Tag: Big Ten

Ohio State basketball vs. Purdue: How and where to watch and listen to the game

Ohio State is all set to host Purdue in a key Big Ten matchup. We’ve got all your television, streaming, and radio information right here.

It’s time to embark on another war of attrition known as Big Ten basketball. There are no easy games, and it’s no different this time around for Ohio State with the Purdue Boilermakers coming to town.

The Buckeyes has won four of the last five, but that won’t mean much if they can’t hold serve at home, where every loss gets magnified in a conference so deep. Purdue is in a similar situation as the OSU; in the tournament field for now, but ever-so-close to sliding down to bubble territory with a loss or two that must be avoided at all costs.

The Boilermaker are at .500 in the league, while Ohio State is trying to get back to that mark to continue an upward climb.

We know you’re interested and want to watch the fireworks Saturday between these two, and in case you need the broadcast information, or how to find it on the radio, we have you covered on the next page.

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Watch: Notre Dame Ties/Loses to Minnesota and Jeff Jackson Postgame

We saw Notre Dame and Minnesota play a game Friday, but no right-thinking individual would stand for the result. Nonetheless, that’s what we have. Here’s what happened when the game was, you know, a game. Maybe Jeff Jackson can shed some light on …

We saw Notre Dame and Minnesota play a game Friday, but no right-thinking individual would stand for the result.  Nonetheless, that’s what we have. Here’s what happened when the game was, you know, a game.

Maybe Jeff Jackson can shed some light on this.

Notre Dame Hockey: Irish Tie, Compete in Stupid Shootout

Notre Dame tied Minnesota, 3-3, in South Bend on Friday night. Or did it? The record will show the Gophers (13-11-5, 8-6-5-4) earning an extra Big Ten point because they scored in their lone shootout attempt whereas the Irish (12-11-6, 7-7-5-3) did …

Notre Dame tied Minnesota, 3-3, in South Bend on Friday night. Or did it? The record will show the Gophers (13-11-5, 8-6-5-4) earning an extra Big Ten point because they scored in their lone shootout attempt whereas the Irish (12-11-6, 7-7-5-3) did not. The only logical conclusion to this is the way the conference does its league play is stupid beyond stupid.

You already have hockey traditionalists like my dad who detest the idea of a shootout in the sport at all. How can one explain to them that in the Big Ten, shootout wins mean extra points in the standings but not actual wins? Furthermore, why is it possible to have it end after one round instead of at least making it best-of-three like the rest of the hockey world?  I don’t get it.

I’d like to say I’m going to make a stink big enough to cause the Big Ten to rethink all this, but the conference has gotten away with way worse, so I doubt this will bat anyone’s eye.

Barry Alvarez had a lot to say about Mel Tucker, a Wisconsin Badger

Barry Alvarez and Mel Tucker

Mel Tucker has come home to the Big Ten Conference and to Michigan State. Yet, while it is worth noting that Tucker’s coaching career began in East Lansing under a guy named Nick Saban in 1997, it is also important to point out that before Tucker’s Big Ten story began as a coach with Michigan State, it began as a player at Wisconsin.

Barry Alvarez recruited Tucker as part of his first class in 1990. Tucker would have been on the active roster for the Badgers in their 1993 Rose Bowl-winning season — the season which transformed the program and is the most cherished season in UW football history for many Badger fans around the world — but he suffered a broken leg and wasn’t able to play in that 1993 campaign.

Nevertheless, Tucker was part of the foundation Alvarez built in Madison. Alvarez recalled the player he once knew and the coach Tucker has become in a wide-ranging interview with the Detroit News. Alvarez spoke in response to the news that Tucker would indeed be Michigan State’s new head coach:

“He was always a very serious guy, always a student of the game. He was a guy that was really into it, you know… Everyone I talk to, whether it’s Jim Tressel or Saban, they talk about how good a recruiter he is. He really gets along with players, a great rapport with players.”

On the primacy of recruiting for Tucker and other new head coaches, Alvarez said, “It really helps. It absolutely has gotta be a priority for them.”

Alvarez added this story about the 1991 Wisconsin-Minnesota game, won by the Badgers. Tucker made the game-deciding play:

“It was the last play of the game and they threw a pass to the tight end in the end zone; they were inside the 10. And Mel made a tremendous collision separating the tight end from the football.

“That was our first Big Ten road victory at Minnesota.

“He’s a great addition to our conference.”

Wisconsin fans hope that last statement is more true for Michigan State’s games against the Big Ten East and UW’s rivals than it is against the Badgers themselves. After all, Mel Tucker IS a Badger… even though he is now a Spartan as well.

Barry Alvarez, Mel Tucker, and Darrell Bevell walked into a bar…

More on Mel Tucker

No, Barry Alvarez, Mel Tucker, and Darrell Bevell didn’t ACTUALLY walk into a bar, but you know how jokes begin. The “three guys walk into a bar” construct is one of the more familiar and recognizable ways to start a joke.

What follows is not a joke, but it IS a fun story to tell, many years after it happened. It comes from this Detroit News story in which Barry Alvarez reflects on the Wisconsin playing career of Mel Tucker, who was part of his first recruiting class as head coach in Madison.

Let’s let Barry tell the story:

“We were practicing for a bowl game. It’s like a day, two days before the game, and we’re not in pads. So, we’re doing two-minute drills with no pads, and on a quarterback scramble, Mel lights him up.

“I wasn’t a very happy camper. Then I saw him years later and said, ‘Now that you’re on the other side of the ball, you’re watching and coaching, what do you think you’d do if somebody did that?'”

Detroit News writers Tony Paul and Justin Rogers then wrote:

“Alvarez said Tucker didn’t respond, other than to laugh.”

What about Darrell Bevell’s reaction, you might ask? What did the 1994 Rose Bowl champion quarterback and Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator (with the 2013 Seattle Seahawks) have to say?

Here’s Bevell:

“I was in a black jersey and we were doing a goal-line drill and we were both being competitive, (I) went for the touchdown and he hit me full speed,” Bevell said. “It was a rollout pass, I went running and there was nothing (open), so I went for the front pylon.

“He hit me right in the side of the head, I ended up facing the goal line the other way.”

Wisconsin fans don’t want Mel Tucker to beat the Badgers as Michigan State’s head coach, but they certainly want Tucker to make life more complicated for Ohio State, and also for Iowa and Minnesota in the years when the Spartans play divisional crossover games against the Hawkeyes and Golden Gophers.

Wisconsin fans can appreciate Mel Tucker’s competitive zeal. A story from Barry Alvarez reinforces that point.

Big Ten update: Maryland enters the Big Ten danger zone

More on Maryland

The Big Ten basketball season enters its final month this Saturday. February 15 puts the Big Ten season a month away from March 15, which happens to be Selection Sunday. If we haven’t arrived at the home stretch, I’d say we’re no more than 10 days away from it. Every game becomes magnified, every result becomes a big discussion point. How will it all unfold?

In the midst of this large-scale drama, the Big Ten’s biggest story over the next few weeks will focus on the race involving Maryland, Michigan State, and Penn State for the conference’s regular-season title. Maryland and Michigan State play twice in these upcoming weeks, something we noted in another recent article here at Badgers Wire. That is one story. A story connected to that reality is that Maryland is now entering the teeth of the Big Ten schedule.

Maryland was roughed up at Iowa and then beaten by the Wisconsin Badgers in the first half of January. The Terrapins have regrouped quite well, winning their next seven games. Yet, let’s not throw a parade for the Terps just yet. They played four home games in that seven-game stretch. One of their three road games was at Northwestern. Being brutally honest, Maryland should have won all five of those games, and it did. The two especially impressive wins for Maryland in its 7-0 run were at Indiana and Illinois. Yet, even then, the Hoosiers and Illini have fallen on very hard times of late. Maryland did a great job to win in the two Assembly Halls — one in Bloomington, one in Champaign — but it cannot be completely ignored that the Terps caught both opponents in the midst of bad downturns.

The next few weeks figure to be a lot more challenging for Mark Turgeon’s team.

Look at the next six games for Maryland: Four are on the road. None of those road trips are to Nebraska or Northwestern. Maryland gets two games at home, with Michigan State being one of the two. Only Northwestern at home in the next six games is a layup for Maryland. The other five games figure to be dogfights.

Here is the bind for the Terps: A 4-2 record in these next six games would be a very solid result for Turgeon. Yet, at the top of the Big Ten standings, losing twice would open the door for Penn State or Michigan State to move up the board, especially if Michigan State can at least split those two games with Maryland and handle its business in other games. Penn State already beat Maryland and, with two losses from the Terrapins, move closer to the No. 1 seed at the Big Ten Tournament.

If Maryland can go 5-1 in these next six games, it will probably win the Big Ten. If it goes 4-2, it’s anybody’s ballgame. In many ways, the Terps need to avoid going 3-3. If they can merely do that, they will exhibit staying power… and increase the odds they can do something in the NCAA Tournament.

Notre Dame Hockey: Irish Return From Bye vs. Gophers

After taking last weekend off, Notre Dame will return to action for two games Feb. 14 and Feb. 15 against Minnesota. The Irish (12-11-5, 7-7-4-3) have something of a tall order ahead as the Golden Gophers (13-11-4, 8-6-4-3) are winners of five of …

After taking last weekend off, Notre Dame will return to action for two games Feb. 14 and Feb. 15 against Minnesota. The Irish (12-11-5, 7-7-4-3) have something of a tall order ahead as the Golden Gophers (13-11-4, 8-6-4-3) are winners of five of their past six games. To be fair, the one loss during that span came last weekend against Michigan State. Meanwhile, the Irish come into the weekend on a three-game unbeaten streak with their previous two games being a win and shootout win against Penn State.

This weekend series comes during what could be a crucial weekend for the Big Ten. There aren’t many more chances to make up ground with only three regular-season weekends remaining. The Irish are three points off a three-way tie for second that consists of Michigan State, Ohio State and these Gophers. Those teams trail first-place Penn State by two points.

Notre Dame and Minnesota first met during the 1924-25 season, and the Irish trail the all-time series, 21-30-4.

Ohio State vs. Rutgers basketball: How and where to watch and listen to the game

Ohio State hosts Rutgers Wednesday night for a key Big Ten matchup, and we’ve got all of your television, radio, and streaming information.

The Ohio State basketball team continues its arduous and inconsistent journey this year as it welcomes a much-improved Rutgers squad to the Schott. At this point in the season, a team looking to position itself well for postseason play simply has to have a home game against an unranked team.

Rutgers will present a stiff challenge though. Despite only winning one game on the road this year, it has kept things close against the best in the league. Still, if there are designs of making the NCAA Tournament, this is one that has to be a win.

If you’re looking for where to find the game whether your firing up the television, streaming it to a device, or tuning in on the radio, we’ve got your information on the next page.

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Big Ten update: Michigan State, Maryland wins set up huge showdown

Michigan State and Maryland meet Saturday

It was a dramatic night in Big Ten basketball on Tuesday. While many Americans were focusing on numerical totals in New Hampshire, Maryland and Michigan State scored narrow wins on the hardwood. The Terrapins beat Nebraska by two, and Michigan State defeated Illinois by one on the road. These two results put Maryland at the top of the Big Ten, with Penn State in second and Michigan State close behind in third.

Guess which two teams meet this Saturday in East Lansing? Yup. The Terps and Spartans will duel for positioning in the top tier of the Big Ten with Penn State, as the race for the regular-season championship heads for the home stretch.

The Illinois run is over… not just because the Illini have lost consecutive home games, but because star Ayo Dosunmu got injured. He is certain to miss some time. How much is less certain. Nevertheless, that’s enough to write off Illinois for the Big Ten title. The Illini are still likely to make the NCAA Tournament, but the conference race is now very different.

What adds to the drama surrounding Michigan State and Maryland is that this upcoming Saturday’s game in East Lansing is merely the first of two between the schools in the next month. The reunion in College Park will be on Saturday, Feb. 29 (yes, this is a leap year!).

Penn State owns victories over both Maryland and Michigan State, so the Nittany Lions would probably prefer a split in these two upcoming games between the Terps and Spartans. Penn State is the foremost remaining example of a non-traditional Big Ten basketball school having a chance to win the regular season league title and shock the nation. Rutgers fell off the pace due to its inability to win road games in the conference. Yet, for all the talk (warranted, but possibly overplayed) about the Big Ten being turned upside-down this season, the final weeks of conference play will be largely defined by two schools with significant basketball histories and traditions: Maryland and Michigan State.

Tuesday’s results were merely a prelude for Saturday’s huge game and the other showdowns still to come in the conference’s regular-season schedule.

Michigan State Reportedly Hires Mel Tucker

Mel Tucker has been a head coach at any level for all of 17 games. Five of those came as interim head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2011 before spending last year at Colorado where he went 5-7.

The surprising news last week of Mark D’Antonio stepping down as Michigan State’s head coach led the Spartans on a wild goose chase to find their replacement.

A week later seemingly everyone Michigan State had approached responded with a “thanks, but no thanks”.

Former Spartans defensive coordinator under D’Antonio turned Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi wasn’t interested.

San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh declined.

Luke Fickell was the show pony but cited “family reasons” for staying at Cincinnati instead of return to the Big Ten East.

I get why it’s so tough to fill – just look at your immediate competition in the area: Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Penn State are all right there competing for the same talent while those three have a clear step ahead. Then factor in the timing of the opening being about as bad as possible and the hesitation to take the job is even more understandable.

Finally overnight Tuesday into Wednesday it appears they’ve found their replacement, one that has had some success as a coordinator but has had an extremely limited sample as head coach.

Mel Tucker has been a head coach at any level for all of 17 games. Five of those came as interim head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2011 before spending last year at Colorado where he went 5-7.

Maybe they’re famous last words but some people are head coaches while others are excellent coordinators. Not that anything is wrong with that, but I’m hard pressed to get too excited for Tucker leading the charge if I’m a Michigan State supporter.

Tucker’s greatest accomplishments as a coordinator come from 2002 when he helped guide Ohio State to an unlikely national title and 2015 when he helped Alabama win it all in the middle of their dynasty as an assistant head coach/defensive backs coach.

I’m not knocking what he did at Alabama but am I to supposed to think it was the defensive backs coach that was so responsible for that year of success?

Tucker had a stop at Georgia where he ran the defense and coached the defensive backs from 2016-18.

Perhaps it’s because I saw his defenses up close in covering the disasters that were the 2013 and 2014 Chicago Bears, but I’m not sold on Tucker in charge.

Perhaps he steps in and ups recruiting at Michigan State, something they’ve regressed on a bit of late. But will he be able to improve and modernize an offense that largely looked out of 1991 the last five seasons?

I suppose Michigan State doesn’t have to panic and promote an assistant to save face and Tucker’s hiring does at least help that. But it’s hard to see this being a knock out hire for a mostly career coordinator who hasn’t coached in the Big Ten since 2004.

For a guy with such little head coaching experience, entering a division already home to Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan feels like he’s entering a Blackjack table that has a stacked deck against him.

Michigan State and Notre Dame are scheduled to briefly renew their rivalry with a home-and-home in 2026/2027. Time will tell if Tucker can essentially upset the house and be around for those.