Tag: Aleem Ford

Former Badger Aleem Ford signs to a G-League roster

Former Badger Aleem Ford signs to a G-League roster

Former Badger Aleem began his professional basketball career in Puerto Rico earlier this year after he and several of his teammates saw their college careers end with Wisconsin’s loss to Baylor in the NCAA tournament.

He played in 32 total games for the Leones De Ponce after being selected No. 1 overall in the league’s draft, averaging 7.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.4 steals and 0.2 blocks.

Related: Where ESPN sees Wisconsin finishing in the 2021-22 Big Ten basketball standings

It did not take long for the Wisconsin product to be off to his next professional basketball venture, as it was announced earlier today he was signing with the G-League’s Lakeland Magic—an Orlando Magic affiliate.

Ford will team up with former Michigan Wolverines Jon Teske and Ignas Brazdeikis, former Tennessee Volunteer Admiral Schofield and more recently-graduated college stars.

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How to watch Wisconsin basketball vs. No. 5 Iowa

After winning their opening game of the Big Ten Tournament against the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Wisconsin Badgers will advance to da…

After winning their opening game of the Big Ten Tournament against the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Wisconsin Badgers will advance to day three of the tournament to face the No. 5 Iowa Hawkeyes for the third time this season.

Related: Iowa a slight favorite over Wisconsin basketball according to BetMGM

The Badgers were finally able to get it going from the 3-point line against the Nittany Lions converting over 52% of their shots from deep. Forward Aleem Ford led this outstanding shooting performance with 17 points, with 15 of them coming from the 3-point line. Ford finished the night shooting 5-6 from deep and 6-7 overall.

Despite the phenomenal play of Wisconsin throughout most of the game that allowed them to build an 18-point lead in the second half, the Badgers nearly blew yet another lead late in the game by letting Penn State close within one. Wisconsin will need to be better defensively against the talented offense of Iowa on Friday night.

The Badgers will be playing the Hawkeyes for not only a chance of redemption after their heartbreaking loss on Sunday but for a spot in the Big Ten Tournament Semi-Final against the winner of the Rutgers and Illinois matchup.

How to watch Wisconsin basketball against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Tournament on Friday night.

Matchup: Wisconsin Badgers vs. Iowa Hawkeyes

Where: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana

When: March 12, 2021 at 8 p.m. CST

Where to watch: Big Ten Network (BTN)

Announcers:

  • Play-by-Play: Kevin Kugler
  • Analyst: Stephen Bardo
  •  Sideline: Andy Katz

Where to stream: FOX Sports app or online at foxsportsgo.com

Where to listen: Badger Sports Network on the iHeartRadio app, or Satellite on SiriusXM

Announcers:

  • Play-by-Play: Matt Lepay
  • Analyst: Mike Lucas

Get ready for March Madness by registering in advance for USA TODAY Sports’ bracket sweepstakes. In the meantime, mobile users can play USA TODAY Sports’ Couchketball virtual hoops challenge – the interactive basketball game where your skills determine the outcome.

How to watch Wisconsin basketball vs. No. 5 Iowa

On Sunday morning, the No. 25 Wisconsin Badgers will face off against the No. 5 Iowa Hawkeyes on the road in Iowa City, Iowa for their re…

On Sunday morning, the No. 25 Wisconsin Badgers will face off against the No. 5 Iowa Hawkeyes on the road in Iowa City, Iowa for their regular-season finale. The Badgers will be trying to avoid a season sweep after falling to the Hawkeyes 77-62 at the Kohl Center last month.

Related: Wisconsin would need a lot to happen to fall from its current Big Ten Tournament seed

Related: Wisconsin basketball’s entire NCAA Tournament history

Although guard Brad Davison has been inconsistent throughout this season, his 15-points led the Badgers in a poor shooting performance against the  Purdue Boilermakers earlier this week. Wisconsin will need an efficient night from Davison, as well as their other 3-point threats in D’Mitrik Trice and Aleem Ford, to keep pace against the Hawkeyes’ high-powered offense that finished with an outstanding 63.2% from deep in the last matchup between them.

A win against the Hawkeyes will not only be crucial for the Badgers to avoid the season sweep but would prevent them from losing three-straight games for the first time this season. An upset against a Top-5 opponent would also be a huge momentum boost for Wisconsin heading into the Big Ten Tournament next week.

How to watch Wisconsin basketball against the No. 5 Iowa Hawkeyes on Sunday.

Matchup: Wisconsin Badgers at Iowa Hawkeyes

Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa

When: March 7, 2021 at 11:30 a.m. CST

Where to watch: FOX

Announcers:

  • Play-by-Play: Adam Amin
  • Analyst: Donny Marshall

Where to stream: FOX Sports app or online at foxsportsgo.com

Where to listen: Badger Sports Network on the iHeartRadio app, or Satellite on SiriusXM 195

Announcers:

  • Play-by-Play: Matt Lepay
  • Analyst: Mike Lucas

How to watch Wisconsin basketball vs. Maryland

After an underwhelming performance that ended in a loss against the No. 13 Ohio State Buckeyes, the No. 14 Wisconsin Badgers will look to…

After an underwhelming performance that ended in a loss against the No. 13 Ohio State Buckeyes, the No. 14 Wisconsin Badgers will look to recover in an away rematch against the Maryland Terrapins on Wednesday night.

Related: Wisconsin basketball drops out of top 10 in latest Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll

Related: Greg Gard on what Wisconsin basketball needs to clean up in a rematch with Maryland

In an otherwise poor overall game against the Buckeyes, Wisconsin forward Aleem Ford’s hot stretch from the 3-point line helped the Badgers to stay in the game. He finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, two steals, an assist and a block.

Ford’s consistent shooting will be needed against Maryland, who was able to score outscore the Badgers by 10 points in the second half of their previous matchup. The Terrapins went on to win the game 70-64. Although Maryland has not been at the top of the Big Ten this season, they have been a trap game for highly-ranked teams across the conference with wins against No. 19 Illinois, No. 21 Minnesota, and of course No. 14 Wisconsin.

Even though the Terrapins got the better of the Badgers in their first matchup early in the season, Wisconsin will be looking to respond in a big way after their loss to the Buckeyes. This game should be yet another great Big Ten matchup to watch this season.

Here is how to watch Wisconsin basketball against the Maryland Terrapins on Wednesday night.

How to watch:

Matchup: Wisconsin Badgers at Maryland Terrapins

Where: Xfinity Center in College Park, Md.

When: Jan. 27, 2021 at 8:00 p.m. CST

Where to watch: Big Ten Network (BTN)

  • Announcers:
    • Play-by-Play: Kevin Kugler
    • Analyst: Stephen Bardo

Where to stream: Fox Sports app or online at foxsportsgo.com

Where to listen: Badger Sports Network on the iHeartRadio app, or Satellite on SiriusXM 83

  • Announcers:
    • Play-by-Play: Matt Lepay
    • Analyst: Mike Lucas

Three things to watch for when Wisconsin basketball hosts Northwestern

What to watch for when Wisconsin hosts the Wildcats

Wisconsin basketball returns home to face Northwestern after an up and down week in the Big Ten conference.

The No. 10 Badgers (11-3, 5-2 Big Ten) come in as heavy favorites over the struggling Wildcats (6-6, 3-5) who have lost their last five games. Even in a game where Wisconsin is expected to take care of business, there are storylines to watch that matter for not only tonight, but also for the remainder of the year.

 

How to watch Wisconsin basketball vs. Northwestern

From a Wisconsin perspective, here are three aspects of tonight’s matchup to watch when the Badgers play host to the Wildcats at the Kohl Center:

Film Room: How Aleem Ford lifted Wisconsin basketball to a win at Rutgers

How Wisconsin’s senior lifted the Badgers over Rutgers

In preparing for this 2020-2021 Wisconsin basketball season, I wrote back in March that senior Aleem Ford could be this team’s x-factor. Through 14 games, that still looks to be the case.

His enigmatic ways can confuse us at times, but when Ford is on, he’s one of the best players in the Big Ten conference. The issue has been consistency, but the formula for success is simple: attack first, take advantage of smaller defenders on the interior, be a threat in transition, and take in rhythm threes with confidence.

You can check off all of those boxes against Rutgers as he lead Wisconsin with a team-high 14 points.

In looking back at the Michigan loss, hopefully for the last time, it would be unfair to single out Ford for his first half goose egg in the scoring column when nearly the entire roster struggled in Ann Arbor. Yet, that loss showed how badly Wisconsin needs some offensive production from the Georgia native. It also highlighted how he takes himself out of games at times. Both shot attempts from Ford came by way of contested threes in that first half.

Counter Ford’s 0 point first half in Ann Arbor with his team-leading 9 point first 20 minutes at Rutgers, and you have a key difference between a Wisconsin halftime lead and 17-point deficit.

The aspects of Ford’s game that stand out most, both literally and figuratively, are his physical gifts. At 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds, the senior has the athleticism to guard nearly any position or player on the floor, while being a matchup nightmare for opponents on the offensive end. That is, when he turns himself into that nightmare.

Let’s break down how Ford was able to make such a positive impact in Piscataway:

Wisconsin grinds out a 60-54 win at Rutgers

The Badgers come away with a close win

It wasn’t pretty, but Wisconsin basketball fans aren’t used to winning with style points. The No. 9 Wisconsin Badgers (11-3, 5-2 Big Ten), led by a late 8-0 D’Mitrik Trice run, finished off Rutgers (7-5, 3-5) late for a 60-54 win at the RAC.

Brad Davison got off to a hot start with 9 of the first 11 Wisconsin points after just a 2 point outing at Michigan. The senior wound up tied for a team-high with 14 points. He was tied with fellow senior Aleem Ford, who took control of the game in the middle of the first half. Despite going 0-3 from three in the first 20 minutes, Ford attacked the rim and wound up 4-5 from inside the arc en route to 9 first half points. The Georgia native also put some jelly on his toast with the drive of his Badger career:

With Trice picking up two fouls in the first half and being forced to sit through the final five-plus minutes, Rutgers and Jacob Young took advantage to cut the Badger lead to just 33-32 at halftime.

After nine of their first 13 shot second half shot attempts came from three, and they went just 1-9 on those shots, Wisconsin turned to Trice to bail them out in the final ten minutes. Bail them out he did. Playing every second half minute, Wisconsin’s leading scorer took over down the stretch with a pair of deep threes, a driving layup, and free throws to lift his Badgers to a 60-54 win. The senior point guard finished with 13 points, with 9 of his 13 coming in the final 20.

Wisconsin got back in the win column after the Michigan debacle, while Rutgers dropped their fourth straight.

 

 

How to watch Wisconsin basketball vs. Rutgers

On Friday night, the No. 9 Wisconsin Badgers will face off against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the last game of their short road trip… 

On Friday night, the No. 9 Wisconsin Badgers will face off against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the last game of their short road trip. A victory against the Scarlet Knights will be crucial for the Badgers to stay near the top of an extremely competitive Big Ten, especially after Wisconsin’s blowout loss to the No. 7 Michigan Wolverines earlier this week.

Related: Wisconsin basketball vs. Rutgers: Through the years image gallery

Wisconsin needs to see improvements from senior starters Nate Reuvers, Brad Davison and Aleem Ford, who combined for only 12 points and an abysmal 20 percent from the field against Michigan. Although they were not the only ones who had an off night, there need to be more than 12 points coming from three of Wisconsin’s starters.

In Big Ten play this season Rutgers has struggled, losing four of its last five games to Big Ten opponents. Despite losing to No. 5 Iowa, No. 21 Ohio State twice and Michigan State, the Scarlet Knights are still 7-4 overall with big wins against No. 14 Illinois, Purdue and Maryland. Wins do not come easy in the Big Ten this season, especially on the road, and the Badgers will need to play well as a team to come away with this crucial Big Ten victory.

How to watch Wisconsin basketball against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Friday night.

How to watch:

Matchup: Wisconsin Badgers at Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Where: Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.J.

When: Jan. 15, 2021 at 8:00 p.m. CST

Where to watch: FOX Sports 1 (FS1)

  • Announcers:
    • Play-by-Play: Brian Custer
    • Analyst: Jim Spanarkel

Where to stream: Fox Sports app or online at foxsportsgo.com

Where to listen: Badger Sports Network on the iHeartRadio app, or Satellite on SiriusXM 83

  • Announcers:
    • Play-by-Play: Matt Lepay
    • Analyst: Mike Lucas

 

WATCH: D’Mitrik Trice DRILLS 3-pointer in first half against No. 7 Michigan

In the first half of the Wisconsin Badgers’ highly anticipated matchup against the No. 7 Michigan Wolverines, D’Mitrik Trice started off…

In the first half of the Wisconsin Badgers’ highly anticipated matchup against the No. 7 Michigan Wolverines, D’Mitrik Trice started off the game with exceptional shooting to try to help the Badgers keep up against the Wolverines’ fast-paced offense. Despite his efforts, the Badgers are down 23-40 at the end of the first half.

Related: How Wisconsin basketball matches up with undefeated Michigan

Trice has become the leading scorer for the Wisconsin Badgers this season with his outstanding performances in conference play, and it has continued today in the first half against Michigan. In fact, the senior point guard made his first two shots of the game, including the 3-pointer in the video below. Trice has seven points at the half.

Michigan guard Franz Wagner has played extremely well for the Wolverines and has taken advantage of his matchup with Aleem Ford. He has 11 points, four rebounds and three steals in the first half. The Wolverines have pushed the tempo, which has served to their advantage in setting up easy transition baskets.

Wisconsin will need more from seniors Brad Davison and Aleem Ford to win this game against a very tough opponent, but the play of Trice early has been a bright spot for the Badgers going into the second half.