What’s brewing?
Wisconsin basketball reeling after losing its fifth of six games
Milwaukee Bucks defeat the resting Denver Nuggets
What does the loss of Bobby Portis mean for the Milwaukee Bucks?
Three-star cornerback decommits from Wisconsin
Two Milwaukee Brewers named among top 10 OF prospects
Topping-off the six pack: UW-Milwaukee basketball looks to hold pace in the Horizon against Wright State
Wisconsin basketball reeling after losing its fifth of six games
The Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team has not been at full strength since its December 30th game against Western Michigan. Since then, starters Tyler Wahl and Max Klesmit have missed a combined five complete games. With Klesmit out of the lineup last night, the Badgers (12-7, 4-5 Big Ten) fell to the Maryland Terrapins (13-7, 4-5) 73-55.
"Dribble penetration," head coach Greg Gard said, describing his team's failures on defense. "Not getting pressure on the ball. Getting too spread out at times. Not following rules in terms of sending the ball where we need to send it to.
"And then just not drawing a line there in the paint, and I thought they were more aggressive than us, even early in the first half in the paint, at the rim." The Terrapins had a 38-22 edge on points in the paint for the night.
While Wisconsin's offense was far from perfect, the defensive performance doomed the Badgers last night. The Badgers allowed Maryland to score ten more points than its average of 62.9 points allowed per game on 56% shooting from the field. The opening minutes of the second half highlighted UW's defensive struggles. Although Wisconsin only trailed by four at halftime, Maryland quickly built a 49-36 lead making all eight of its shots before the first media timeout of the second half. The Terrapins shot 60% from the field in the second half.
Wisconsin shot just 33.3% from the field in the first half and failed to get much from Chucky Hepburn. The starting point guard attempted only three shots from the field, making one - a three-pointer, and did not score the rest of the night. The three field goal attempts were his fewest in a complete game since January 13th, 2021, in a game against Ohio State.
Connor Essegian was the Badgers' leading scorer on the night. The freshman guard's 19 points, a career-high, were second only to Maryland's Jahmir Young, who had a game-high of 22. Essegian's points came on six of 12 shooting from the field, four of six from beyond the three-point line, and three of four from the free-throw line.
The loss drops Wisconsin to ninth in the Big Ten, tied with Penn State and Maryland. Next up for the Badgers is a rematch against Illinois on Saturday at the Kohl Center. Illinois won the first matchup this season in Champaign 79-69. Illinois is fifth in the Big Ten with a one-game lead over Wisconsin.
Milwaukee Bucks defeat the resting Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets played without four of their usual starters on the second night of back-to-back games as the Milwaukee Bucks won 107-99. The Bucks (31-17) were shorthanded in their first game since Bobby Portis suffered a right knee injury. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee found a rhythm to secure victory as the game wore on.
Giannis finished the first half with only nine points but finished the night with 33 points and 14 rebounds. He shot 22 free throw attempts - making 15 - with all but one coming in the second half.
Pat Connaughton added 19 points, a season-high, and 12 rebounds, matching his career-high.
Neither offense took excellent care of the ball, however. Denver and Milwaukee committed 19 and 22 turnovers, respectively. The trend is particularly concerning for Milwaukee, which turns the ball over an average of 14.4 times per game, the ninth most in the NBA.
Although the Bucks' turnovers are part of a more significant negative trend for Coach Budenholzer's squad, the Nuggets' turnovers were primarily due to the Bucks' defense. Milwaukee had 11 steals on the night and held Denver to just 39.2% shooting.
Milwaukee remains in third place in the Eastern Conference, 3.5 games behind the first-place Boston Celtics. The Bucks return to action at the Indiana Pacers on Friday.
What does the loss of Bobby Portis mean for the Milwaukee Bucks?
Bobby Portis is much more than a fan favorite for the Milwaukee Bucks. He is a reliable contributor on a team with aspirations of winning a second NBA title in three seasons. After turning down more money elsewhere to sign with the Bucks, Portis has found a home in Milwaukee. Now, coach Mike Budenholzer is challenged with replacing the production of his Sixth Man of the Year candidate, who has played in every game thus far this season.
Yesterday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Portis suffered a right knee MCL sprain and "will miss some time." The Bucks later confirmed the report, adding that Portis also sustained a right ankle sprain. Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported it is a Grade 2 MCL sprain.
It is unclear how much time the Bucks' reserve forward will miss, but a Grade 2 MCL sprain typically comes with a 4-6 week recovery time. That puts the timetable for Portis' return somewhere in the range of late February to early March. Portis suffered the same injury while with the Chicago Bulls in the 2018-19 season, which sidelined him for 47 days. The Bucks said they would re-evaluate Portis' injury in two weeks.
Portis' absence leaves Milwaukee bereft of depth at center. While Brook Lopez has played in all but one game this season, the Bucks now lack a big man behind him. That player behind Lopez and Portis was supposed to be Serge Ibaka, but Ibaka is no longer with the team as Milwaukee's front office tries to move him in a trade. The next option for coach Budenholzer is Sandro Mamukelashvili, who is on a two-way contract. Although based on the typical timetable for an MCL sprain, Budenholzer should expect Portis to return for the playoffs, it is essential to note that two-way players are ineligible for the playoffs.
The injury almost certainly ends Portis' candidacy for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award. Less than a week ago, his odds were as short as 16 to one, but after his injury, most sportsbooks made Portis' odds twice as long or more to win the award as they were before the injury. On the year, Portis has averaged 14.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He is the only player with listed odds for Sixth Man of the Year averaging a double-double.
Three-star cornerback decommits from Wisconsin
Yesterday morning, Wisconsin football had two verbal commitments in its 2024 recruiting class. That number was cut in half yesterday evening, leaving four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer as the sole commit. Austin Alexander, the first recruit to verbally commit to Wisconsin in its 2024 class, decommitted from the Badgers following a few new scholarship offers received last week. Alexander is a three-star prospect according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
The Illinois native has five total FBS offers, with three of them coming since Monday. This week, Northern Illinois, USC, and Iowa State extended offers to Alexander.
The 6'1" 165-pound prospect committed to Wisconsin on October 31st, 2022, while Jim Leonhard was interim head coach. Alexander's relationship with the Badgers' previous staff significantly influenced his decision to commit. "When I originally committed, it was because of the staff that was there before, and then everything happened so fast," he told 247Sports.
Two Milwaukee Brewers named among top 10 OF prospects
In anticipation of its upcoming top 100 list, MLB Pipeline released its list of the top 10 outfield prospects in baseball. Among the 10 were two members of the Milwaukee Brewers farm system.
Eighth overall and mentioned as the prospect with the best hitting ability is Sal Frelick. Frelick, who is expected to join the big leagues in Milwaukee this season, hit .365 at Triple-A last season. MLB Pipeline also described his running ability as "plus-plus speed [which] allows him to turn groundballs into hits."
The third overall outfield prospect is Jackson Chourio. The 18-year-old Venezuelan phenom made his US pro-debut this season and quickly shot up the prospect rankings. Making his way from Low-A to High-A to Double-A, all in his 18-year-old season, Chourio is among the hottest names in the scouting community right now. With the first and second-ranked outfield prospects expected to arrive in the MLB this season, Chourio is on pace to become the top-ranked outfield prospect (and maybe the top-ranked overall prospect in all of baseball) in the coming months.
UW-Milwaukee basketball looks to hold pace in the Horizon against Wright State
UW-Milwaukee basketball has, surprisingly, been enjoyable to watch this season. The Panthers (14-6, 8-2 Horizon League) are currently tied atop the Horizon League with Northern Kentucky. They are ranked in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 for the first time in over a decade. Tonight, Milwaukee looks to hang on to its share of first place with a game against the Wright State Raiders (11-10, 4-6). The game tips off at 6:00 PM CST; you can watch on ESPN+.
Panthers head coach Bart Lundy must be pleased with the performance of his starting guard and leading scorer, BJ Freeman, as of late. The sophomore has averaged 26 points and 7.25 rebounds in his last four games. In Milwaukee's previous game, an 88-75 victory over Youngstown State, Freeman contributed 30 points, six rebounds, and 11 assists while shooting 60% from the field and making five of 11 three-point attempts.
On the other side of the court, Trey Calvin leads Wright State. The senior guard averages 19 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game - all team highs. In Wright State's previous matchup against Milwaukee, a game the Raiders won in overtime 78-74, Calvin notched 23 points, six rebounds, and two steals.
While prolific scorers lead each team at the guard position, these offenses could not be more different stylistically. According to KenPom, 39.5% of Milwaukee's field goal attempts come from behind the three-point line. On the other hand, Wright State shoots only 26.4% of its field goal attempts from three-point range - a mark that rates in the bottom ten nationally.
Committed to taking away scoring opportunities in the paint, Lundy's Panthers allow teams to shoot the three. Milwaukee allows opponents to take 42.4% of field goal attempts from three; fewer than 50 teams (out of 363) allow more. In their previous matchup, Milwaukee's defense forced Wright State to divert from its typical strategy. The Raiders shot 26 three-point attempts in regulation - well above their average of 16.3 (the 16th fewest in the country).
Wright State's win over Milwaukee 12 days ago was its last win. The Raiders have since lost back-to-back games against Purdue-Fort Wayne and Cleveland State. Milwaukee has won each game since then, recording victories over Robert Morris and Youngstown State.
On, Wisconsin.