By Adam Roberts – 6/23/2021

It seems like every time I leave the building for a day, something big happens in our little sports world. Yesterday I was up in Rice Lake for the high school baseball sectionals, and of course some big Badger story would break while I was away.

In a 37 minute audio clipped sent to the Wisconsin State Journal from an anonymous source, senior members of the Wisconsin men’s basketball team are heard expressing their discontent with head coach Greg Gard on February 19th, in the middle of the team’s disappointing 2020-21 campaign that ended in a sixth place finish in the Big Ten.

In the clip, players like Brad Davison, Aleem Ford, Nate Reuvers, Micah Potter, and D’Mitrick Trice can be heard saying there is a “disconnect” between them and their head coach. The conversation, which reportedly lasted two hours, also included mentions to the previous season, which included the car crash involving assistant Howard Moore which killed two of his family members, Kobe King departing the program, and the resignation of strength and conditioning coach Erik Helland.

Themes that came up repeatedly in the conversation included Wisconsin not feeling like a home for the players, Gard’s actions speaking louder than words, and an overall lack of confidence in the program.

Once word of the meeting became public, Gard expressed both his support of the players opening up to him and also his frustration that a private meeting was leaked. Outgoing athletic director Barry Alvarez also expressed support for Coach Gard looking ahead to next year. Gard’s contract was extended by a year after the season, and he is scheduled to make $2.65 million in the 2021-22 school year.

By Adam Roberts – 6/21/2021

In Baraboo this afternoon, the Onalaska Hilltopper baseball team inched one step closer to a state title.

Two of a number of area baseball and softball teams in sectionals this week, this game was never close as the Hilltoppers put the bats to work in a 12-0 five-inning victory. Pitching also was dominant for Onalaska.

The Hilltoppers will play again later this evening against either Madison Memorial or Middleton with a trip to Appleton on the line. First pitch will be tentatively scheduled for 5pm in Baraboo.

By Adam Roberts – 6/21/2021

Going into last Thursday’s Game Six of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, it felt like nobody was giving the Bucks any chance to overtake the Nets down three games to two. Even after dominating Game Six, the thought seemed to be that a road Game Seven combined with the recent history of the franchise in the postseason would combine to doom Milwaukee to just another chapter in recent Wisconsin sports postseason heartbreak.

The Bucks had other plans.

Milwaukee advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals with a 115-111 overtime win over the Nets on Saturday in Brooklyn. Giannis Antetokounmpo racked up 40 points and 13 rebounds, while Khris Middleton tallied 23 points. The game was almost blown at the end of regulation, with Brook Lopez turning over the ball late on a shot clock violation. Then Kevin Durant hit what could have easily been a game-winning three had his toe not been on the line. Strangely enough, Durant apparently wears bigger shoes than he needs to for comfort reasons, meaning his normal sized shoe would have given the Nets the win.

In overtime, Milwaukee missed their first four shots, but thankfully the Nets didn’t fair much better. In the end, Brooklyn had an opportunity with the ball in Durant’s hands to win the game again, but his energy seemed tapped out at that point on an airball to end the night.

So it’s on to the Eastern Conference Finals once again for Milwaukee, as they hope to right the wrongs from two postseasons ago when Toronto won four straight. The Bucks will get Atlanta after they dispatched the 76ers last night. Despite Trae Young struggling from the field, Kevin Huerter stepped up with his postseason-high in scoring. The Hawks held Philadelphia to 32.1 percent from deep and its lowest scoring game of the postseason.

We’ll have coverage starting at 7pm Wednesday from Fiserv, and the joint will be jumping!

By Adam Roberts – 6/18/2021

The debate over the College Football Playoff’s possible expansion can now commence in full.

A review of possibly expanding the College Football Playoff to 12 teams is officially underway.

The CFP management committee looked over the working group’s proposal to expand the playoff today. Executive Director Bill Hancock has said the next step is a board of managers meeting next week.

Under the proposal, the expanded playoff would include the six highest-ranked conference champions and the six remaining highest-ranked teams determined by the CFP selection committee. The four highest-ranked conference champions would get a first-round bye and be seeded one through four. The other teams would play each other in a format similar to March Madness for the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. That includes the five-seed playing the 12-seed and number six playing number eleven. The higher seeds would also host the games.

Under this new format, Wisconsin would have been able to compete for a national championship a number of times over the last few seasons. But the question will become if the value of a college football championship will become diluted with more teams in the field. It also raises questions of player safety for the athletes, although the financial ramifications will be hard for the CFP to turn down.

By Adam Roberts – 6/17/2021

Will the Madden Curse strike TWO athletes this year?? The NFL is probably crossing their fingers that the answer is “No” this season.

Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes are sharing the cover of the latest Madden video game. They’re both featured as the front men on Madden 22. The honor comes just months after they went against each other in the Super Bowl.

Brady came out on top in that matchup as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs. The last time the video game’s cover was shared by two players came back when Madden ’10 was released. That’s when Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu got the honors.