoted from the Denver Broncos' practice squad to take the place of Marviel Underwood, who was waived Tuesday. This will be Rogers' first assignment to an NFL active roster.

Best of luck to him.

Link: Underwood Waived, Rogers Signed

PJ Progressing Quickly; Beckum Practicing Without Restriction

PJ Hill has made significant improvement, according to Bret Bielema, and could be ready to go for the January 1 bowl game against the Tennessee Volunteers. Coach B says that Zach Brown is still scheduled to be the starter, but that does not rule out a last minute switch, or PJ playing as a backup.

Travis Beckum, who had been practicing without contact, is now doing full practice with the rest of the team. This is great news for Badger fans, as the team still has about 7 practices left before the bowl game.

Link: JSO | Hill, Beckum Show Progress

Alando Tucker Named D-League POTW; Recalled By Suns

Former Badger star Alando Tucker was named the NBA Developmental League's Player of the Week yesterday. Alando was coming off of a week averaging 36 Points and 6.5 Rebounds. Last Friday he scored 40 points, marking the highest total scored in an NBADL game this season.

Alando Tucker was also called back up to join the Phoenix Suns. It's likely that Alando could be making this transition a couple times this season. I think at this point he's a player that's too talented for the D-League, but at the same time is not ready to crack into the Suns' shallow rotation. On many nights, the Suns only go eight men deep. While he's going to be sitting on the bench most of the year on the Phoenix roster, in practice he then has the benefit of playing against some of the league's best players instead of dominating the D-League almost mindlessly.

It'll be interesting to see what happens with Alando as the season goes on. I know I'll be pulling for him no matter where he's playing on any given night, as should all Badger fans.

Link: D-League Performer of the Week
Link: Suns Recall Forward Alando Tucker

Another Laval-Lucas Perry Update

LLP has canceled his visit to Wake Forest, and it appears is on his way to being a Wolverine. While his father wouldn't confirm (or deny) a commitment yet, it will likely be coming in the next few days.

This ship likely sailed before it begun, but now it's nearing official status. Chances are he'll be playing on the other side of Lake Michigan for the foreseeable future. LLP will be eligible to play starting during the spring academic season of 2009, so keep an eye out for him then.

Link: LLP Likely A Wolverine

Laval Lucas-Perry Update

On Friday, I posted about Arizona guard Laval Lucas-Perry and his intentions to transfer (a link to that post is provided at the end of this one). He visited Michigan today, but did not give pledge to Coach Beilein. According to his dad, Laval is still weighing his options and could visit Wake Forest sometime this week. The Badger coaching staff's interest level in LLP remains unknown, as does whether his scholarship offer is still active. I'll keep you up to date as information becomes available.

Link: LLP Update
Link: BR | Arizona's Transferring Guard Looking At Wisconsin

Badgers Fail To Crack Top 25 Polls

Though it comes as no surprise, the Badgers are still on the outside looking in when it comes to the two major college basketball polls this week. They rank #33 in the AP with 17 votes, while they come in at #34 in the Coaches' poll with 9 votes. In the past week, the Badgers won games @ UW-Milwaukee and vs. Green Bay.

The Badgers will square off with Valparaiso next Saturday - the only new game that will be factored into next week's polls. Despite the fact that the Crusaders are a solid 10-1, they've had a very week schedule. They lost to their toughest opponent - Vanderbilt. It will be very difficult to crack the top 25 next week. The Badgers next legitimate shot is in two weeks. If we're able to pull off an upset win against Texas in Austin, you can bet the house we'll be back in the polls.

You can check out the complete polls right here at Badger Realm, courtesy of ESPN. They can be found on the right side of the screen.

If You Hadn't Heard, Michigan Finally Found A Coach

Photo Courtesy of Getty Images / Chris Trotman

Similar colors, but a completely different program. Rich Rodriguez accepted the vacant head coaching position in Ann Arbor Sunday afternoon, less than 48 hours after sitting down to interview for the job. As Ivan Maisel says, it was a no-brainer move, even if it does require him to lose a little sleep over leaving his alma mater:

"Earthquakes have the Richter scale. Coaching moves have the newly developed, very scientific Petrino-Saban scale. Rodriguez's decision to leave barely caused the needle to move. This move is justifiable, even if Rodriguez, 44, had to leave home to make it."

Rodriguez will be bringing another spread offense to the Big Ten. Right now, the personnel at Michigan does not fit it, and it doesn't help that all of their best players (likely) will be leaving. I'll be curious to see how this impacts the current recruiting class, as well as where he plans to take the program in the future. One thing is for sure: Keep an eye on Ryan Mallet. With the spread on the way, he could be transferring in a flash.

UPDATED: It's long been thought that Terrelle Pryor is a virtual lock to sign with Ohio State in February, but if Rich could steal him away it would be a great first step in bringing a new system to Ann Arbor. Coach Rodriguez actually spoke with Pryor about his switch to Michigan before the media knew about it, and Pryor has since commented. Reported by the Detroit Free Press:

"He called me this morning and told me before he announced to anyone. He said he's keeping the same offense that he had at West Virginia because it's all he knows. I love that offense. I told him I was very interested."

Pryor, who listed Florida, Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon and West Virginia as his favorites to attend as of Sunday, told Superprep.com to “add Michigan to my list” following his conversation with Rodriguez.

"He's excited and so was I," Pryor told rivals.com. "Michigan was on my early list, and now their right up there again. He's a great coach and I like his offense."

The article also speculated on the belief that Mallett could be on his way out. One thing that is for sure is that it's going to be an interesting couple months leading up to NSD. At this point, where Pryor signs is up in the air, it appears.

Rodriguez's hiring at Michigan is a double-edged sword for Big Ten fans. On one hand, Rich is a great, great coach and he could excel at Michigan even more than he did at West Virginia. Seeing the Big Ten preforming at the top-level is always fun. On the other hand, he'll be coaching at Michigan. Yuck.

Also included with the links below is Terrelle Pryor's profile at Rivals.com. Check him out.

Link: Michigan Lure Hard To Resist
Link: DFP | Add Michigan To My List
Link: Terrelle Pryor's Rivals Profile

Around The NCAA

Plenty of top-25 upsets in college basketball Saturday night. Here's a short recap:

• Arizona State knocked out #17 Xavier, 77-55. ASU Freshmen Abbot and Harden combined for 35 points.

• Nebraska managed to beat #16 Oregon in OT, 88-79. The Cornhuskers forces 18 turnovers while only committing 7.

• Congratulations to Purdue for taking out #20 Louisville, 67-59. After close games with Clemson and Missouri earlier in the season, they were able to get their first big win of the season.

Also in Big Ten action:

• Ohio State pummeled Presbyterian, 87-43. Kosta Koufus had 21 points on 8-9 FG.

• Penn State beat Denver, 60-39. Geary Claxton is averaging 19 points and 9 rebounds this season.

• Central Michigan defeated Michigan, 78-67.

• Michigan State got their 9th win against IPFW, 79-57.

• Indiana rolled over Western Carolina, 100-52. It was Freshman sensation Eric Gordon's first game back from injury, and he led the Hoosiers with 26 points.
  

Aaron Henry To Have Surgery; Miss Outback Bowl

While the previous news was that now-starting CB Aaron Henry could miss the Badgers' Bowl Game, the collective suspicion of all Badger football fans was unfortunately confirmed over the weekend. Bielema finally spoke on the situation this past Saturday and confirmed that Henry tore his ACL during practice. Henry will likely be having surgery after finals are complete, and he is scheduled to miss four-to-six months of action, effectively keeping him out of spring training camp as well.

Henry had replaced Allen Langford in the starting lineup after he had suffered the same injury against Ohio State back on November 3rd. Among the players being discussed to replace Langford and Henry in the starting lineup are Niles Brinkley and Josh Nettles, but early rumors are that the job is likely to go to Senior captain Ben Strickland.

Link: JSO | Three In Running For Spot

Game Recap: Wisconsin Badgers vs. UW-Green Bay Phoenix

Sport: Basketball
Date: Saturday December 15, 2007
Outcome: W 70-52

UW-Green Bay's Top Performers
Cordero Barkley (Forward // Jr.) 11 Points, 8 Rebounds

Wisconsin's Top Performers
Joe Krabbenhoft (Guard // Jr.) 12 Points, 10 Rebounds, 3 Assists
Marcus Landry (Forward // Jr.) 11 Points, 5-6 FG
Kevin Gullikson (Forward // Sr.) 9 Points, 4-4 FG

The Badgers again struggled early in the game, as they found themselves down 7-15 at one point in the first half. But after a timeout they went on a roll while the Phoenix had trouble breaking 15, and UW continued to roll through the second half, outscoring the Phoenix by 26 the rest of the game on way to a 18 point victory. The team scored very evenly as all eight players that scored tallied at least 7 points. There was only one player to take a shot (Keaton Nankivil) that did not score.

Krabbenhoft led the way with a game-high 12 points, and he also led all players in rebound and assists. Bo Ryan had the following to say regarding Krabbenhoft at a post-game presser:

“I think that’s pretty much the way Joe plays. He’s always active. Because of how hard he plays and how revved up he is, he does a lot of great things. But that also gets him to rush things at time. He’s working at it. I’d rather have that energy and have to turn it down, rather than have guys that aren’t involved. He is committed.”

As a whole, the team was committed Saturday to offensive rebounding. Possibly the most notable stat of the game is that the Badgers' offensive rebounds equaled the total of the Phoenix's defensive rebounds at 16. It was something that Green Bay head coach Tod Kowalczyk made note of after the game (while also complementing Krabbenhoft):

“[They're] obviously a lot bigger and have a guy, who in my opinion is their best player in Joe Krabbenhoft. I thought he just dominated the glass at certain times, I think he had to have at least 10 rebounds or more, but it seemed like he kept getting offensive rebounds on us."

Beyond Krabbenhoft, Marcus Landry chipped in 11 points and had his turnaround jumper working all night long. This marks the first time since November of his Freshman year (2005-06) that Landry has strung together back-to-back double-digit scoring performances. It would be great for him to do it again next game as preparation for when the team has to travel to Austin to square-off with the Texas Longhorns on December 29th.

Trevon Hughes really struggled at the line Saturday night, only hitting 5-12 from the charity stripe. He wasn't much hotter from the field, either, shooting only 1-9. His 2 assists were unfortunately overshadowed by his 4 turnovers and no steals. This is likely just some growing pains for Hughes. He's proven so far this season to be too good of a player not to bounce back from a game like this. The bright side is that, despite the lack of gaudy numbers, you could see that he was trying harder to find his open teammates, even when it didn't turn into assists.

Jon Leuer did not see any minutes, as he sat out with a sprained ankle. He shouldn't be sidelined too long. In his place, Gullikson had a very solid game.

The Badgers have Valparaiso up next on the schedule. The game won't be until next Saturday, as the team will have off for the week so that players can take finals. UW will host the Crusaders at the Kohl Center, with tipoff at 7:30 CST.

Link: UWBadgers Official Game Report

Arizona's Transfering Guard Looking At Wisconsin

2007 Arizona Wildcat point guard recruit Laval Lucas-Perry has been released from his scholarship at his will and is seeking a transfer from the program. The Badgers were one of the schools that offered him during his original recruitment out of high school, and it appears that they could be in on the 6'1" prospect again. The Detroit News Big Ten blog writer Eric Lacy had this to say after talking to Lacy's father (also named Laval):

"LLP has his short list of schools set: Michigan, Harvard, Wisconsin, Boston College, Penn State and Northwestern.

Michigan is the only visit scheduled as of early Friday afternoon, Laval Perry said."

Perry is looking to be enrolled at his new University, though, by January. His dad believes he could end the transfer process as early as next week. Combine this with the previous stated fact that his only scheduled visit is with Michigan, and you likely come to the conclusion that he'll wind up in Ann Arbor. But sometimes you never know.

I'll update you on the situation as information becomes available.

Link: LLP To Visit Beilein
Link: Lucas-Perry's Rivals Profile

Game Preview: Wisconsin Badgers vs. UW-Green Bay Phoenix

Sport: Basketball
Coverage: Big Ten Network
Time: 5:00 PM Central
Date: Saturday December 15, 2007

Opponent: UW-Green Bay Phoenix
Conference: Horizon
Record: 6-3 (0-0)
Last Game: L 76-67 @ Illinois-Chicago
Notable Game: L 91-68 @ Ohio State

Colors: Green and White
About the school: Green Bay is one of Wisconsin's four Division-I basketball schools (Wisconsin, UW-Milwaukee, Marquette).

Green Bay's Spotlight Players
Mike Schachtner (Forward // Jr.) 20.2 Points, 5.0 Rebounds, 57% FG
Terry Evans (Forward // Jr.) 8.9 Points, 7.0 Rebounds, 3.4 Assists

Wisconsin's Spotlight Players
Trevon Hughes (Guard // So.) 16.4 Points, 4.3Rebounds, 3.1 Assists, 2.3 Steals
Brian Butch (Forward // Sr.) 13.9 Points, 8.4 Rebounds
Marcus Landry (Forward // Jr.) 16 Points Wednesday @ UW-Milwaukee

Game Notes: The Badgers will be looking finish off with a 2-1 record against in-state opponents. Schachtner is the main player that the Badgers have to worry about, but the team displayed great defense against Torre Johnson on Wedensday and I would expect them to do the same again on Saturday night. Though not to overlook anyone, it's likely that another easy win is on the way.

Game Recap: Wisconsin Badgers @ UW-Milwaukee Panthers

Sport: Basketball
Date: Wednesday December 12, 2007
Outcome: W 61-39

UW-Milwaukee's Top Performers
Torre Johnson (Forward // Sr.) 10 Points, 2 Rebounds

Wisconsin's Top Performers
Trevon Hughes (Guard // Fr.) 12 Points, 5 Rebounds, 3 Assists
Marcus Landry (Forward // Jr.) 16 Points, 2-4 3FG
Brian Butch (Forward // Sr.) 14 Points, 7 Rebounds, 2 Steals

One Milwaukee team travels to Madison and beats the Badgers on their home court. This time, it was the Badgers' turn to travel to Milwaukee and hand it to a team on their own court. But this time it was a different team, and the Badgers served up their win more handily.

Wisconsin had very little trouble putting away UW-Milwaukee, who was both undersized and underpowered. The Badgers hit the post all night long and saw a great deal of success. Butch finished with 14 points, and the game's leading scorer, Marcus Landry, also saw some success in the post. But the Badgers saw more success in the post than just scoring. They managed to out-rebound the Panthers by an astonishing 21 boards. 15 of those rebounds were offensive, turning into 17 second-chance points. UW-Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter had this to say after the game:

"They're big, they're a tough matchup for us with their size," UW-Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter said. "In the second half, that's where it got away from us. They just kept pounding it inside, and that wore us down."

In addition to Landry's scoring success, senior power forward Brian Butch finished with 14 points; Hughes added 12 points to go along with three assists and three steals; and Flowers finished with nine points.

"On any given night, anybody can score 16 (points) on this team because that's how versatile this team is," said Landry, who scored in double figures for the second time this season. "I guess today was just my night."

Wednesday night's game was the second time that Landry has scored in double-figures this season. The other game he did it in, against Florida A&M, he set a season-high with 17. Despite not scoring in double figures many times yet this season, he's third on the team in scoring (9.6) behind only Hughes (16.1) and Butch (13.9). Much of that can be accredited to the fact that he has fairly consistently been able to score around 10 points, even though he has struggled to get over the hump. As the season goes on, it will be interesting to see if he'll be able to take on more of the scoring load. As a Junior, he'll be looked upon to step up when the Big Ten season rolls around.

Trevon Hughes made some nice strides in last night's game, and it has been acknowledged not only by media outlets and fans, but also by Trevon himself. For more on Trevon Hughes and his game last night, scroll down to the previous post entitled "Hughes Making Effort To Improve PG Skills," or click on the permanent link at the end of this post.

The Badgers have UW-Green Bay up next on the schedule, completing the in-state trifecta. The Phoenix will travel to Madison for a 5:00 PM tip off this Saturday. You can catch the game on the Big Ten Network, or listen to the game live on 1310 WIBA in Madison.

Link: WSJ | Resounding Rebound
Link: Hughes Making Effort To Improve PG Skills

Hughes Making Effort To Improve PG Skills

As Badger fans know, Trevon Hughes started out the season with a huge bang. Not only did he show that he had a knack for finding the open man, he also proved his scoring prowess. But as the season has progressed, some have criticized him for sometimes taking on too much scoring responsibility, often times by taking bad shots and, as a result, not finding open teammates. Despite the fact that I think he's a great talent and is one of my favorite Badgers, I know that I for one have had these criticisms of him as well. Hughes has been aware of this, though, and has been putting the effort forward to improve his game. Last night was in a way a culmination of his efforts. Though his stat line would not jump out at you in any one way, watching the game you could tell that he had a better feel for what his priorities should be out on the court. Hughes commented on this after the game:

"That's learning from the past games, and watching game tape and learning what is a good shot and what is a bad shot," Hughes said. "And as I looked at it every time I was going for a layup, I had teammates open."

Hughes' success driving the paint meant there was no need to shoot threes, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He entered play 6 for 24 beyond the arc in the last four games.

His lone three Wednesday came as the shot clock was about to expire.

Nonetheless there is still work to do.

"I'm not satisfied," he said. "I got three turnovers, and as a point guard I'm supposed to control the team and be careful with the ball."

Hughes has great scoring ability and he should most definitely, at the right times, look to put the ball in the basket. I don't think anyone has any qualms about him being (at the very least) one of the team's scoring leaders. Sometimes it may be needed for him to take over games, as well. But if he's able to also incorporate better "point guard" skills into his game (passing, control) while not taking as many of the bad shots, he could develop into a super all-around talent. It sounds like he knows it, too.

Link: JSO | Hughes Takes A Big Step Forward

Wisconsin DT Recruit Dan Moore Celebrates Success

It's not too often that there are very good, free recruiting articles. But when there are some available, I'd like to bring them to everyone's attention.

Over the past week, Wisconsin has received four (possibly five) more commitments to add to their 2008 football recruiting class. All but one of them have come on the defensive line. One of those linemen, JUCO transfer and defensive tackle Dan Moore, shared his excitement with Chris Pool of Badger Nation.

Dan's story is about overcoming adversity at all levels to get to where he is today and will be next year. But now all that he's focused on is winning with the Badgers. You can tell he's quite enthusiastic.

“I was told that I’ll have the opportunity to compete right away for a starting job.” He said. “You don’t know how good that makes me feel. The fact that I could actually be lining up next to Matt Shaugnessy is just incredible.

“I have to get up to Madison after Christmas and start working hard. I need to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity that I’ve been given.

"To be completely honest, my goal is to play in the league (NFL) but what I’ll be most proud of is getting my degree from the University of Wisconsin. Nobody will ever be able to take that away from me.”

It's great to have Dan on board. It sounds like he will be an early enrollee, as well. Can't wait to see him in cardinal and white.

Link: A Time To Celebrate

JSOnline Confirms Aaron Henry's Status

Aaron Henry has suffered a knee injury, has been out of practice, and has been walking on crutches for the past week. His status for the bowl game is up in the air, and Bielema declined to comment on Tuesday.

Link: JSO | Full Story

Henry Injured; Could Miss Bowl Game?

Aaron Henry was apparently injured in practice and his status for the bowl game is up in the air. When I am able to find any information on this injury from media outlets to positively confirm the information, I will be sure to update you here.

Beckum Practices

Travis Beckum was back practicing with the team this past Saturday, according to Jeff Potrykus. He was wearing a no-contact jersey. Hopefully the All-American TE is back into the swing of things in time for the bowl game.

Link: JSO | Extra Points

Landingham To Transfer; Hill Could Miss Bowl Game

Bret Bielema announced over the weekend the intentions of Freshman RB Quincy Landingham to transfer from the program. Originally a commitment to Michigan State, Landingham switched his commitment to the Badgers when the Spartans' coaching situation was in limbo. He arrived on campus as an early enrollment, and was able to get a head start on both his athletic and academic careers. Quincy was eventually moved to RB, and given the depth at the position, he now feels it is in his best interest to move on.

Early rumors are making it sound like North Carolina or Arizona could be destinations. Whatever the case, I wish that he weren't leaving, but I wish him the best wherever he goes.

Unfortunately, on another down-beat note, Hill might not be ready to go for the bowl game. The bright side of this is that Smith will again be eligible to travel with the team, and Freshman Zach Brown finished the season on a very strong note.

At this point, it's likely much more critical to have Beckum back healthy.

Link: WSJ | Landingham To Transfer

Beckum Makes His Third First-Team All-American Appearance Of The Season

Sports Illustrated released their NCAA All-American Teams today, and finding himself on the first team at tight end is Wisconsin's Travis Beckum. This marks the third first-team list that Beckum has made this season, previously appearing on the Walter Camp team as well as the team released by Rivals.Com.

Taylor Mehlhaff was named as an honorable mention kicker on the SI list. Congratulations to both players.

Link: SI's NCAA All-Americans

A Dry Weekend

It was a dry weekend as far as updating goes for me, as I did not have access to a computer. Unfortunately, it remained dry (to Badger fans) as UW did not prevail over Marquette in a close game. This ended their home winning streak. All that means is that we'll have to start it over this Saturday against Green Bay.

Things should be running relatively normally again. Over the next two weeks I am going to have a fairly busy schedule, but when I have spare moments I'll be sure to make some entries when I have a PC available.

Game Preview: Wisconsin Badgers vs. Marquette Golden Eagles

Unfortunately, I will likely not be able to get up a full preview of the game before tipoff tomorrow afternoon. It definitely wouldn't be able to go up tonight, but I may possibly be able to get to it tomorrow. Regardless, I wanted to let everyone know that you can catch the game at 5:00 PM CST on ESPN2. I hope everyone has a good weekend, and go Badgers!

Official UW Press Release On Beckum

Photo Courtesy of AP / Andy Manis

"Junior Travis Beckum became the first Wisconsin tight end in 45 years to earn first-team All-America honors when the Walter Camp Football Foundation put the Badger standout on its prestigious team Thursday.

The last Badger tight end to earn first-team All-America acclaim was the legendary Pat Richter, who did so in 1962."

Congratulations to Travis Beckum. His place on the team has been earned and is well deserved.

Link: Official Release @ UWBadgers.com

College Football Award Ceremony

In case you're not able to watch, or in case you just want a list handy anyways, here's a run-down of what happened at tonight's College Football Award Ceremony. For quick reference, Travis Beckum did not win the John Mackey Award, but he was named to the Walter Camp All-American team.

• Davey O’Brien Award | Top QB: Tim Tebow, Florida
  Only the second Sophomore to win the O’Brien.

• Outland Trophy | Top Interior Lineman: Glenn Dorsey
  First LSU Outland Trophy winner.

• Breakthrough of the Year Award: Kansas Jayhawks
  Will make its first BCS Bowl appearance in school history.

• Biletnikoff Award | Top WR: Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
  First Freshman to win the award.

• Doak Walker Award | Top RB: Darren McFadden, Arkansas
  With Ricky Williams is the only player to win the Doak Walker back-to-back.

• Spirit Award: Zerbin Singleton, Navy
  Aspires to be an astronaut.

• Jim Thorpe Award | Top DB: Antoine Cason, Arizona
  First Pac-10 player to win the award since 1990.

• Lou Groza Award | Top K: Thomas Webber, Arizona State
  Only the second Freshman to ever win the Lou Groza award.

• Ray Guy Award | Top P: Durant Brooks, Georgia Tech
  The second ACC player to win the award.

• John Mackey Award | Top TE: Fred Davis, Southern Cal
  Travis Beckum should have won.

• Bronco Nagurski Award | Top Defensive Player: Glenn Dorsey, Louisiana State
  One of his three individual awards so far this year.

• Vince Lombardi Award | Top DL or LB: Glenn Dorsey, Louisiana State
  Marks the end of the Big Ten’s two-year streak.

• Home Depot Coach of the Year: Mark Mangino, Kansas
  Led Kansas to an 11-1 Season.

• Ted Hendricks Award | Top DE: Chris Long, Virginia
  Third in the nation with 14 sacks.
  

• Chuck Bednarik | Top Defensive Player: Dan Connor, Penn State
  Third year in a row a Penn State player has won the award.

• Maxwell Award | Player of the Year: Tim Tebow, Florida
  Ron Dayne was the last player to win both Maxwell and Heisman (1999).

• Walter Camp Award | Player of the Year: Darren McFadden, Arkansas
  Past three winners have also won the Heisman.

And here's the Walter Camp All-American Team:

• QB: Tim Tebow, Florida
  
• RB: Darren McFadden, Arkansas
• RB: Kevin Smith, Central Florida
  
• WR: Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
  
• WR: Jordy Nelson, Kansas State
  
• TE: Travis Beckum, Wisconsin
  
• OL: Jonathan Luigs, Arkansas
  
• OL: Jake Long, Michigan
  
• OL: Sam Baker, Southern Cal
  
• OL: Anthony Collins, Kansas
  
• OL: Tony Hills, Texas
  
• K: John Sullivan, New Mexico
  

• DL: Chris Long, Louisiana State
  
• DL: Glenn Dorsey, Virginia
  
• DL: Sedrick Ellis, Southern Cal
  
• DL: George Selvie, South Florida
• LB: Dan Connor, Penn State
• LB: James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
• LB: Jordan Dizon, Colorado
  
• CB: Aqib Talib, Kansas
  
• S: Jamie Silva, Boston College
• S: Craig Steltz, Louisiana State
  
• CB: Antoine Cason, Arizona
  
• P: Kevin Huber, Cincinnati
  
• KR: Felix Jones, Arkansas
  

Ogelsby Asserts That Badger 2007 Freshman Class Is One Of The Best

Tom Mulhern of the WSJ released a great article today on the progress and future of the Badgers' latest Freshman class. Let's first break down what we've seen on the field from some of our Freshman:

• Zach Brown: Started the final three games of the season, which included games @ Ohio State, vs. Michigan, and @ Minnesota. He compiled 421 yards total in those three games while rushing for four touchdowns. He saw limited action before these games while behind PJ Hill and Lance Smith on the depth chart, but on the season managed to get his way to the half-century mark in yardage (539).

• David Gilreath: As a Freshman, Gilreath broke the Badgers all-time record for return yardage. In the final game of the season against his home-state Gophers, Gilreath broke open multiple returns on his way to 226 total return yards.

• Kyle Jefferson: Jefferson caught at least two passes in eight straight games, and he started three of those games during the absence of both Paul Hubbard and Luke Swan. In those three games, he had 11 catches for 255 yards and two touchdowns.

• Aaron Henry: Henry was the starting nickelback all season until he got a chance to move into the starting lineup when Allen Langford went down with an injury. Henry was fourth on the team in sacks (3.5), and also had an interception. He did not allow a touchdown pass until the Badgers played Michigan.

What most Badger fans haven't been able to see is how the Freshman that haven't had the opportunity to play much, or at all, have progressed. Oglesby says that his teammates have told him he's progressed:

"Shaughnessy has told me countless times, 'You're getting better,' " Oglesby said. "I've made leaps and bounds in my pass protection and pass-protection footwork, just body control."

Mike Hankwitz also has praise to give for Redshirt Freshman tight end Lance Kendricks for the progress he has made in practice. In addition to Kendricks, multiple RS Freshman have made impacts on the field for the Badgers. Gabe Carimi started for the Badgers at left tackle. Kirk DeCremer saw reserve action at defensive end, but led the team in sacks (5.5), ranking 12th overall in the Big Ten. Both players made Rivals' National Freshman All-American team as second-team selections. Gilreath was a first-team selection at punt return.

For more, check out the links below.

Link: WSJ | Freshman Finding Their Way
Link: Rivals National Freshman All-American Teams

Beckum Makes Early Trip to Florida

Travis Beckum took a trip to Florida on Wednesday, though not as an early-bird to the bowl game. Beckum is in Orlando for the Home Depot College Football Awards Show, which will air live on Thursday at 6:30 PM CST. Beckum is a finalist for the John Mackey Award, given to the nation's top tight end. Best of luck to him and I hope he'll be returning to Madison this weekend with an award in hand.

Link: Story @ UWBadgers.com

Bielema, Newkirk Comment on Outback Bowl

As part of an article from Jeff Potrykus on JSOnline yesterday, Bret Bielema and DT Mike Newkirk shared their comments on preparing for the Outback Bowl, as well as being the underdog for the third year in a row against an SEC opponent:

"It doesn't matter who we play," Newkirk said after practice Tuesday night. "We're always (predicted) to be on the losing end no matter who we play, what our record is, what their record is. It doesn't matter.

"If it's Big Ten vs. SEC, we're losing. That's all there is to it."

"The SEC has been able to go out and prove themselves year in and year out to be a quality opponent," Bielema said earlier this week. "And we've just been fortunate the last two years to play good football on the day that matters. That is game day.

"We won't change up (preparation). It doesn't matter if we're playing the SEC, the Pac 10 or Big 12 or whatever it is. I think it's about how you handle your business on a daily routine that will determine your success on game day."

Hopefully the Badgers can prove the Vegas oddmakers wrong for the third straight year and take down yet another SEC opponent.

Link: Dog Collar Getting Old

Luke Swan Interviewed on Madison CW

Emmy Fink interviewed Luke Swan recently as part of the "Buzzed Into Madison" segment. You can watch the interview online at Madison CW's website, which is linked below. Luke discusses what he loves about Madison, and where he'd like to be in 10 years.

Link: Luke Swan Interview

Game Recap: Wisconsin Badgers vs. Wofford Terriers

Sport: Basketball
Date: Monday December 3, 2007
Outcome: W 70-43

Wofford's Top Performers
Drew Gibson (Guard // Sr.) 16 Points, 3 Rebounds, 3 Assists
Junior Salters (Guard // So.) 14 Points, 3 Rebounds, 2 Steals

Wisconsin's Top Performers
Joe Krabbenhoft (Guard // Jr.) 12 Points, 6 Rebounds, 4 Assists
Marcus Landry (Forward // Jr.) 11 Points, 9 Rebounds, 2 Assists
Michael Flowers (Guard // Sr.) 8 Points, 4 Rebounds, 4 Assists
Jason Bohannon (Guard // So.) 14 Points, 3/3 FG, 2/2 3FG, 6/8 FT

The Badgers once again came out rather slow, but were able to turn things around by the midway point in the first half and ended up cruising to a victory and a 6-1 record on the season. The Terriers did not shoot well all night long, and were in severe foul trouble from the get go: the Badgers entered the double bonus with over 10 minutes left to play in the first half, and Wofford starter Corey Godzinski fouled out in the opening minutes of the second half.

The Badger shot rather poorly to open the game, but were able to overcome that on way to 47% FG shooting for the game. Most notably, the Badgers were able to more than double Wofford's 16 points in the paint, as Landry, Krabbenhoft, and Brian Butch led the Badgers to 40 down low.

That is not to overlook what some Badgers were able to accomplish away from the paint. Jason Bohannon led the team in scoring, hitting multiple three-pointers, and was able to get to the line as a benefit of how often Wofford was fouling. Bo Ryan had the following to say on Jason during the post-game presser:

"...I think because he’s not going to beat a lot of people off the dribble, he’s going to have to get to the free throw line by doing the little things, a guy reaching in on him, a guy over his back, whatever, so however he gets there, we don’t care. We just like him to make them when he does.”

Jason did see success, converting 6-of-8 at the charity stripe.

Freshman Jon Leuer showed the Badger crowd (not to mention the ESPN2 viewing audience) what he is capable of yet again. While he only converted 2-of-6 FG attempts, he gave us a peek of his ability to get to the rim - just as he did against Duke. Despite the fact that Leuer has a lanky-frame, and also despite the fact that Wofford isn't a very big team, it's still apparent over the past two games that he is not afraid to mix it up down low. It will be interesting to see how he is able to put that fearlessness to work against a team like Marquette, who is more perimeter focused and lacking much size. Hopefully he can receive and earn solid minutes against the Golden Eagles this Saturday.

As mentioned, the Badgers have Marquette up next on the schedule. The Eagles will travel to Madison for a 5:00 PM tip off this Saturday. The rivalry game will be aired on ESPN2.

Link: UW Badgers Game Recap

Brett Favre Named SI 2007 Sportsman of the Year

Unfortunately, not all Badger fans are Packer fans. But for those of you that are, I encourage you to read this great piece on Brett Favre by Sports Illustrated which names him the 2007 Sportsman of the Year. Congratulations to Brett for a tremendous year.

Link: Full 10-Page Story

Hoosier Eric Gordon Leaves Game With Injury, DJ White Scores Career High

Hoosiers' star Freshman Eric Gordon left Indiana's game last night with Tennessee State early, citing continued pain from his back which resulted from a fall earlier in the game. It sounds likely, though, that the injury will not impact Gordon in future games. Indiana Coach Kelvin Sampson had the following to say when questioned by the AP:

"He'll be fine," Sampson said. "Even if he could have played, I wouldn't have brought him back in. He's been playing a lot of minutes. ... We'll get him back."

Gordon had played all 40 in the past two games.

Indiana didn't miss Gordon too much last night, though, thanks to a big game from Senior DJ White. White scored a career high 29 points to go along with 13 rebounds, leading the Hoosiers to a 12-point win.

The Badgers will first play Indiana on January 31, when the Hoosiers travel to Madison.

Link: Full Story @ IU Athletics' Official Website

Badgers Remain In Coaches' Poll; Fall Out Of AP

After losing to the Duke Blue Devils this past Tuesday in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, the Wisconsin Badgers remained only in the coaches poll for week four of the season. After being ranked 20 in both polls last week, they've fallen to 23 in the coaches' poll while coming in at 29 in the AP poll. Other notable teams include:

Texas (7-0) || 4 AP / 5 Coaches'
Duke (8-0) || 6 AP / 7 Coaches'
Michigan State (6-1) || 9 AP / 10 Coaches'
Indiana (6-1) || 15 AP / 15 Coaches'
Ohio State (4-3) || 44 AP
Illinois (5-2) || 38 Coaches'

You can check out the complete polls on the sidebar to the right courtesy of ESPN, or check out their website.

Link: Complete Polls @ ESPN

Game Preview: Wisconsin Badgers vs. Wofford Terriers

Sport: Basketball
Coverage: ESPN2 Regional
Time: 8:00 PM Central
Date: Monday December 3, 2007

Opponent: Wofford Terriers
Conference: Southern
Record: 3-1 (0-0)
Last Game: W 85-35 vs. Toccoa
Notable Game: L 67-45 @ Arkansas

Colors: Gold and Black
About the school: Wofford was founded in 1854 and is located in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It is a private institution with under 2,000 enrolled students.

Wofford's Spotlight Players
Terry Martin (Forward // Fr.) 11.8 Points, 4.0 Rebounds
Noah Dahlman (Forward // Fr.) 8.0 Points, 8.0 Rebounds
Norman Dixon (Guard // So.) 7.0 Points, 5.3 Rebounds, 4.5 Assists

Wisconsin's Spotlight Players
Trevon Hughes (Guard // So.) 18.2 Points, 4.7 Rebounds, 3.2 Assists, 2.5 Steals
Brian Butch (Forward // Sr.) 13.8 Points, 9.3 Rebounds
Jon Leuer (Forward // Fr.) 12 Points, 6 Rebounds in 19 Minutes vs. Duke

Prediction: After a tough loss at Duke as part of the ACC challenge, Badgers should be looking to win big, much like they did against Savannah State and Florida A&M earlier in the season. In this game I do not believe the Badgers will come out hungover, letting the opponent stay in the game in the early going. Rather, I predict that the Badgers come out, establish a lead early, and never let it go.

Texas Longhorns Knock Off #1 UCLA

Despite a 10-point scoring advantage in the second half, UCLA did not have enough firepower to take down Texas, falling by a final score of 63-61. More surprising is that the game was played at the Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, California. Even more surprising yet is that UCLA point guard, Darren Collison, was back healthy and played all but one minute of the game.

How does this impact Badger fans? Well, the Badgers will be traveling to Austin, Texas to square off with the Longhorns on December 29th. Texas claims five double-digit scorers, including three Sophomores.

So much for missing Kevin Durant.

Link: ESPN Game Recap

Wisconsin QB Recruit Curt Phillips Wraps Up High School Career

Curt Phillips - considered by many to be one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the class of 2008 - saw his high school career come to an unfortunate end this past Friday night, as his Sullivan South team was knocked out of the Tennessee state playoffs by the three-time reigning champs. While he cannot claim a high school state football title, Phillips has made a hobby out of accumulating accolades this season. Since he committed to the Badgers in June, Phillips dominated his competition on the way to earning Gatorade Player of the Year honors. This season he has captured two Tennessee state records: most touchdowns accounted for (56) as well as total yards of offense (3,996) in a single season.

While his team did not prevail over Maryville, a team which is considered by some to be one of the best teams in the Country this season, Phillips did not go down without a battle. TriCities Sports reporter Rob Bliss had the following to say about Friday night's semifinal match up:

"The game may have matched the state's top two quarterbacks. South's Curt Phillips came in approaching 4,000 yards total offense for the season and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state on Thursday. He is headed to Wisconsin on scholarship in January. He scored all three South TDs on runs of 11, 18 and 5 yards and finished with 121 yards rushing on 25 carries and completed 13 of 18 passes for another 81 yards for a total offense of 202 yards in the game."

Leading his team to a 12-2 record, he has been apart of what was one of the greatest seasons in Sullivan South football history, and he deserves congratulations for a job well done. Badger fans should be eager to get this kid on campus and, as the article mentions, he will be arriving in January to enroll in school for the Spring 2008 term, along with a few other football recruits. They will be eligible to practice with the team during the spring.

Link: TriCities Sports Report on the Game

Badgers Set To Face Volunteers In Outback Bowl

With a 9-4 overall record, the SEC East Champion Tennessee Volunteers have accepted a bid to play in the Outback Bowl against out very own Wisconsin Badgers. Neither team is new to the Outback Bowl; Tennessee appeared in this bowl a year ago when they lost to Penn State 20-10, while the Badgers' last appearance was 2005 when they lost to Georgia 24-21.

You can order tickets to the game via Ticketmaster, and the bowl game's official website offers a hotel and accommodations guide.

Link: The Outback Bowl Official Website