'Sconnie Six Pack 11/12
The Badgers' battle against Iowa for the Heartland Trophy highlights this college football Saturday in Wisconsin
Formalities -
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Badgers battle Iowa for the Heartland Trophy
Wisconsin begins its first of three consecutive games for rivalry trophies today. Beginning with today’s matchup against Iowa, followed by games against Nebraska and Minnesota, the Badgers are facing a crucial stretch in the schedule as they still have an outside shot at the Big Ten West title. You can catch today’s game at 2:30PM CST on the Big Ten Network.
Wisconsin and Iowa fans are familiar with this matchup being a low-scoring affair and nothing different should be expected today. According to Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings, Wisconsin and Iowa each boast top-15 defenses. Perhaps Badger fans will find this hard to believe, but Wisconsin’s offense is far more competent than that of Iowa. Iowa’s offense barely cracks the top-100 while Wisconsin is at least on the edge of the top-50.
Traditionally, the result of this game is determined by the run-game. The team that leads in rushing when the clock hits zero has won the last 21 games in this rivalry. While a low-scoring game would mean anything can happen, Wisconsin fans can take a little bit of solace in the fact that they have the better running back in Braelon Allen. One long run by Allen might just be enough to win the Heartland trophy, keep the Badgers’ Big Ten title hopes alive, and make Wisconsin bowl-eligible for the 21st consecutive season.
Packers injury woes continue with loss of CB Eric Stokes
Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur said Friday that it is “unlikely” Eric Stokes plays again this season. Stokes, a first-round draft pick last season, is the second former first-round pick turned defensive starter the Packers have ruled out for the season just this week.
The rest of the Packers’ injury report on Friday did not offer any other glimpses of optimism either. De’Vondre Campbell - another key defensive starter - was ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys. The player that ended up appearing as the Packers preferred backup for Campbell, Krys Barnes, is also listed as doubtful.
Finally, yesterday’s edition of the Six Pack detailed the Packers’ injury woes at receiver and things have only gotten worse. Amari Rodgers, who had not been listed on the injury report all week, is now listed as questionable for Sunday with a quad injury. Much to the chagrin of fans, the Packers need Amari Rodgers to play in this game as they simply do not have other options. Samori Toure, a rookie and former seventh-round draft pick, was the only Packers receiver not listed on the injury report this week.
Shorthanded Bucks fall at Spurs
With Giannis and Jrue Holiday out of the lineup again last night and Grayson Allen ruled out moments before the tip, the Bucks lost in San Antonio 111-93.
The Bucks struggled mightily on offense. Shooting 12 of 43 (27.9%) from three-point range last night now puts the Bucks 19th in the NBA in three-point shooting. Their shooting from the field was not much better as the Bucks shot only 32.7% overall. With returns from injury for Khris Middleton and Pat Connaughton soon on the horizon, the Bucks have to get better shooting performances from their regular starters once they are able to hit the court.
The Bucks will return to action Monday night at home against the Atlanta Hawks. The Bucks and Hawks have split their first two games this season with the home team taking the victory in each matchup so far.
Wisconsin volleyball dominates Rutgers, faces Maryland tonight on senior night
It is senior night in the Wisconsin Field House as the Wisconsin Volleyball team will celebrate five members of its senior class following tonight’s matchup against the Maryland Terrapins. You can catch tonight’s match at 7PM CST on B1G+.
The Badgers dispatched of Rutgers last night in straight sets for the team’s 13th consecutive win. The 3-0 (25-13, 25-12, 25-12) victory continued Wisconsin’s streak of sweeping Rutgers in every match they have played dating back to 2015. Head Coach Kelly Sheffield summed up his squad’s victory as “a good quick win and we played a really clean volleyball match tonight.”
Maryland is playing its second night of back-to-back road matches when it plays against the Badgers tonight. The Terrapins fell to Minnesota last night in straight sets. While Maryland has not been as poor of a team as Rutgers this year, Wisconsin should handle tonight’s match with a similar level of ease. Maryland has a mere five wins in Big Ten play so far this season and Wisconsin would triple that number with a win tonight to earn their 15th conference victory.
The exciting note for the most-attentive fans of Wisconsin volleyball is that tonight is senior night at the Field House. Shanel Bramschreiber, Liz Gregorski, Danielle Hart, Joslyn Boyer, and Anna MacDonald will be recognized in a post-match ceremony. All but Bramschreiber were members of the squad that won the program’s first national championship.
Wisconsin men’s hockey defeats LIU, looks to finish series sweep
Cruz Lucius found the back of the net with 6:28 remaining in the third period last night to give the Badgers a 3-2 lead that proved decisive. Long Island and Wisconsin will play again tonight - you can catch the game at 7PM CST on Bally Sports Wisconsin.
While the win is encouraging, Wisconsin still struggled to score throughout the night. The Badgers opened up a 2-0 lead in the first period, but then failed to score for the next 35 minutes. LIU managed to tie the game at two goals apiece during that stretch requiring Lucius’ late game-winning goal. Failing to score despite opportunities to do so is the defining mark of this Wisconsin team. The Badgers dominated the Sharks at the faceoff dot more than doubling up LIU with 43 victories to 20. Despite that, Wisconsin only outshot LIU 30-25. The Badgers need to convert puck possession and shots into goals if they hope to finish the series sweep tonight.
Here’s a clip of Zach Urdahl going bardown to open the scoring last night for no other reason than it was a beautiful power play goal.
Topping-off the six pack: Badgers men’s basketball is victorious in the Brew City Battle
With a balanced offense, the Badgers defeated Stanford 60-50 at American Family Field in Milwaukee.
Tyler Wahl and Jordan Davis had the most impressive performances of the night. Wahl continues to show that he can score in creative ways in the frontcourt while being a dominant presence on the defensive end with three steals last night. Jordan Davis (of course the twin brother of Johnny Davis), had what I hope was a breakout moment last night with 13 points while shooting five-of-nine. Davis highlighted the importance of running the offense even without the ball in his hands as multiple well-timed cuts to the basket allowed him to create some beautiful scoring opportunities.
As mentioned in yesterday’s newsletter, I did attend this game. As mentioned in yesterday’s newsletter, I am not sure who asked for this basketball game at a baseball stadium. In fact, I am more confused by it after attending.
The announced attendance for last night’s game was 17,927 - a mere 700 people greater than the capacity of the Kohl Center. Not to mention, the typical capacity of American Family Field is nearly 42,000 people - and that does not even include the additional courtside seating that was created for this special event. A Kohl Center filled to capacity would have created a much better environment than a largely-empty, cavernous baseball stadium.
One final complaint - the roof was closed. Not even Bucky could get it open.
On, Wisconsin.