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Consistency and contributions from the entire team brought Wisconsin women’s hockey two more wins.

The Badgers (26-2-2) dominated play both Friday and Sunday afternoon, giving them a sweep over Minnesota State (7-23-0) this past weekend at home.

Sunday, the Badgers came out strong and shut the Mavericks down for the entire game, winning decisively, 6-0, with goals coming from all three of Wisconsin’s offensive lines. Game one was a similar story, as UW finished off MSU, 5-2.

“Some of the things we did well in Friday’s game, we continued in [Sunday’s] game,” head coach Mark Johnson said. “We moved the puck pretty well in the offensive zone; we kept our feet moving and then created opportunities from that. When you create opportunities good things are going to happen, and from start to finish it was a pretty good effort.”

Coming out strong Sunday, Wisconsin got on the scoreboard early as junior forward Brianna Decker backhanded the puck in the net after it came loose in the slot at 7:26 in the first period.

UW continued its success in the second period scoring three additional goals. Sophomore forward Brittany Ammerman scored the team’s first goal in the second period, getting the puck into the net off a slap shot from inside the slot. Freshman forward Blayre Turnbull added to the lead, giving UW its third goal at 10:11 in the second period and showing the Mavericks the depth the Wisconsin team is able to play with.

“We have great depth both offensively and defensively, getting that third goal from that third line,” Ammerman said. “They needed that, and to have all three lines contributing at this point in the season its great leading into post-season.”

Closing out the period with less than a second left, senior forward Hilary Knight sailed a shot right past MSU goaltender Daniele Butters, off a pass by Ammerman.

The third period brought two more goals for UW to give them the impressive 6-0 victory. Ammerman again found the back of the net one timing the puck past Butters from a pass by Knight at 10:56 in the final period. Senior forward Carolyne Prevost got the team’s final goal at 14:23.

Ammerman stepped up big for Wisconsin this weekend with three points in Sundays game and four points off a pair of goals and pair of assists on Friday. She entered the weekend with only four goals on the season, and after doubling it in two games, she looked to be a spark of confidence for UW as it continues to move successfully forward.

“When kids get points and goals their confidence is going to go up,” Johnson said. “[Ammerman] is skating well, she is handling the puck well, and she is competing. If you put all those things together you are going to be successful.”

Friday night Wisconsin started off slow, allowing MSU to take an early 1-0 lead at 1:54 in the first period as MSU forward Lauren Smith got though UW’s defensive line and goaltender Alex Rigsby. It wasn’t until the second period that the Badgers got going, and from then on UW dominated the ice.

Senior forward Brooke Ammerman got the team’s first goal at 9:03 in the second period while shorthanded, off a slap shot from the slot. This gave Wisconsin the energy they needed, and Brittany Ammerman finished off the period with two goals of her own.

Wisconsin dominated the third period with two more goals and finished off the game with 47 shots to the Mavericks’ 26. MSU was able to get another puck in the net with eight seconds left in the game, but UW came out victorious with the 5-2 win.

With two decisive wins off of two well-played games, Wisconsin showed the consistency it will need as it moves forward to close out its regular season play and enter the playoffs. With depth, stability and positive energy after this series, the team feels it is coming together at the right time to be successful in the post-season.

“We played a whole game and you haven’t seen that from us in a couple of weeks, even a couple of months now, so I think its incredible to see how different lines are stepping up,” Knight said. “Everything is starting to come together, especially from all the hard work we have put in from the ups and downs. It’s looking nice.”

I cannot deny that, currently, the University of Wisconsin Athletic Department irks me.

I have no gripes about a particular sport; rather, I’m upset with the new renovations that recently started at Camp Randall.

In Wisconsin athletics, a strong sense of tradition permeates every sport at every level. And, unfortunately, tradition is a concept that seems to have extended into UW’s facilities, leaving them in need of some sprucing up.

Camp Randall and its adjoining facilities could definitely use an upgrade, so the concept of the $76.8 million Athletic Village is not detestable in the least.

The renovations include building a tunnel from underneath the McClain Athletic Facility to the field, replacing Camp Randall’s turf, and updated locker rooms, weight rooms and athletic training centers that have been deemed outdated.

And while I couldn’t agree more that football’s weight room, for instance, is nowhere near a state-of-the-art workout facility many other Division I programs possess — I’ve been inside that claustrophobic room — major renovations at athletic facilities are significantly needed elsewhere.

I’ve covered athletic events at a variety of locations, from Camp Randall and the Kohl Center to the McClimon Soccer Complex and Nielsen Tennis Stadium. To begin, I don’t know if the soccer stadium can be considered worthy of a Big Ten athletic facility.

I’ve seen high school stadiums in a more beautiful and grand state.

There is only one small collection of stands on one side of the field, but so far away that one feels entirely removed from the action. More often than not, the stands aren’t even large enough to accommodate all the fans that choose to attend games. It is, quite honestly, a terrible set up for anyone’s viewing pleasure.

If you’re a young, spritely reporter, the best option to get a full view of the game is to sit in the stands — which basically detracts from the entire idea of trying to be an objective journalist.

The “press box” — if you can even call it that — is small, cramped and blocks off entire sections of the field due to the thick window frames. Basically it is a disgrace that Wisconsin even accepts the shoddy facility as usable.

But McClimon is more than a soccer stadium; it’s also the location of Wisconsin’s outdoor track.

As a former track and field athlete, the track could use some serious revamping. It should be completely re-laid with new rubber and paint job.

Without a doubt, my high school track — which is the nicest in the state of Minnesota (Still-h20!) — is more fitting of a Div. I tag than the riff raff that Wisconsin currently claims.

Continuing in that vein, even the Shell, home to UW’s indoor track and field season, could use some help. As my preferred campus gym, I love it because I can normally walk in and claim a machine for as long as I want without any worries, but as a home to a decently successful track and field team, it just isn’t up to snuff.

Wisconsin is clearly putting money into the teams or facilities that bring in revenue. There’s nothing wrong with that concept. The $76.8 million being used for the Athletic Village came from the Wisconsin’s Athletic Department revenue in addition to private gifts — no tax dollars required.

While some renovations to Camp Randall and the new Athletic Village include new tutoring and academic support services that will affect all athletes, the aforementioned athletic facilities need more help than — essentially — any other facility on campus.

The Athletic Department, by its very name, serves all athletes in all sports around campus, which extends to the fields, courts and rinks they call home.

I will admit the Athletic Department is holding true to this fact when it comes to the new La Bahn Arena, which is set to open next season.

The arena will serve as home ice for the incredibly successful women’s hockey program, which has won four national championships in its last six seasons. It will also serve as an on-campus practice facility for the men’s hockey team and house locker rooms for the swimming team with a tunnel connecting to the SERF.

But the majority of the $27.9 million project is being funded by gifts to UW Athletics and the remaining coming from bonding. With two-thirds of the funding coming from donations — with a $5 million check coming from the arena’s namesake Chuck and Mary Ann La Bahn — the facility would not have been able to become a reality if fans, alumni and whoever else felt like giving.

The Athletic Department is supportive of all its athletes, certainly, but when it comes to the current renovations being made to Camp Randall, I simply draw issue.

In light of football’s recent success, it’s no surprise the Athletic Department would want to update Camp Randall, but this was a plan that was set in motion in 2008. It is undoubtedly in need of a small makeover, including its adjoining facilities, but after all is said and done, there is greater need elsewhere that — at the moment — is simply being ignored.

And it’s a little embarrassing.

Kelly is a junior majoring in journalism. Think she’s completely off her rocker? Email her at kerickson@badgerherald.com or send her a tweet at @kellymerickson.

Although the Wisconsin men’s hockey team struggled to find the back of the net in a home series where it was swept by St. Cloud State, the Badgers showed a new liberty to shoot the puck in the two losses.

After being swept on the road at North Dakota last weekend, head coach Mike Eaves stressed the need for his players to take more shots, and the Badgers clearly listened to his advice in a disappointing 5-1 defeat Monday and a much closer 2-1 loss in game two.

Firing off a season-high 74 shots on the weekend, Wisconsin was only able to find the back of the net twice, but Eaves remains confident that the approach will lead to victories in the long run.

“Sometimes you’ve got to tip your hat to the young goaltender, and we got some shots that we wanted to, so we’ll continue to pound that drum,” Eaves said. “History tells us the more shots and pucks and bodies you get in net, good things will happen for you eventually.”

A major reason the shots continued to stay in front of the goal line was the outstanding play of St. Cloud goaltender Mike Lee. A junior, who had only made six starts this season coming into the weekend, was at the top of his game in Madison, consistently rejecting well-placed shots and solid rebound attempts.

In game two, the Badgers emerged from the locker room looking strong in the first period and launched eight shots in the first 10 minutes of the game and got several quality looks at the net. After scoring the game’s first goal and taking a 1-0 lead early in the second period, it appeared that Eaves’ advice was finally leading to goals.

However, as defenseman Frankie Simonelli noted, the St. Cloud goalkeeper put an end to any offensive rhythm Wisconsin found.

“We ran into a hot goalie, and it seemed to be the difference-maker tonight,” Simonelli said.

With just 39 total shots in its road trip to North Dakota the previous weekend — three less than the 42 it put up against St. Cloud Saturday — Wisconsin’s aggressiveness with the puck created a continuous stream of scoring opportunities.

Even in an otherwise disheartening 5-1 loss Friday, the Badgers managed to outshoot the Huskies by eight shots, but Eaves saw his team’s energy decline after an impressive opening to the game.

“We started it pretty well, the shots were 7-2, I thought we had some good chances,” Eaves said. “Mr. Lee shut the door, and when we didn’t get rewarded for our efforts, we kind of lost our energy.”

Schultz, Zengerle share rare weekend absent from score sheet

With only two goals in the series, much of the lack of scoring against St. Cloud could be attributed to the lack of production from the team’s two biggest stars in Justin Schultz and Mark Zengerle.

Zengerle, a sophomore center who holds the slightest grip on his title as the team’s point leader with 39, finished the weekend without a goal or an assist over the two games. Lee and the rest of the St. Cloud defense also contained Schultz, a junior defenseman, who sits just behind Zengerle with 38 points.

Although their contributions didn’t jump off the stat sheet, Eaves didn’t feel like his two primary offensive producers suffered from a lack of scoring opportunities.

“If you take a look at the shots, they had a lot of shots, they were involved in a lot of chances, they just didn’t get on the score sheet,” Eaves said. “If we were to take a look at this and we didn’t see they had shots, or we look at the film and we see they don’t have scoring chances, then we could say what’s going on.”

Although frustrated by being held scoreless in the series where the Badgers were hoping to get their season back on track after dropping two games to UND, Zengerle believes he can benefit from a bye week where UW will try to move on from its four straight losses.

“We’re just going to have to get past it and get back to practice and that’s where you kind of regain your confidence,” Zengerle said. “So I guess you do go back to the drawing board a little bit, but maybe it’s a good thing that we have a week off.”

Sometimes a team’s best performance simply doesn’t translate to a win, and unfortunately for the Wisconsin men’s hockey team, that tragic fate awaited it Saturday night.

In a 2-1 decision at the Kohl Center, Wisconsin (12-14-2, 7-12-2 WCHA) was swept for the second weekend in a row, this time by St. Cloud State (12-14-4, 9-10-3).

The Badgers skated out their best start of the season. UW looked cohesive, brought consistent pressure on SCSU goaltender Mike Lee and paid attention to small details that led to its ability to control the pace of the game.

But Lee, a junior from Roseau, Minn., gave an undeniably outstanding performance — making 41 saves en route to a series sweep.

“We had chances, we just couldn’t find a way to put anything in so it was frustrating,” junior defenseman Justin Schultz said. “He’s a good goalie.”

The Badgers extended their offensive pressure from Friday night getting 42 shots on goal, which were the most they’ve had all season. About four minutes into the second, the Badgers finally found some success as they capitalized on their second power play of the game. Freshman forward Joseph LaBate passed the puck out to sophomore defenseman Frankie Simonelli at the point.

Simonelli fired hard and notched UW’s lone goal of the night.

But, with two goals bookending the third period, St. Cloud State would leave the Kohl Center robbing Wisconsin of a win on the weekend — especially in light of its performance.

“I think we definitely put together a better effort than we did last night and played a pretty complete game,” Simonelli said. “Our shots were up in the 40s — I think that was one of the first times all year we had that — but we ran into a hot goalie and it seemed to be the difference maker tonight.”

The remarkable difference in the strength of the Badgers’ performance was evident in more than their offensive production. After spending 42 minutes in the penalty box the previous night, UW didn’t give SCSU a single power play through the entire 60 minutes of play.

Despite the result, head coach Mike Eaves saw his team make a better effort that is reflective of what he has seen in practice, but the growth hasn’t consistently shown itself come game time as demonstrated this weekend.

“This week in practice … as we watched us do drills, we were standing there as coaches and we said to each other, ‘Man can you believe how far we’ve come?’ And then we come out and do what we did last night which was — I still can’t explain that,” Eaves said. “But you know I think [our record] doesn’t reflect the growth. And we’re putting some pressure on a lot of young people to perform and demand at a high level.”

Friday night, conversely, the Badgers gave one of their worst performances of the season.

Losing 5-1, Wisconsin put more shots on goal — something Eaves was preaching after only putting up a combined 39 shots on goal against North Dakota last weekend — but didn’t connect on any of their 32 shots on net until 2:05 was left in the game.

But it wasn’t the four unanswered goals that led to SCSU’s victory or UW’s revamped offense that defined Friday night’s contest. Rather, it was junior defenseman John Ramage’s game-tossing shoulder-to-shoulder hit.

Fourteen minutes into the first period, SCSU’s Nick Oliver was bringing the puck from the neutral zone when Ramage came flying into him, leading with his shoulder. Sophomore forward Jefferson Dahl was on Oliver’s tail at the time and as a result, Oliver was sandwiched between the two, sending his snapped stick in opposite directions as he fell to the ice. A brawl broke out as every skate on ice went after one another.

The referees judged that Ramage made some contact to Oliver’s head and as a result was ejected from the game.

“The referee’s explanation was the fact that it was an east-to-west hit, a year ago it would have been a fine hit, but it was unsuspecting and by high judgement of the rule, it was a penalty,” Eaves said.

“I think the reaction that was in the building raised the intensity level in the building and gave some life to the building.”

While the intensity in the Kohl Center was already boiling before the hit, it reached a breaking point as Ramage skated toward the locker room.

Unfortunately for the Badgers, that intensity consistently fueled the Huskies as they went on to score four more goals throughout the rest of the game and keep UW at bay.

“We faced some adversity and when we faced that adversity, we didn’t respond well,” junior forward Ryan Little said. “We branched out and didn’t stick together as a team. Therefore we fell apart and embarrassed ourselves.”

The embarrassment may not have possibly been felt deeper than by freshman netminder Joel Rumpel. Over the course of the season, Rumpel had emerged as Eaves’ No.1 guy, but Rumpel admitted that after letting in five goals, he had had the worst performance of the season.

His youth was on display as SCSU’s Nic Dowd made it 4-0 with 1:05 left in the second. Dowd took the puck from the right circle and got Rumpel to commit to a deke. As Rumpel attempted to make a save, Dowd hung onto the puck, bringing it across the front of the crease and knocking in what was essentially an empty-netter.

“I need to do better for the team,” Rumpel said. “I know everybody expects a lot out of me. The second and third goals were completely my fault. … I have to be better."

Welcome to the Herald Sports live blog! I'm Ian McCue, Associate Sports Editor joined by Sports Content Editor Kelly Erickson. We'll be here all night, bringing you all the action from the Kohl Center as Wisconsin tries to maintain their spot in the WCHA standings. 

After suffering a disappointing 5-1 loss to the Huskies (11-14-4, 8-10-3 WCHA)  in Game 1, the Badgers (12-13-2, 7-12-2 WCHA) are hoping for redemption in Game 2 at the Kohl Center.  

For the first time in Thad Matta’s career, the Buckeyes left Madison with a spring in their step.

Now in his eighth year as head coach of No. 3 Ohio State (20-3, 8-2 Big Ten), Matta’s team finally exorcised the demons of the Kohl Center Saturday, defeating No. 20 Wisconsin (18-6, 7-4 Big Ten) by a score of 58-52.

It’s also the first time the Buckeyes have won at the Kohl Center at all since January 2000.

“I’m going to state the obvious: It’s a great win because I think when you look at Wisconsin basketball, it has withstood the test of time,” Matta said. “How many times we and a lot of other teams have come in here and gone home without a win, it definitely is a good win for our program.”

The loss dropped Wisconsin to a tie for third place in the Big Ten and reaffirmed Ohio State’s position as the conference leader — which otherwise could have been drawn into a tie for first place had it lost.

Star forward Jared Sullinger led the way for the Buckeyes, hitting 8 of 16 shots for 24 points while grabbing 10 rebounds — five offensive.

He was backed up by Deshaun Thomas and William Buford, who scored 16 and 11 points with each earning six rebounds apiece.

Buford, a 43.3 percent field goal shooter heading into Saturday’s contest, had a bit of an off day, hitting only 4 of 15 shots. Nevertheless, it was he who Matta turned to late in the game with the lead hanging in the balance.

In less than two minutes' time, Wisconsin whittled down Ohio State’s seven-point lead to just one with 3:46 remaining, thanks to a three-point play from Jordan Taylor, two baskets from Ryan Evans and a 3-pointer from Mike Bruesewitz.

Bruesewitz’s three brought the Kohl Center audience of 17,230 into a frenzy, but the Buckeyes then immediately called a timeout. In the huddle, OSU drew up a play to get the ball in Buford’s hands behind the perimeter.

Ohio State was 0-for-6 from three-point land at the time, but no matter: Two possessions later, Buford hit the three with 2:47 left, and Wisconsin never came within four points again.

It lived on as Ohio State’s only 3-pointer of the day.

“It was designed and we felt like, with Jared [Sullinger] coming under, [UW guard Josh] Gasser was going to stay home and help and Will came up and … it was a big time shot,” Matta said. “I’ve got great faith in Will.”

Evans led the Badgers with 14 points and 7 of 14 shots in the process, while Bruesewitz chipped in with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Taylor added another 12, while Jared Berggren scored 10.

Despite OSU’s lack of 3-point power, the Buckeyes converted 43.1 percent of their field goals Saturday, along with 13 of 16 free throws falling inside the rim. That made it pretty difficult for the Badgers, who shot 40 percent on the day, from catching up.

Wisconsin hit just five of 27 3-pointers and earned a mere three attempts at the line. Ohio State cleaned up rebounds as well, topping Wisconsin 32-28.

UW last had the lead with just more than four minutes gone at the start of the game, but 10 points off turnovers in the first half, compared to OSU’s zero, helped the Badgers keep the deficit consistently between one and four points.

But at that time it was Sullinger who the Buckeyes were riding on. He had 16 points at halftime — on 6-for-8 shooting — and had no fouls to his name. Only two other Buckeyes had scored baskets.

Sullinger was at it from the first possession for OSU, scoring the team’s first nine points.

“At the start of the game, didn’t do a good job of limited his touches; let him get a couple easy ones early and it set the tone from there,” said UW forward Jared Berggren, who spent the majority of the afternoon guarding Sullinger. “A great player like him, once he gets a little bit of confidence, he’s hard to stop.

“A lot of it came early on, I let him get going and I got to take a little blame, myself.”

Wisconsin eventually lost that points-off-turnovers advantage in the second half with OSU outscoring UW 9-5 in that regard. With threes not falling and players failing to get to the line, Wisconsin’s scoring outlets shrank and Ohio State was able to maintain a lead that fluctuated between four and seven points for the majority of the second half.

When Wisconsin did get to within one point, it earned a possession one more time before Buford’s three. But despite the chance to take the lead, Taylor turned the ball over.

And in the wake of what followed, the Badgers could hardly muster any more offense after Buford's three. The final two and a half minutes saw UW miss two 3-pointers and commit two more turnovers.

“I think I had my turnover and then Buford’s three was a pretty key sequence in the game going forward,” Taylor said. “It was kind of a big momentum swing, but we just didn’t execute.”

With Ohio State coming to town, Wisconsin knew its biggest priority would be shutting down All-American forward Jared Sullinger.

But that didn’t happen, as the No. 20 Badgers (18-6, 7-4) frequently allowed Sullinger to get the ball in comfortable position in the paint during Saturday afternoon’s 58-52 loss to the No. 3 Buckeyes (20-3, 8-2) at the Kohl Center. Sullinger finished with 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting and also pulled down 10 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season.

Forward Jared Berggren, listed at 6-foot-10, 235 pounds, guarded the 6-foot-9, 280-pound Sullinger for much of the first half, in which Sullinger scored 16 of Ohio State’s 28 points. In the second half, the combination of forward Mike Bruesewitz and guard/forward Ryan Evans was used more frequently in an attempt to limit Sullinger from getting the ball in the paint.

“Well, I just wanted people who wanted to move their feet and not allow a pass to enter the post,” head coach Bo Ryan said of using Bruesewitz and Evans on Sullinger. “That was an easy decision. How many post touches did he have after that?”

Trailing 28-24 at halftime, Wisconsin’s biggest deficit came at the 12:23 mark in the second half following a pair of Sullinger free throws. Berggren played the first seven minutes of the second half, went to the bench for two minutes and then returned at the 10:16 mark. He subbed out at the 7:39 mark and did not return for the remainder of the game, finishing with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, three rebounds and two blocks.

“At the start of the game, I didn’t do a good job of limiting [Sullinger’s] touches,” Berggren said. “I let him get a couple easy ones early and that set the tone from there. A great player like him, once he gets a little bit of confidence, he’s hard to stop. A lot of it came early on, I let him get going and I’ve got to take a little blame for myself for that one.”

Only two other players scored in double-digits for the Buckeyes — forward Deshaun Thomas with 16 points and guard William Buford scored 11 — as the majority of the OSU offense ran through Sullinger. Although the switch to Evans and Bruesewitz was noticeable, Ryan denied any intentional shift in Wisconsin’s game plan.

“I’m not going to sell out any particular players or anything, but if anybody thinks that’s what we said we’re going to do coming into that game, then you weren’t at practices watching what was going on,” Ryan said.

“We did not play him differently by assignment, by scouting report or anything else. It’s about execution. Some of those teams that doubled him paid — big time. It’s tough to say that we changed what we were doing. The instructions were the same.”

Badgers stubbornly inefficient from outside

Wisconsin was also consistent with its game plan on the offensive end Saturday afternoon.

Despite shooting 2-for-14 from 3-point range in the first half, the Badgers attempted 13 more in the second and made just three. Ultimately, UW finished 5-for-27 (18.5 percent) from behind the arc, stunningly poor for a team that entered the weekend third in the Big Ten in three-point shooting at 36.6 percent.

Although they didn’t fall often, Ryan said he liked the looks Wisconsin got from outside.

“I thought they shut off stuff going to the rim, and so then you’ve got to go to what’s next, and that’s either kick across or kick out,” he said. “I liked the looks.”

Just as the Badgers’ overall offense was balanced — four players scored in double figures — so was their tendency to shoot away from deep. Bruesewitz, who finished third with 11 points, was 1-for-6 from outside. Berggren was 2-for-6 from outside, and point guard Jordan Taylor was 1-for-4. Evans led UW in scoring with 14 points and was 0-2 from outside.

“Everybody was getting open looks, we’ve got to knock them down,” Bruesewitz said. “We did a good job moving the ball, Jordan did a great job putting us in position. They were trying to take away him off of ball screens, he did a good job of getting rid of the ball when he needed to.”

On Wisconsin’s first possession alone, the Badgers attempted two three-pointers as Berggren missed from deep and Evans corralled the offensive rebound. Taylor nailed a trey to give the Badgers a 3-2 lead, and then Berggren sunk another on their next possession. That three-pointer came at the 17:53 mark, and it was the last UW made in the first half.

In the second, the Badgers missed their first three three-point attempts before Berggren made one with 15:35 left. That made the score 32-31 in favor of Ohio State, and it was the closest Wisconsin would come to the lead until 3:46, when a three by Bruesewitz narrowed the Buckeyes’ lead to 51-50.

The bucket appeared to give Wisconsin legitimate momentum heading into the game’s final minutes as the Kohl Center was once again electrified, but the Badgers didn’t score until Taylor converted a layup with 43 seconds remaining.

“I don’t know if it was an inability, I think we just — especially early in the first half — we missed Berggren and Ryan and myself, other guys in the post a little bit,” Bruesewitz said. “I think we needed to look inside a little bit, especially since our threes weren’t falling for us.”

Welcome to the Herald Sports Live Blog! I’m Kelly Erickson, Sports Content Editor, joined by Brett Sommers, Statistics Editor, and Ian McCue, Associate Sports Editor. Ian is with us tonight, trying to flex his hockey muscles. We’ll be here all night, bringing you all the action from the Kohl Center as Wisconsin tries to move up in the WCHA.

Wisconsin (12-12-2, 7-11-2 WCHA) hosts St. Cloud State (10-14-4, 7-10-3 WCHA) who sits only one point ahead of the Badgers in the conference standings. Last time these two faced off, SCSU won the first game 7-2 and skated to a 3-3 the following night, in St. Cloud, Minn. On top of trying to move up in the standings, the Badgers will also be looking for some redemption.

One point head coach Mike Eaves has been stressing all week is the need to take more shots on net, rather than trying to pass the puck off to someone else. The shot chart is certainly something to keep an eye on this weekend.

Keep it here all night long as the Badgers take on the Huskies.

Consider it a symptom of Impending Graduationitis or whatever you want, but a stark reality faces University of Wisconsin seniors this weekend.

With the men’s hockey team stuck in ninth place in the WCHA, the responsibility for those truly spectacular, intoxicating moments that power the Kohl Center falls to the hardwood. Men’s basketball, as you many know, hosts the Buckeyes from The Ohio State University, and that’s a team that isn’t really liked around here — or anywhere else outside of Columbus, Ohio, for that matter.

The last time the Buckeyes invaded the Kohl Center was Feb. 12, four months after John Clay and the Wisconsin Football Badgers ran Ohio State out of Camp Randall Stadium in a 31-18 victory. OSU was the country’s No. 1 team entering that weekend, and they were a perfect 6-0 before thousands of Badger faithful Jumped Around on them.

More relevant, of course, is what transpired in the Kohl Center that February afternoon. Ohio State, again, was the nation’s top team. Again, they were also undefeated. This time, it was much farther into the season, and the Buckeyes had collected 24 straight wins.

You remember what happened over the course of that game. A tight first half ended with a 2-point Ohio State lead. Then, Jordan Taylor and 21 second-half points happened. Then, despite trailing by as many as 15 points, despite battling a Buckeye squad shooting above 50 percent from the field, the Badgers won.

Then, the floodgates opened for the student section, and Taylor, Jon Leuer and a whole bunch of Badgers were hoisted up off the ground and into Wisconsin lore.

“It’s something that you’ll probably just remember forever,” Taylor said Thursday afternoon.

He added to that by detailing the pleasantry of defeating the No. 1 team on your home court — and then stated that it has “zero impact” on this weekend’s game.

Of course, the Buckeyes got a second chance with the Badgers last season on their home court. They made the most of it in a 93-65 trouncing of Wisconsin, a picking apart proverbial bone by proverbial bone. Jon Diebler rained fire from the skies, sinking seven of his eight 3-point attempts, while Ohio State collectively shot 68 percent from the floor and 93 percent from behind the arc.

Taylor, as he’d be the first to recall, scored just eight points on 2-for-9 shooting in a full 40 minutes of playing time.

That’s a very large reason why last year is meaningless now, but it’s not the largest.

Simply put, a Wisconsin victory this weekend could propel the Badgers into first place in the Big Ten, just three weeks after a three-game losing streak brought doom and gloom clouds so thick that you’d think Bo Ryan’s pixie dust — the stock reserved for pulling his team into the NCAA tournament year in and year out — had been spoiled.

But for sentiment’s sake, let’s expound on the rivalry talk. No matter how much Minnesota is perceived to be on the “upswing,” how long will it take until we see anything close to what Wisconsin-Ohio State has brought us? Minnesota hasn’t touched Paul Bunyan’s Axe since 2003, and in the past two years they’ve been outscored by a combined 47 points.

Where else should we look? Iowa, a football rivalry at most, now lies opposite Wisconsin in the Big Ten’s Legends Division. So does Michigan, the second-most obnoxious team in the Big Ten, as well as newcomer Nebraska. In the Badgers’ Leaders Division, Penn State remains an awfully enormous question mark, while Purdue, Illinois and Indiana really pose zero semblance of anything close to a legitimate rival.

That leaves Ohio State and Michigan State, and boy, those Spartans come pretty close. After all, they supplied the first Hail Mary Heartbreaker Wisconsin fans suffered this season, back in Spartan Stadium Oct. 22. The Badgers ultimately reaped sweet revenge in the Big Ten Championship Game in an absolute thriller that once again denied those bitter Spartans a BCS bowl berth, and you can bet this upcoming season’s matchup (an eerily timed Oct. 27) will be certified must-watch material.

But who really makes your blood boil? Yes, Michigan State games seem to be developing a penchant for delivering truly remarkable drama and all-time classic moments, but who do you like beating the most? The Spartans have that indisputably vile bluster, but make no mistake — they’re second-fiddle rivals to the Buckeyes.

Whether you’re a senior scratching off your last days in Madison on your bedroom wall or an underclassmen who’s still been unbelievably spoiled (in a truly fantastic way) by Wisconsin athletics these past two or three seasons, savor this Ohio State game this weekend.

The players won’t say as much, but knowing what happened last year and even more so what can happen this year with sustained success, they sure will be as well.

Mike is a senior majoring in journalism. Are you planning on packing the Kohl Center this weekend? Let him know on Twitter @mikefiammetta.

The Wisconsin women’s basketball team was desperately attempting to reach .500 in Big Ten play for the first time after opening 1-5, and thanks to outstanding play from a trio of Wisconsin guards, the Badgers nearly pulled off their fourth straight conference victory.

But, due in part to a late flurry of cold-handed shots, UW fell to the Iowa Hawkeyes 85-79 in overtime.

Wisconsin guards Jade Davis and Taylor Wurtz lit up the Hawkeyes from everywhere on the court in the first half, shooting a combined 11-of-13 (.846) and scoring 16 and 13 points, respectively. The 16 first-half points for Davis were already a career-high, yet despite the torrid shooting display, the Badgers clung to just a 44-38 lead at the break.

“[In the] first half, Wisconsin just shot the lights out,” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said. “They did a great job, but I don’t think our defense was maybe where it needed to be, but again they put the ball in the hole.”

The second half scoring was nearly a mirror image for the Badgers in terms of leading scorers, with the exception of sophomore guard Morgan Paige picking up where Jade Davis left off. Paige scored 12 points to complement Wurtz’s 14 points in the second half and overtime.

The 27 total points from Wurtz was a career-high, but unfortunately for the Badgers, even career-high scoring nights from two Badgers and an impressive 17 points from Paige weren’t enough for Wisconsin to pull out the victory.

The high-scoring totals in the second half of Wurtz and Paige weren’t indicative of the shooting percentages the Badgers had in the second half. After shooting 58.1 percent as a team in the first half, Wisconsin could barely find the rim in the second, converting just 27.2 percent of its shots.

The poor shooting was exactly what Iowa needed to overcome its early deficit, led by a trio of its own that forced the majority of the game into a back-and-forth affair.

Freshman Iowa guard Samantha Logic, a McDonald’s All-American from Racine J.I. Case High School who turned down the recruiting efforts of Wisconsin, couldn’t have asked for a better homecoming. Logic recorded career-highs in points with 20, rebounds with 13 and assists with eight.

Not to be outdone, the bigger unstoppable force that Wisconsin couldn’t seem to slow down was 6-foot-5 junior center Morgan Johnson. Johnson scored 27 points and reeled in 11 rebounds, dominating the paint against an under-manned Wisconsin squad.

“We tried to front [Johnson] a little bit, and that was working for a little while, but then we had to make an adjustment and kind of stand behind her,” UW head coach Bobbie Kelsey said. “Either way you aren’t at an advantage because … when she is around the ball, she picks it up and scores. It wasn’t all turnarounds. … She doesn’t charge; she doesn’t travel. She takes her time, and she finishes.”

Johnson’s success was aided by the fact that Wisconsin played without its best post player in senior Anya Covington, and though Kelsey downplayed the importance of her absence, there still seemed to be a void in the Wisconsin defense.

“Anya [Covington] being out really didn’t hurt us,” UW head coach Bobbie Kelsey said. “We just didn’t take advantage of what we had. We didn’t capitalize.”

Senior guard Camille Wahlin also chipped in 14 points and four assists for the Hawkeyes to round out Iowa’s own three double-digit scorers.

For Johnson and Logic, it was a stark turnaround from when Iowa beat the Badgers at home less than two weeks ago. Johnson compiled just six points and nine rebounds, and Logic scored only five points and tallied four assists.

In a game filled with impressive performances by numerous players on each squad, the game essentially came down to who was more consistent, and for the Badgers the only consistency in the second half was the constant contact of the ball on rim, severely curtailing the early high shooting percentages.

“I think as this season goes on we’re learning a lot more about ourselves and our team as a whole,” Davis said. “This is a learning process for all of us. I think we’re definitely doing a very good job, and we’re sticking together. That is the most important part.”

This weekend, a burgeoning Big Ten rivalry takes a backseat to more pressing matters.

With only one game in the loss column separating the two, No. 19 Wisconsin (18-5, 7-3) hosts No. 3 Ohio State (19-3, 7-2) Saturday afternoon at the Kohl Center with plenty more at stake than mere bragging rights. Depending on what happens elsewhere in the conference this weekend, an Ohio State loss could give the Big Ten four teams with three losses apiece.

As usual, Wisconsin and Ohio State met twice last year, splitting each contest. The first came in Madison, when the Buckeyes were undefeated and the nation’s No. 1 team. A two-point Ohio State-lead at halftime ended in a 71-67 upset for Wisconsin, ranked No. 13 at the time, and sent much of the Kohl Center crowd charging to the court.

Though the Buckeyes ultimately returned the favor in the last game of the regular season, a 93-65 thrashing in Columbus, Ohio, Wisconsin’s victory — handing Ohio State the first of only two losses on the season — and the subsequent court-storming became an indelible image of the 2010-11 season.

“As far as what that has to do with this year, it’s zero impact on the game this year,” point guard Jordan Taylor said. “We’re a completely different team, they’re a completely different team. I think both our teams have different strengths than we did last year.”

This year, both squads enter their matchup riding uplifting win streaks. Winners of six straight, the Badgers have reversed their positioning in the Big Ten following a troubling three-game losing streak in early January.

Wisconsin traveled to Penn State Tuesday night and overcame a 23-17 first-half deficit by shooting 10-for-22 from the field in the second half of a 52-46 win. Point guard Jordan Taylor led the Badgers as usual, scoring 18 points and dishing out five assists, though his 4-for-12 shooting continued his downward trend from last season.

“Every game means pretty much the same at this point; it’s a Big Ten game,” guard Josh Gasser said. “We’re just really happy with the position we’re in right now. Looking back at a few weeks ago, knowing that we’re in this position is a good feeling. We control our own destiny, so we’ve just got to take it game by game.”

Ohio State, meanwhile, enters Saturday on a four-game winning streak after dispatching Michigan 64-49 last Sunday in Columbus. Sophomore guard Lenzelle Smith, Jr., continued his breakout season, leading all scorers with 17 points and also grabbing 12 rebounds. Three other Buckeye starters — forwards Jared Sullinger and Deshaun Thomas and guard William Buford — also scored in double figures to round out what is again one of the Big Ten’s most talented starting fives.

Though both teams have proven capable of explosive shooting streaks — particularly the Badgers, who rank third in the Big Ten at 36.6 percent from 3-point range — Saturday’s game could boil down to a defensive battle. Wisconsin and Ohio State are the Big Ten’s top two defenses, allowing just 49.5 and 55.6 points per game, respectively. The Badgers are also tops in opposing field goal percentage at 36.2 percent, while the Buckeyes are third at 39.1.

“It’ll be a grind-out game, definitely,” forward Mike Bruesewitz said. “I think it’ll just be the team that takes advantage of their opportunities, knocks down shots when they’re there. It’ll be another game of loose balls; it might be the team with the bloodiest jersey at the end who’s going to come out on top.”

Sullinger, a consensus preseason All-American this year who was widely projected to be a lottery pick in April’s NBA Draft had he entered, remains Ohio State’s biggest name, but the most riveting battle could come between the two point guards. Taylor, though his scoring numbers are down from last year, still leads Wisconsin with 14.1 points and 4.3 assists per game. He’ll be matched up against Buckeye point guard Aaron Craft, a sophomore who averages 8.1 points and 5.0 assists per game.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Craft might lack the strength of the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Taylor, but his quick hands have produced 2.4 steals per game, tops in the Big Ten.

“He’s tenacious, man. He doesn’t quit,” Taylor said of Craft. “He seems like he never gets tired. You would think a guy who plays 35 minutes a game would get tired or maybe relax, but he’s just relentless. Obviously, he kind of spearheads their defensive effort.”

Whether the game is indeed a defensive slug-out or a surprising shootout — Wisconsin’s scored as many as 77 points in Big Ten play while Ohio State’s eclipsed that total five separate times — last year’s developments don't mean anything to a pair of teams eyeing a much bigger prize.

With only a month left in Big Ten play and the conference standings as tight as possible, each loss greatly curtails any possible margin for error.

“It’s a brand new 40 minutes,” Taylor said. “We’ve just got to try to find a way to neutralize a really good team again.”

Ohio State - Wisconsin tips off Saturday at 1:00 pm CT on ESPN and ESPN3.

A lights-out shooting effort in the first half carried the Wisconsin women’s basketball team for much of the night, but overtime proved too much for the Badgers.

After making more than half their attempts from the field in the first half Thursday night, Wisconsin (8-14, 4-6) faltered in the extra period and fell to the Iowa Hawkeyes (13-10, 5-5) 85-79 at the Kohl Center.

With UW’s second-leading scorer, forward Anya Covington, on the sidelines due to an illness, guard Taylor Wurtz led Wisconsin with a career-high 27 points. Guard Jade Davis also topped her career best with 16. For Iowa, center Morgan Johnson carried the Hawkeyes with 27 points, and guard Samantha Logic scored 20.

“[Johnson] does a great job of catching and finishing at the basket,” Wisconsin head coach Bobbie Kelsey said. “When she’s around the ball, she picks it up and scores.”

The Badgers, who entered Thursday night averaging the second-fewest points in the Big Ten (59.1 per game), sprinted into halftime with a 44-38 lead thanks to 18-for-31 shooting (58.1 percent). That included 8-for-11 (72.7 percent) shooting from behind the arc, thanks in large part to Davis’ 4-of-5 3-point shooting. Davis was 6-for-7 in the first half but finished 6-for-10, as all of her points came in the first half.

“We played much better defense in the second half,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “Obviously defended the three better, kept track of Jade Davis much better. She had an outstanding first half, and we just really tried hard to keep track of her in the second half and not let her get those open looks.”

“In the first half, I was looking for my shot a lot more,” Davis added. “In the second half, I kind of strayed away from it. … I just have to keep attacking them back, which I stopped.”

Wisconsin’s largest lead came at the 17:41 mark in the second half, when guard Morgan Paige sunk two free throws to put the Badgers ahead 50-40. Paige finished with 17 points on 5-of-12 shooting.

Over the next three minutes, both teams traded baskets. More free throws from Paige put Wisconsin up 56-48 with 14:32 remaining, but over the next 6:47, Iowa put together a 12-0 run that seemed to deflate the Badgers. Two free throws by forward/center Cassie Rochel (eight points, seven rebounds and four blocks) put Wisconsin back on the board and made the score 60-58 in favor of Iowa with 8:45 to go.

“We didn’t score for [nearly] eight minutes,” Kelsey said. “You can’t be out there not scoring for eight minutes. That’s unheard of if you’re going to try to win a game.”

The remainder of regulation stayed relatively close, with the lead swinging no larger than five points on either side. After a 3-pointer by Paige at the 5:26 mark, the Badgers drew within two points at 68-66. Three minutes later, Iowa’s Kamille Wahlin put the Hawkeyes up 73-68 with two free throws. Wahlin finished with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists.

On Wisconsin’s next possession, Wurtz was fouled as she drove for a layup. UW’s leading scorer hit both free throws to bring the Badgers within three with 2:05 to go. After Iowa got four shot attempts on their next trip down the court — three from behind the arc — Wurtz tied the game on a trey of her own off a nice drive-and-kick from Paige with 1:10 remaining.

The Badgers gained possession of the ball and called timeout with 28 seconds remaining on the clock, setting up their final play of regulation. Paige drove to her left but was unable to get a layup attempt off before the shot clock expired. On the other end, Iowa failed to connect with seven seconds on the clock.

“It was unfortunate that Morgan couldn’t make that shot; she usually does,” Kelsey said. “She was trying really hard to make that shot, but it didn’t come down to that shot.”

In overtime, the Badgers fell cold, hitting just 3-of-10 shots. Iowa, meanwhile, was 4-for-7 and reached the free throw line six times, converting four. The teams traded possessions to open the extra period, with a Rochel jumper tying the game at 77-77 with 2:48 left. Wurtz had a solid attempt at a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left but air-balled it.

In the scrum for the rebound, Iowa guard Jaime Printy appeared to get tangled up and fell to the floor clutching her left knee. She stayed down for several minutes before being helped off the court, unable to put pressure on her left leg.

Wisconsin was unable to muster any more offense until guard AnnMarie Brown sunk a layup at the buzzer with the game already out of hand.

“We needed one more person scoring a little bit more with Anya being out,” Kelsey said. “We’re not a one-person band here. Obviously we missed her, but we had enough to win the game, and we didn’t pull it out.”

The Wisconsin women’s hockey team will try to extend its winning streak to five games this weekend against Minnesota State.

Minnesota State has had a tough season thus far. The Mavericks are just 3-19 in WCHA play and own a 7-21 overall record. They face the difficult task of playing on the road against a Badger team that has only lost two games this season.

UW has been very productive offensively throughout the season, but it struggled last week against Bemidji State’s stout defense. Players had ample opportunities to score but struggled against Bemidji’s talented goaltender. The team still found a way to win both games, but it hopes to have more success against Minnesota State.

“You’re always making adjustments, you’re always fine tuning things,” head coach Mark Johnson said. “Last week, when we played against a team that defends well and has a good goaltender, it’s going to be a challenge to score. Hopefully we can take some lessons we learned last week and translate them to this week.”

The Badgers also went through their weekly preparation of analyzing film of their next opponent. They don’t key in on specific players in their preparation but rather examine their opponent’s strategy in certain situations, like power plays.

The Badgers never overlook an opponent, especially in a tough WCHA conference, but they should not have to make many adjustments this weekend. They dominated Minnesota State when the teams faced off earlier this season in Mankato, when the Badgers outscored the Mavericks 9-1 in the early December series.

Minnesota State’s Kari Lundberg is the leading goal scorer for her team this season with just eight goals. The Mavericks will need plenty of offensive production from her and her teammates against the Badgers. It’s difficult for any team to score on UW goaltender Alex Rigsby, the nation’s leading goaltender with a .949 save percentage, and the task is even more daunting for the Mavericks struggling offense.

Minnesota State will also have to keep a close eye on the Badgers’ forwards. Brianna Decker, Brooke Ammerman and Hilary Knight have all recorded more than 20 goals this season. Carolyne Prevost would probably be the fourth member of that group had she not suffered a knee injury earlier in the season. Decker has played an especially major role in the Badgers’ offense, leading the nation with 28 goals this year.

Minnesota State goalies Ali Altmann and Danielle Butters have been splitting time in goal this season. Altmann has played about three times more than Butters, but the Mavericks will need one of them to slow down the Badgers’ high-scoring offense.

Only three series remain for the Badgers before the playoffs begin in late February, and coaches always want their team to be in top form entering the postseason. Johnson and his players have been stressing this mindset during the final stretch of the season.

“Like coach always says, the second half of the season is more important,” Decker said. “Everybody is fighting for a spot, so we just have to play our best hockey and not worry about who we’re playing.”

Given the team’s winning pedigree, most expect the team to be playing until mid-March and make another appearance in the Frozen Four. Keeping players healthy and well-rested is a top priority for a team that will most likely make a run deep into the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean Johnson will approach games like this weekend any differently.

“We’ll play to win the games here; everybody’s playing for something right now,” Johnson said. “Everybody’s trying to jockey for position. So whether it’s this weekend or next weekend, every game’s got a meaning to it, so you can’t get ahead of yourself.”

This weekend, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team will host a rematch series with St. Cloud State, a team that delivered the Badgers’ worst loss of the season — a 7-2 decision in November.

But the Badgers rallied in game two to tie 3-3.

According to freshman goaltender Joel Rumpel, the Badgers picked up an extra dose of confidence despite the ups and downs of that series.

“I think we need to review what we did good [in game two], what we did bad. It was a close one in overtime there, but I think this weekend we can face them a little stronger [than last time],” Rumpel said. “[The first series] definitely gives us a little more confidence going into the weekend. You kind of know how they are going to play, what they are going to bring at you. There isn’t too many new surprises coming your way, so confidence is the biggest thing; it helps.”

The series marks the first of two consecutive home sets for the Badgers as they try to position themselves among the top six teams in the WCHA in order to earn home ice advantage in the first round of the conference playoffs. They currently sit at ninth place.

After having won five of six games leading into the Jan. 27 matchup at North Dakota, the Badgers were swept by UND.

“The lesson that was made available to us last week was the fact that we didn’t do a very good job in the offensive zone in terms of getting offensive rebounds and spending time in their zone,” head coach Mike Eaves said. “We didn’t create enough offense. That has been a point of emphasis this week, so hopefully we learned our lesson and we’re a better team in that area because that in and of itself will help us win. It’s not a big picture thing; it’s taking care of the details within the game, and we’ll continue to do that.”

Now UW will look to return to the comfier confines of home where it sports an 11-4-1 record, as opposed to a dismal 1-8-1 road record.

“This year, we have fared a little stronger when we’re at home opposed to on the road, so it will be nice to get these four games all at the Kohl Center in front of our fans and hopefully get a little momentum, get on a run and hopefully take it with us on the road,” Rumpel said.

One area the Badgers will look to improve upon since the last meeting and on the season in general will be its special teams play on the power play and penalty kill. On the season, the Badgers are converting just 21.1 percent of their power play opportunities and killing opponents’ chances at a 75.5 percent clip.

In the last series against St. Cloud State, Wisconsin’s numbers were even worse, converting just 2-of-11 (.182) power play chances.

“Special teams, both PP and PK, we are going to have to do a better job on both of those,” UW points leader Mark Zengerle said. “Especially the PK, we have to shut that down. We are trying to get more offense sustained; more than just goals, but sustaining offense, getting more shots, more opportunities — which will lead to more goals.”

One bright spot for the Badgers in their trip to St. Cloud was the play of freshman forward Matt Paape who had arguably his best series of the season, scoring three points on the weekend, including a goal in each game.

Strong play from role players like Paape in Friday and Saturday’s games would go a long way in helping the Badgers ascend the conference ladder.

“You have to feel good about that, knowing that you played well against these guys, but as a team we didn’t get too many points when we went up there. We have to take advantage of home ice here, playing in our own barn,” Paape said. “Right now we’re at a situation in the season where every point matters, so we just have to take one night at a time and do what we can.”

With just eight games remaining in the regular season and the last four on the road, the two games against St. Cloud State are critical for the Badgers’ stretch run to postseason, and the sense of urgency is definitely not lost on anyone.

“We are going into this series as two must-wins,” Zengerle said. “We want to get four points, and our goal is to get home ice [in the first round of the WCHA playoffs]. It’s kind of a long shot right now, but it’s still a shot. If there is any opportunity to get that, we have to get four this weekend.”

As Wisconsin and Iowa prepare to take to the Kohl Center hardwood Thursday night, they find themselves in surprisingly similar spots.

With identical 4-5 conference records — placing them in a tie for seventh — it’s a critical opportunity not only to clamber up the Big Ten ranks but also to continue riding their respective hot streaks before heading into the approaching conference tournament. Winners of three in a row — their longest such streak of the season — the Badgers have a chance at redemption after falling to the Hawkeyes two weeks ago.

Although Wisconsin is playing its best ball of the year, Iowa is surely not searching for confidence after handing conference-leader and 15th-ranked Purdue its first loss in Big Ten play.

While talk of the conference standings dominates conversation among fans, head coach Bobbie Kelsey is focusing on her own team’s improvement rather than constantly checking on the bigger picture.

“I looked at the [Big Ten] standings probably for the first time last night,” Kelsey said. “I just want to win the game in front of us … You want some people to help you, but you’ve got to handle your own business. You can’t be worried about what other folks are doing.”

The primary concern facing UW will be limiting the open shots for the Hawkeyes’ hot-handed guards. Powering the offense is junior guard Jaime Printy, who averages a team-high 17.3 points per contest and 35.8 percent from the field.

Complementing Printy and helping the Hawkeyes put up an average of 70 points per game is senior guard Kamille Wahlin, who also averages double figures and sinks 42 percent of her shots from the floor.

“Iowa’s a really good three-point shooting team,” sophomore guard Morgan Paige said. “Obviously Jaime Printy does the majority of their scoring, and Wahlin, those two on the perimeter. Then you have Morgan Johnson on the inside, so we really got to be able to play one-on-one containment and really guard the three-line, because they shoot it pretty well.”

As Paige pointed out, the Hawkeyes’ offensive production doesn’t end with their guards. At 6-foot-5, Johnson, a center who is second on the team with 14.1 points per game, will be one of the biggest post challenges of the year for Badger forwards Anya Covington, Ashley Thomas and Cassie Rochel to defend.

Currently leading the Big Ten with a 54.6 shooting percentage, Johnson will keep UW from focusing all its defensive attention solely on the perimeter.

To contain an Iowa team that isn’t afraid to fire the ball off from deep and quickly bury opponents when it finds a rhythm, Kelsey believes strong one-on-one defense is key to a home victory.

“Last time [against Iowa] we didn’t do a very good job of one-on-one defense,” Kelsey said. “You can’t help a lot off of this team because they have great three-point shooters. We didn’t do a very good job of keeping ourselves in front of the ball.”

After putting together a string of victories that included an upset Monday night over Michigan, the Badgers believe they are earning greater respect around the league.

Scoring 73 points per game (up from 59.1 on the year) over the recent streak and burying 42.5 percent of their shots from beyond the arc (up from 34.2), UW is proving it can win when its new, fast-paced offense operates as planned.

“We’re not somebody to be just looked over like ‘Oh, that’s Wisconsin, that’s an easy game that we can win,’” Paige said. “Teams are starting to say ‘Hey, we really need to look out for this team … they’re going to catch you on your toes and they’re going to make you work for that win.’ I think we’re really starting to adjust and I see it more not as excitement but now our expectations are being raised.”

Although Kelsey & Co. aren’t surrendering their never-satisfied attitude, players and coaches alike are pleased with the notable progress Wisconsin has displayed in its most recent games. Stopping a veteran Iowa squad, even in an increasingly loud home environment, will be no simple task, but there’s a renewed sense of confidence around the program.

If the Badgers, who will also host student night during Thursday’s game, want to continue their late climb up the Big Ten standings, a home matchup with Iowa presents the perfect opportunity to do so before entering a brutal stretch that includes three top 25 opponents on the road over UW’s next four games.

“It’s just encouraging, going into the Big Ten tournament we know that we have that potential to play with everyone, and I [believe] that’s what these last few wins have given us the confidence of,” Thomas said.

For many sports fans in the Dairy State (happy cows come from Wisconsin, not California), this Super Bowl presents a vexing situation. Grumblings and moans have been echoing into space from the state, “This is the worst Super Bowl matchup ever.”

Granted, there are some fair points to those grumblings. Two East Coast franchises that have been contenders for a long period of time are both in the Super Bowl. For diehard fans of the green and gold, it’s almost impossible to root for the Giants: a team that ended one of the most successful regular seasons in franchise history.

On the other hand, it’s not exactly a dream to root for a man who wears hoodies with the sleeves cut off, and a quarterback who has dominated the NFL while getting more borderline roughing-the-passer calls (and the tuck rule) than anyone in history. While the good of the NFL lost in the divisional round for Packer fans, a big decision remains for Sunday: Do we root for the bad or the ugly?

Even though Titletown’s finest did not reach the pinnacle of football prowess this season, the Super Bowl offers one of the better title game storylines since, well, the last time the Giants and the Patriots met. David Tyree doesn’t belong on New York’s roster this time around, but it’s hard to believe that Bill Belichick and Tom Brady won’t be out for revenge this year. There’s no reason they shouldn’t be, the Giants and Eli Manning have had the Patriots’ number lately. After defeating New England in Foxborough during the regular season, 24-20, New York has all the confidence in the world they can once again repeat their Super results.

Trying to predict any Super Bowl in the past has proved challenging, but there are a few keys the average sports fan should keep his eye on when two of the NFL’s best collide on the greatest day on the entire sports calendar.

Manning vs. Brady

There’s really no arguing that Tom Brady is a Hall of Fame quarterback. This Sunday’s game will match the fifth time the signal-caller has reached the Super Bowl, tying him for the most appearances in NFL history along with John Elway. Brady is coming off another terrific season, posting 39 touchdowns and a quarterback rating over 100. Brady makes the big plays at big moments, and reaching another Super Bowl is just a testament to that fact.

Eli Manning, on the other hand, is starting to cement a legacy of his own. Often regarded as an afterthought for sharing the same last name as his brother Peyton, the younger Manning has a chance to surpass his older brother in Super Bowl titles. While Eli has been closely scrutinized this season after referring to himself as an “elite” quarterback on a radio show this past August, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to argue against that title. Manning put up his best season as a pro this year while posting eight touchdowns to only one interception in three playoff games.

In both of the Giants’ Super Bowl appearances with Manning at the helm, the team has taken the road less travelled to the promised land of the Lombardi Trophy. In 2008, when the Patriots and Giants met in Super Bowl XLII, Manning guided the Giants through three straight road playoff games on their way to beating the Patriots. This time around, Manning guided them through two postseason road games, including an upset at Lambeau Field and a dramatic overtime victory over San Francisco at Candlestick.

Manning has been clutch time and time again in the duration of his playoff career and with the added hunger of proving himself as one of the NFL’s best players under center, it may be a dangerous choice to bet against an Eli-led Giants squad playing its best football when it matters most.

Normally, this would be a push for advantage, but since it’s the Super Bowl we’ll go to a tiebreaker. More tolerable: Brady’s different hair styles or Manning’s face?

Advantage and Tiebreaker: Manning and the Giants

Giants’ D-line versus Patriots’ O-line

While a quarterback is the most important position in the sport of football, a quarterback is only as successful as his offensive line. Brady has usually been lucky in his lengthy career as the Patriots’ starter, surrounded constantly by Pro-Bowl linemen who give him a mini-vacation in the pocket on every passing down. This year both of the Patriots’ guards, Logan Mankins and Brian Waters, were named to the Pro-Bowl, helping to strengthen a line that boasts the likes of veteran tackle Matt Light.

The only way to beat Brady and the Patriots’ offensive juggernaut is to pressure him in the pocket. Luckily, the Giants have all the right tools to do just that come Sunday. Anchored by Pro-Bowl defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora, the Giants have perhaps one of the most talented combinations of pass rushers in recent memories. Throughout the playoffs the group has terrorized offenses, combing for 33 tackles (seven tackles for loss), 10 quarterback hits and five sacks. This group knocked out two of the NFL’s better passers as well this postseason, eliminating Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers.

If Rob Gronkowski is unable to play, look for Brady to face harassment off the edge all game, as the Patriots’ tight end is not only a terrific weapon in the passing game as a receiver but extremely invaluable for the chip blocks he gives when lined up against a premier rusher. With a high ankle sprain, the record-setting tight end will most likely be a step slow even if he plays. This may erase his value as a pass blocker, forcing New England to either keep a running back present constantly in the backfield or Aaron Hernandez off the edge to give help if the Giants’ pass rush gains early success. With three Pro-Bowl caliber defensive linemen seeing snaps, I’m giving my edge to the G-Men.

Advantage: Giants

Two key position battles that may define the Super Bowl. Enjoy your wings, beer, brats, pizza, sandwiches and other miscellaneous deep-fried foods this Sunday. Perhaps the most important part of Super Bowl Sunday doesn’t actually deal with football, but the hangover (induced by food, football or something else) that follows.

Maybe there’s another key matchup out there: Students vs. Monday morning class.

Nick is a senior majoring in history and English. Think you know something about the game Nick doesn’t? Probably, he’s not that smart. But let him know at nkorger@badgerherald.com anyway.

Amid offseason turmoil on its coaching staff, the Wisconsin football team was nevertheless able to glue together its new recruiting class.

As National Signing Day came and went, the Badgers amassed 19 letters of intent, seven of which came from preferred walk-ons.

Head coach Bret Bielema knew it would be a smaller class and called it a blessing in disguise given the state of his staff after the Rose Bowl.

“There really wasn’t a lot of huge numbers — if we were dealing with a class of 22, 23, it would have been a real challenge,” Bielema said. “ … I can’t say enough about my staff and the way they pulled the belt a little bit tighter and strapped it on and went after things. I do think if it would have been another 10 players that we had to keep track of, it wouldn’t have been good.”

On an unusually warm February afternoon, Bielema was more than happy to completely unveil his 12 new scholarship players.

Vince Biegel — Linebacker

Biegel is a 6-foot-3, 225-pound four-star recruit from Wisconsin Rapids. In his senior season at Lincoln High School, Biegel made 172 tackles, 21 sacks, three interceptions, five forced fumbles with three fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns. Biegel finished his high school career tallying 425 tackles, 27 sacks, 10 interceptions, 10 forced fumbles with five fumble recoveries and four touchdowns.

Hugs Etienne — Cornerback

The 5-foot-11, 170-pound three-star recruit from Plantation, Fla., is one of three UW recruits to join the Badgers for spring camp. Etienne finished his high school career with 88 tackles, six interceptions and seven forced fumbles.

Etienne credited his decision to leave high school early to brotherly guidance.

“I talked to my older brother — he’s my mentor — and he told me coming up early would take a lot of pressure off of my back coming in, in the fall when you’ve got school and football on your mind,” Etienne said. “So coming up early, you get some of that stress off and you get going.”

Arthur Goldberg — Defensive Tackle

Goldberg is another three-star recruit, hailing from Mount Lebanon, Pa. The 6-foot-3, 270-pound tackle finished his high school career with 162 tackles, seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss. In his senior season, he was named First Team All-State and All-Conference, recording 63 tackles, three sacks and seven tackles for loss on the season.

Bart Houston — Quarterback

As one of the most highly touted quarterbacks in the country, Houston was a three-year starter in high school, losing only one game during that stretch. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Dublin, Calif., native went 272-437 in his career for a 62.2 completion percentage. He threw for 5,178 yards and 46 touchdowns.

Vonte Jackson — Running Back

The 6-foot, 190-pound running back out of Kenosha is a four-star recruit and considered the No. 2 player in the state by ESPN. Jackson missed almost all of his senior season after he tore his ACL in the first game of the season, but Jackson, along with Etienne, will join the Badgers’ camp this spring.

Before being sidelined, Jackson rushed for 956 yards and 13 touchdowns his junior year, catching 14 passes for 266 yards and four touchdowns along the way.

While Jackson joins a talented running back corps, running backs coach Thomas Hammock did assure him he’ll have the chance to compete for any spot in the depth chart.

“He’s real big on competition,” Jackson said of Hammock. “He doesn’t want me to be behind Montee Ball, he wants me to be better than Montee Ball … He told me before ‘I want you to tell James White that you’re coming for his spot.’”

Reggie Love — Wide Receiver

Hailing from Boynton Beach, Fla., the 6-foot-3, 200-pound receiver is a three-star recruit. As a senior, he was named All-State, All-County and team MVP, recording 38 receptions for 876 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season.

Jake Meador — Offensive Line

The highly sought-after recruit is a three-star offensive lineman from Greenwood, Ind. The 6-foot-6, 320-pound tackle was named Mr. Football for linemen in Indiana his senior year while also earning First Team All-State, All-Conference and All-County accolades. Meador originally committed to Ole Miss but settled on Wisconsin after a few months of communication with Bielema and new offensive line coach Mike Markuson, who worked at Ole Miss last season.

Reggie Mitchell — Cornerback

The two-star recruit from Pittsburgh, Pa., was also a quarterback in high school. The 6-foot, 178-pound Mitchell was named First Team All-State defensive back as a senior but also threw for over 800 yards and ran for 1,420 yards and 22 touchdowns in that season.

Leo Musso — Running Back (listed as “ATH” online)

The 5-foot-8, 189-pound Waunakee native was a three-time state champion who rushed for 5,531 yards and 87 touchdowns in his career. As a senior and junior, he was a unanimous First Team All-Conference choice and was named First Team All-State. He also won the Elroy ‘Crazylegs’ Hirsch Running Back of the Year Award after rushing for 2,398 yards and 39 yards his senior year.

D.J. Singleton — Safety

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound four-star recruit is considered one of the top-20 safeties in the country. The Union, N.J., native posted 53 tackles, four sacks, three forced fumbles and 12 tackles for loss during his senior season. He also earned All-State, All-Metro and All-County accolades after his performance his senior year.

Dan Voltz — Offensive Line

Voltz is a four-star recruit out of Barrington, Ill. The 6-foot-4, 295-pound guard is the third and final new recruit to join the Badgers’ spring camp. As a senior, he was earned All-State accolades.

Voltz spoke about trying to keep UW’s recruiting class together despite the six coaching departures the football team experienced.

“When I committed, I committed to the university, not necessarily the coaching staff,” Voltz said. “I told a lot of guys why I committed, and I think that had a lot of influence on a lot of guys. Obviously everyone makes their own decisions; we lost some guys, but we have a great recruiting class still.”

Walker Williams — Offensive Line

Williams found his own way to Wisconsin. After seeing the Badgers play in the Rose Bowl last year, he sought out Wisconsin’s program. The 6-foot-7, 320-pound Tacoma, Wash., native is a three-star recruit. The guard was a three-time All-State offensive lineman in high school and earned All-League honors on both the offensive and defensive line as a senior and junior.

With these 12 recruits and the highly heralded preferred walk-ons, Bielema and Co. worked hard to find those players that fit Wisconsin’s family-oriented program.

“He didn’t even talk about football that much when I first met him,” Voltz said of his recruitment process with Markuson. “He told me that he’s here for me, he’s here for the players … He’s really all about family.”

What is going on in college basketball, specifically the Big Ten right now? Be it football or basketball, the Big Ten is rarely considered the best these days. Yet suddenly, everybody is talking about how the Big Ten is the best basketball conference in the country and could have as many as nine teams playing in the tournament come March.

The hype the Big Ten has been receiving lately seems strange — almost oxymoronic. For years the Big Ten has been made fun of for its lack of scoring and “boring” defensive contests. Take, for instance, the two Tuesday night matchups earlier this week of Illinois versus Michigan State and Wisconsin versus Penn State.

Illinois served No. 9 Michigan State a 42-41 loss on the road in Champaign, Ill. and No. 19 Wisconsin overcame an ice cold shooting hand in a 17-point first half to earn its sixth straight conference victory at State College, beating the Nittany Lions 52-46.

Arguably, in any other season, analysts would have been droning on and on about how terrible Big Ten basketball is. So what is the difference in 2011-12 that has the Leaders and Legends flying so high in the eyes of so many college basketball experts?

First and foremost, it seems the defensive prowess of the Big Ten is finally getting some of the respect it deserves. The Big Ten boasts four teams in the NCAA top 50 in points allowed per game, two in the top 10.

Wisconsin, boasting the top-ranked defense in all of college basketball, is the only team to allow fewer than 50 points per game (49.6 ppg). The Badgers also lead the country in field goal percentage defense at 36.3 percent. Ohio State is ranked seventh at 55.6 ppg, Michigan State sits at No. 32 with 60.2 and Michigan falls in at No. 44 at 61.1.

People can complain about lack of offense all they want, but Big Ten players don’t lack the offensive talent that conferences like the Big 12 and ACC are known for. The work Big Ten players put in on the defensive end of the floor simply surpasses that of any other league, forcing offensive players to play against the best defenses in the nation.

Perhaps the increased amount of respect also has to do with the fact Big Ten teams aren’t just holding other Big Ten teams to impressively low scoring lines. There is a notable list of offensive juggernauts that have had their offenses suffocated by Big Ten defenses.

To name a few, No. 7 Duke, ranked 11th in scoring at 80.3 ppg, managed just 63 in a loss to Ohio State. Wisconsin severely frustrated the offenses of No. 11 UNLV, which is ranked ninth at 80.6 ppg, and No. 5 North Carolina, which is the top ranked offense in the country at 84.9 ppg, allowimg just 62 and 60 points, respectively, in both games.

Although the timeless adage of “defense wins championships” lives on, Big Ten defense has long outshone other conferences, so it seems fair to assume that the caliber of defense isn’t the only reason the conference is garnering increased national attention.

In Joe Lunardi’s most recent ESPN.com bracketology update, eight Big Ten teams would be included in the Big Dance in March, including (in order of projected seeding): Ohio State (1), Michigan State (3), Michigan (4), Wisconsin (5), Indiana (5), Purdue (9), Illinois (10) and Minnesota (11).

It’s not just the defense — the Big Ten is winning! And winning against quality competition.

All eight teams have six or fewer overall losses, which is incredible due to the average strength of schedule for the eight schools: 27.75 (Sum of each team’s strength of schedule divided by eight projected bids). If Northwestern can pull any sort of late season turnaround and get into the tournament, the Big Ten’s resume would look even more impressive, as the Wildcats are ranked No. 8 in strength of schedule but have thus far failed to capture enough important victories.

Eight projected bids was only second to the perennial frontrunner Big East’s nine, but a quality 16-team league is bound to receive more bids.

Comparing the combined overall records by conference also reveals the top-to-bottom strength of the Big Ten. Out of the six major basketball conferences, the Big Ten is nearly running away from the pack. The Big Ten boasts a .679 overall win percentage; the only conference comparatively close is the Big 12 at .674. The winning percentages of the four other leagues, the ACC (.629), Big East (.653), Pac-12 (.565) and SEC (.660), prove that top to bottom, no conference can match the depth of talent in the Big Ten.

The improvement by the Big Ten compared to rival conferences is unprecedented. Since 2000, there have only been three seasons where seven Big Ten teams were called on Selection Sunday, the current Big Ten record for NCAA tournament bids in one season. If current projections follow through, a minimum of eight selections, the Big Ten has a great opportunity to set a new record.

When Selection Sunday does finally arrive, don’t write off the Big Ten teams as you fill out your brackets. In 2012, the conference’s high intensity defenses and sometimes slow and methodical offenses know how to win and are capable of beating the best. March Madness is what Leaders and Legends are made of.

Brett is a senior majoring in journalism. Do you think the Big Ten will pull off a record number of bids in the tournament, or will the Big Ten falter? Let Brett know at bsommers@badgerherald.com or tweet him at @BAsportswriter.

When it needed it most, the Wisconsin women’s hockey team found success from one of its rising stars.

Sophomore forward Brittany Ammerman assisted on two crucial goals for the Badgers (24-2-2) this past weekend against Bemidji State, giving the team two more victories and a series sweep.

While usually not a top scorer for UW, Ammerman, with just four goals this season, has made a big impact by creating opportunities for teammates to knock the puck in.

“I had the mentality of just working hard and doing the little things for the team and hoping good would come out of it,” Ammerman said. “To get those assists, Friday night especially, built confidence in Saturday’s game.”

Saturday night, Ammerman found senior forward and linemate Hilary Knight charging towards the goal. After breaking away from the defender, she slid the puck to Knight who then buried it in the back of the net, giving the Badgers their 1-0 victory.

“There is a lot that comes into play when you are scoring a goal; her pass last Saturday night was amazing. It was a nice backhander,” Knight said. “You couldn’t really ask for more.”

Although her goal count is low, Ammerman is just one assist away from matching the 12 she racked up last year, an impressive feat considering the post-season is still a month away.

With many players on the team taking on the scoring role, the Badgers need players like Ammerman to consistently make the plays with scoring possibilities.

Not having scored as many goals can make a player lose confidence, but Ammerman has embraced her ability to contribute to her team in other, but equally important, ways.

“I don’t think I am in a scoring slump at all. Some people might say I am, but every year your role changes as a player, and each team needs people to do different things, not just score,” Ammerman said.

Also contributing to her success is the training she has done in the past year at U.S. national team camps, working on her game and conditioning over the summer. With a national championship already attained, her goal remains the same: to continue bringing the Badgers success.

Ammerman, along with Knight and sophomore forward Madison Packer, are stepping up big as Wisconsin’s second line. Packer scored Friday night’s overtime goal off a pass across the front of the net by Ammerman, a pass strong enough that Bemidji goaltender Zuzana Tomcikova could not adjust to in time.

The key goal scoring plays, along with other opportunities by the line in both games, add depth to Wisconsin, a team that has already found success in its first line. This has head coach Mark Johnson hopeful as he looks ahead to the rest of the season.

“Anytime you get secondary scoring and production from people other than the top line, it makes us that much better and even stronger,” Johnson said. “Hopefully that will continue to happen, but the big thing is to continue to create these opportunities because usually something is going to happen.”

With injured players for UW returning to the ice, Ammerman, Knight and Packer have been able to focus on improving as a line for the past few weeks. At practices, they continue to communicate on how to connect better, which is successfully transferring to games.

“[Knight] was in a little bit of a cold streak in terms of goals, but I think just being able to work through that and in practice talking to each other about what we need to do to made it better,” Ammerman said. “Being able to move the puck was really the difference in this last stretch.”

With just three regular season series left, Wisconsin needs Ammerman to build off what she has accomplished this past weekend if she wants to keep the dream of another national championship alive.

Johnson said he sees the potential of Ammerman as a key member of his dominating team and believes her recent success will propel her moving forward.

“It is a learning opportunity,” Johnson said. “That is what we have practices for, and she will continue to work, and the momentum she has built the last few games is something to build on.”