Category: Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin football offers three-star class of 2026 safety

Wisconsin football offers three-star class of 2026 safety

Wisconsin football extended an offer to class of 2026 safety Koby Sarkodie on Thursday. 

On3 lists Sarkodie as a three-star recruit. His teammate at Milford Mill Academy Damon Ferguson also received an offer from the Badgers today.

The Gwynn Oak, Maryland native already holds offers from six other schools including Charlotte, Indiana, Minnesota, Penn State, Syracuse and Virginia Tech.

On3’s industry ranking has Sarkodie as the No. 48 safety in the class of 2026, No. 8 recruit from Maryland and No. 550 overall player. He currently stands at 6’2,’’ 190 pounds and has two years of high school remaining before he can jump to the collegiate level. 

His first gridiron offers arrived on December 13, 2023. Syracuse, Charlotte, Virginia Tech, Minnesota and Penn State were the first to extend offers until Indiana and Wisconsin followed in 2024. 

247Sports is yet to log a crystal ball prediction for where Sarkodie will land. The outlet notes that he has yet to schedule any unofficial or official visits. 

Currently, UW’s safety room features nine athletes and is led by veterans Hunter Wohler and Kamo’i Latu.

Wisconsin has offered several 2026 recruits in the past few days, including Damon Ferguson, Evan Jacobson and Brayden Trimble, 

Wisconsin softball makes history in Big Ten Tournament

Wisconsin softball makes history in Big Ten Tournament

The Wisconsin women’s softball team became the first No. 11 seed to reach the Big Ten Semifinal Game after a win against Rutgers on Thursday.

UW’s 7-3 victory over the No. 3-seed Scarlet Knights clinched the program’s first birth to the semis since 2019.

Pitcher Tessa Magnanimo threw a complete game and freshman catcher Hillary Bloomberg powered in a 5-RBI performance to fuel the Badgers on the offensive end of the diamond.

Bloomberg first struck in the top of the first after Danielle Lucey stole second. Bloomberg’s single brought Lucey home, and UW established an early 1-0 edge.

Magnanimo did not allow a Rutgers run until the bottom of the fourth, that before the Badgers capitalized on a few Scarlet Knight errors to take a 5-1 lead in the fifth.

Wisconsin would only allow two more Rutgers runs in the contest and finished the game with a 7-3 triumph.

UW will now face No. 2 Michigan in the Big Ten Conference Tournament Semifinal. The game will be aired on the Big Ten Network Friday night at 6:30 p.m. central

Wisconsin women’s hockey retains a pair of key contributors

Wisconsin women’s hockey retains a pair of key contributors

Wisconsin’s women’s hockey program announced the return of Casey O’Brien and Katie Kotlowski next season via social media on Wednesday.

Last season, O’Brien centered the Badgers’ front line as a First-Team All-American. The Milton, Massachusetts native was also a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, signifying the best female college ice hockey player in the nation.

O’Brien appeared in all 41 games for the Badgers during her senior season, registered a career-high 73 points on 23 goals, and became the first Badger in program history to notch 50 assists in a season.

The forward has played in 142 career games for Wisconsin and has been a part of two championship teams in 2021 and 2023. 

Kotlowski, meanwhile, has been a multi-year contributor on defense for Wisconsin. The La Crosse product is another two-time national champion with the program.

This will be Kotlowski’s sixth year in Madison. Over her celebrated tenure, she has nine goals and 21 assists for 30 points in 138 career games.

The news arrives fewer than seven days following the departure of former Wisconsin women’s hockey forward Maddi Wheeler to Ohio State via the transfer portal.

For head coach Mark Johnson and company, maintaining this pair is a huge boost for a program that has punched a ticket to the championship game in four of the last five seasons.

Wisconsin basketball final Greenbrier tip-off opponent announced

Wisconsin basketball final Greenbrier tip-off opponent announced

LSU basketball program will join Wisconsin as the fourth program in the 2024-25 Greenbrier Tip-Off event, according to a recent press release.

The inaugural edition of the tournament is slated for November 22-24, 2024 and will take place at the resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

The Badgers and LSU Tigers are two of four programs named as participants, alongside Pittsburgh and UCF.

The tournament website notes that the four teams will take part in a two-game bracketed tournament. Travel packages will be available for fans starting on May 21.

The Greenbrier has yet to announce official matchups, game start times and television viewing capabilities.

Since the tournament was announced in early March, Wisconsin’s men’s basketball program has experienced a shift in personnel.

The Badgers have made three transfer splashes thus far: guard John Tonje, point guard Camren Hunter and power forward Xavier Amos. Greg Gard and his staff remain active in the portal as the program looks to improve entering 2024-25 and beyond.

His work has mainly been to mitigate the losses of departed players AJ Storr (portal), Chucky Hepburn (portal), Tyler Wahl (graduation) and Connor Essegian (portal).

In a college basketball world where most Thanksgiving tip-off tournaments take place in remote islands, Las Vegas or Florida, West Virginia will certainly be a change of pace for the Badgers.

Former Wisconsin women’s basketball forward transfers to Nevada

Former Wisconsin women’s basketball forward transfers to Nevada

Former Wisconsin forward Imbie Jones announced her commitment to the University of Nevada’s basketball program on Wednesday via social media. 

After one season in Madison representing the Badgers, Jones elected to enter the transfer portal on April 18 for a change of scenery. The Seattle, Washington native appeared in 15 contests during her tenure at UW.

Jones made her collegiate debut on Nov. 7, 2023 against Milwaukee and logged her first basket in January against Iowa. She reached the hardwood for 38 total minutes in 2023-24 and played a season-high seven minutes in Wisconsin’s WNIT match against Illinois State in March. 

ESPN ranked Jones as a three-star recruit and No. 147 player in the nation coming out of Garfield High School. During her senior year, she earned First Team All-Metro League nods and was a Metro League champion.

She also punctuated her high school tenure year by leading Garfield to a perfect 20-0 overall mark in 2022 and the Washington State championship. 

She is the fourth Badger to find a new home in the transfer portal this offseason. Former UW guard Sania Copeland recently joined Kansas’ women’s basketball program, center Tessa Towers  announced her commitment to Ball State and Sacia Vadnerpool signed with North Dakota State.

Wisconsin basketball in heavy pursuit of former four-star recruit

Wisconsin basketball in heavy pursuit of former four-star recruit

Wisconsin basketball is in heavy pursuit of former UMass guard Matt Cross, according to Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68.

Wisconsin is among the programs Cross is hearing the most from at this stage of recruitment along with Iowa, TCU and USC. Cross recently elected to enter the transfer portal on the April 16.

Related: Tracking Wisconsin basketball’s reported transfer portal visits and targets

The Beverly, Massachusetts native played his freshman campaign at the University of Miami where he shot 40% from downtown in 14 appearances for the Hurricanes. 

After transferring to Louisville for his sophomore season, Cross then landed at UMass for his junior year — where he has been a staple for the past two years. The nation’s former No. 86 recruit in ESPN 100 earned Atlantic 10 First-Team and NABC All-District Selections for a stellar senior performance. 

His 15.3-point, 8.3-rebound marks this past season vaulted him into the No. 36 small forward spot on 247sports transfer rankings. 

Outside UMass, Cross originally received offers from UConn, South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Miami and Tulane following his final year at Brewster Academy. He left high school as 247Sports’ No. 5 prospect in Massachusetts. 

With the departures of AJ Storr, Chucky Hepburn, Tyler Wahl and Conor Essegian, Wisconsin is certainly in need of a replacement at power forward. Cross’s length and veteran savvy could bridge that gap.

Cross is yet to make any transfer decision.

[lawrence-related id=74195,74165,74765,74798,73207]

Ohio State women’s ice hockey to play for national title

Three years in a row! #GoBucks

The Ohio State women’s ice hockey team will be playing for a national title for the third consecutive time courtesy of a 4-1 win over Clarkson on Friday night.

Clarkson actually got on the board first early in the first period with at the 17:35 mark, making it a needed comeback story for the Scarlet and Gray. Things stayed close, with OSU equalizing at later in the period to make it 1-1 on a Makenna Webster goal.

Things would stay that way through the second period and on into the last stanza, with the Buckeyes getting the all-important go-ahead goal from Sloane Matthews with just 6:48 to play. From there, it seemed like it was survive and advance.

However, Joy Dunne added a goal as a power play expired to give Ohio State a 3-1 lead with just 3:23 left after a barrage of attempts on the man advantage. Hadley Harmetz would add an empty-netter to completely seal the deal with 1:54 to play and OSU would be on its way.

It’ll be a familiar opponent for Ohio State. The Buckeyes lost to Wisconsin, 1-0, in the national championship game last season and will be looking to get back at the Badgers who will be opposite OSU on Sunday night for all the confetti.

Wisconsin is the No. 2 seed, with Ohio State holding the No. 1 seed. The two have played five times this season with the Buckeyes holding a 3-2 advantage, but having lost the last two games against Bucky.

Game on.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

Wisconsin looking to take next step in early Big Ten football power rankings reveal

In year two under Luke Fickell, the Wisconsin Badgers are looking to take a big jump in the new look Big Ten conference.

It’s never too early for a “way too early” Big Ten power ranking! Things will change. Players will hurt the portal, players will transfer in, injuries will happen but for the most part, we have a pretty good understanding of rosters after National Signing Day and so much transfer portal movement.

In each part of this series, we will unveil where each of the 18 teams in the new look conference begins. We started at No. 1 with the revamped Ohio State Buckeyes. Then, the Oregon Ducks come in at the second spot. Coming in at No. 3 were the defending National Champion Michigan Wolverines, who are in a bit of a transition period.

At No. 4, we unveiled the Penn State Nittany Lions, who are returning a lot of talent from their 2023 roster. Then we made way for the old reliable, the Iowa Hawkeyes. At No. 6, another new addition to the conference, the USC Trojans. Next up at No. 7, the Wisconsin Badgers. 

In the first year under new head coach Luke Fickell, you saw a lot of positive signs of growth. The offense under Phil Longo took on an identity shift. The Badgers had traditionally been a heavy power run scheme but the objective was to get more balanced, and the passing attack going. They brought in former Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke this offseason, with hopes of reviving his once promising career. He has their top pass catcher returner in Will Pauling returning, which will be big for the passing attack. 

The offensive line for Wisconsin should be one of the best returning units nationally. Jack Nelson and Riley Mahlman return at offensive tackle, which is one of the better duos anywhere. Add in Jake Renfro and Joe Huber together and you have a potentially excellent unit. 

On defense, Wisconsin should be a good overall unit, which is usually the case. Mike Tressel has a couple standouts on all three levels, including linebacker Jaheim Thomas that spent some time with Coach Fickell while he was still at Cincinnati.

Full Big Ten Rankings

  1. Ohio State Buckeyes
  2. Oregon Ducks
  3. Michigan Wolverines
  4. Penn State Nittany Lions
  5. Iowa Hawkeyes 
  6. USC Trojans
  7. Wisconsin Badgers
  8. TBD
  9. TBD
  10. TBD
  11. TBD
  12. TBD
  13. TBD
  14. TBD
  15. TBD
  16. TBD
  17. TBD
  18. TBD

Ohio State drops yet another game on the road, this time against Wisconsin

Hang another road L up.

At this point, you have to wonder if the Ohio State basketball team will ever win another game on the road. Of course, the Buckeyes will, but it’s not a stretch to think that it could bleed into the next season at this point after another road loss, this time to Wisconsin in Madison by a score of 62-54 in a game OSU never led.

If it weren’t for a poor, poor end to the first half, the Buckeyes could have very easily handed the Badgers their fifth-straight loss. As it was, the Badgers went on a massive 14-1 run to end the first 20 minutes to head into the locker room up 34-21.

And while OSU came out and cut the lead to five points deep into the second half, it was again too little, too late for yet another loss in a season that is quickly melting away after such a promising start. Ohio State shot just 41.1% from the field and shot just two free throws all game, making just one. The Buckeyes also got outrebounded 38-26.

Bruce Thornton led the Buckeyes with 18 points, but it came on 8-of-19 shots, a continued volume scoring effort without high-percentage chances, something this Ohio State team seems to continue to try and feast on.

With the loss, OSU drops to 14-11 overall and 4-10 in the conference. Chris Holtmann’s days are most likely numbered.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

 

 

How to watch Wisconsin wrestling at 2023 Midlands Championships

Want to watch #Badgers wrestling compete against the best in the country? The two-day 2023 Midlands Championships will be streamed live on B1G+.

Get ready for collegiate wrestling action on Friday, Dec. 29, and Saturday, Dec. 30 at the 2023 Midlands Championships, featuring the No. 30 Wisconsin Badgers.

The 59th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, set to take place at the NOW Arena in Hoffmann Estates, Ill, will include competitors from 13 ranked teams in the Intermat’s top 30 including No. 3 Missouri, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 9 Virginia Tech, No. 10 Michigan, No. 14 Rutgers, No. 16 Oregon State, No. 17 Pitt, No. 19 Arizona state, No. 20 Penn,  No. 23 West Virginia, No. 24 Illinois, No. 28 Lehigh and No. 30 Wisconsin.

If you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place. Big Ten Network veteran wrestling broadcasters Shane Sparks and Jim Gibbons will anchor the Midlands Championships coverage on B1G+.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Wisconsin at the 2023 Midlands Championships” link=”https://bit.ly/MidlandsSession3″]

Midlands Championships Schedule

Date Session Time (EST) How to watch
Fri, Dec. 29 Session 1 10:30 a.m. Watch Session 1
Fri, Dec. 29 Session 2 8 p.m. Watch Session 2
Sat, Dec. 30 Session 3 12 p.m. Watch Session 3
Sat, Dec. 30 Session 4 7:05 p.m. Watch Session 4

For the first two sessions on Dec. 29, B1G+ will feature 10 individual mat cameras along with whip-around coverage focused on the best action at a given moment.

On Dec. 30, B1G+ will once again be home to individual mat cameras for both the men’s and women’s divisions in sessions three and four, along with the whip-around feed.

Wisconsin is riding a three-match winning streak, and their only loss this season came against No. 5 Iowa State.

[afflinkbutton text=”Stream Wisconsin wrestling on B1G+” link=”https://bit.ly/MidlandsSession3″]

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