Tag: Big Ten

Oregon Ducks LB Bryce Boettcher announces 2025 NFL Draft decision

Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher has officially announced what he plans to do when it comes to the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Oregon Ducks stacked some major wins on Tuesday, capped off with the announcement that linebacker Bryce Boettcher would be returning to the team for the 2025 season rather than going to the NFL or MLB.

This is a big win for the 2025 Ducks team as they look towards finishing what was started in 2024 and that’s winning a national championship.

Boettcher still has the option to play in the Houston Astros minor league system in the offseason as he was a centerfielder for the Ducks for the past couple of years.

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As a football player, Boettcher has improved his skills on the field. He began as a walk-on coming from South Eugene High School. But after seeing time on the special teams unit, Boettcher eventually worked his way into the lineup as a middle linebacker.

He just recently had his best season for the Ducks as Boettcher was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection. He finished the 2024 season with 94 tackles, eight for loss, two sacks and an interception.

It would have been tough to not only replace Boettcher on-the-field production, but his leadership qualities off the field. He’s turned into a fan favorite and hometown hero. There isn’t many Eugene-area kids that turn into everyday starters for the Ducks, but Boettcher has accomplished that feat in two different sports.

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Oregon Ducks kicker Grant Meadors enters the transfer portal

Oregon sophomore kicker Grant Meadors leaves the Ducks and enters the transfer portal.

Now that the Oregon Ducks football season is over, it’s only natural that some players will leave the program and look for somewhere else to play.

The latest Duck to hit the portal is sophomore kicker Grant Meadors. After appearing in a few games in 2023, the former six-star kicker, according to Chris Sailor Kicking, announced that he would be looking for a new team.

But it seems as if the Ducks are set in the kicking spot for a couple of more seasons with Atticus Sappington and redshirt freshman Gage Hurych. Sappington and Andrew Boyle shared the kicking duties this season.

The Ducks also signed former Sheldon Irish kicker Rocco Graziano this offseason as well as a member of the 2025 class.

In his two years with the Ducks, Meadors attempted 5 PATs and made them all.

Seeing the forest through the trees or reading the writing on the wall, Meadors decided he will be useful in another place. He’s from Bakersfield, Calif and could possibly transfer to a team closer to home.

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Jeremiah Smith breaks Ohio State and Big Ten record in Rose Bowl Victory

Generational talent #GoBucks

As the kids say, Jeremiah Smith is a cheat code. Just throw the ball in his general vicinity and there’s a good chance he’s going to come down with the catch.

Smith has been breaking records all season at Ohio State and he added his name to the record books twice more after an outstanding Rose Bowl performance. On the game, the freshman phenom pulled in seven receptions for 187 yards and two scores. Those totals would put Smith as the record holder in two more categories.

First, with his 187 receiving yards, Smith breaks another record held by Cris Carter, most receiving yards in a single game by a freshman. Carter held the record with 172 yards receiving in the 1985 Rose Bowl, a game the Buckeyes would lose to USC 20-17.

Smith wasn’t done etching his name in the record books just yet. He would also move to the top of the list in Big Ten history with the most touchdown receptions by a freshman. He broke the record with his first score and padded the number with the second giving him 14 on the year. The previous record was 12 set by Rondale Moore of Purdue in 2018.

In addition to the aforementioned records, Smith also holds the Ohio State freshman receiving records for yards in a season (1,224), receptions (70), and receiving touchdowns in a season (14) with the possibility of adding to those numbers with at least one more game to play.

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

Oregon vs. Illinois Instant Reactions: Illini run the Ducks out of MKA

With five minutes to go, Jackson Shelstad, Jadrian Tracey, Nate Bittle, TJ Bamba, and Brandon Angel were all on the bench. Those players started tonight’s game, but the contest was so out of hand, there was no reason for them to be on the floor. …

With five minutes to go, Jackson Shelstad, Jadrian Tracey, Nate Bittle, TJ Bamba, and Brandon Angel were all on the bench.

Those players started tonight’s game, but the contest was so out of hand, there was no reason for them to be on the floor. That’s how bad it was as Illinois blew Oregon out of their own building to the tune of a 109-77 final score.

The Ducks were utterly confused on defense and eventually, the effort on defense just wasn’t there. Illinois offense wasn’t complicated. They would go one-on-one to the basket or kick it out for a three. For some reason, the Duck defense couldn’t figure that out and Illinois just kept scoring and scoring.

In total, the Illini made 16-of-29 three-pointers and the scary thing was that they missed their first seven threes.

Oregon falls to 12-2 overall and 1-2 in Big Ten play. Maryland, who lost to Washington on this night, comes to Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday as the Ducks look to rebound off of what was an embarrassing loss.

Oregon vs. Illinois Keys to the Game

  • All was well early on as the Ducks grabbed a 7-2 lead, but after that it was all Illini.
  • Illinois dominated for much of the first half as they led at halftime 45-38. The Illini was hot from long distance, going 7-of-17 from the three-point line before halftime.
  • The Illini bench scored 23 of those 45 points.
  • Oregon had trouble covering the three-point line, but when they did, Illinois drove to the basket and the Ducks’ defensive rotation just wasn’t there.
  • Illinois also had six offensive rebounds that turned into eight second-chance points.
  • Unfortunately whatever Dana Altman said at halftime didn’t resonate as things got worse. Illinois turned a seven-point lead to a 20-point advantage in just a few minutes.
  • The only highlight for the Ducks was that Supreme Cook played his best game of the season with 20 points off the bench.

Oregon vs. Illinois Players of the Game

  • Supreme Cook: 20 points
  • TJ Bamba: 10 points
  • Nate Bittle: 13 points, 5 rebounds
  • Tre White (Ill): 20 points

Oregon vs. Illinois Notable Stats

  • Rebounds: Illinois 43, Oregon 31
  • 3-point FG: Illinois 16-of-29, Oregon 5-of-15
  • Points in the Paint: Illinois 48, Oregon 36

What’s Next for Oregon Ducks?

  • Jan. 5 — vs. Maryland Terrapins
  • Jan. 9 — at Ohio State Buckeyes
  • Jan. 12 — at Penn State Nittany Lions
  • Jan. 18 — Purdue Boilermakers
  • Jan. 21 — Washington Huskies

The schedule doesn’t get any easier from here on out as the Big Ten Conference is in full swing. Maryland just suffered a loss at Washington, but the Terrapins are very good, as are the next four opponents. Oregon needs some major adjustments in order to have success in the month of January.

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Where Wisconsin basketball ranks in KenPom, ESPN BPI entering full Big Ten schedule

Where Wisconsin basketball ranks in KenPom, ESPN BPI entering 2025

The Wisconsin Badgers enter the New Year after a strong start to the 2024-25 season.

The team is 10-3 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten play, with resume-building wins over Arizona, Pittsburgh, UCF and Butler. While losses to Michigan, Illinois and Marquette currently hold it back from a top 25 ranking, its 8-0 start flashed potential as a top-end contender in the Big Ten.

Related: Updated game-by-game predictions for Wisconsin basketball entering 2025 Big Ten schedule

Greg Gard’s team must return to that early-season form as it starts play in 2025. The team opens against Iowa, Rutgers, Minnesota and Ohio State before a West Coast road trip begins a gauntlet stretch. A 3-1 start in those four games feels like a requisite if the Badgers have any chance of finishing near the top of the conference.

Rating metrics KenPom and ESPN BPI are somewhat skeptical of Wisconsin’s chances at that top finish. Both have the team ranked as a middle-of-the-road team in an 18-team Big Ten that boasts several of the top teams in the sport.

Specifically, here is how Wisconsin stacks up in both KenPom and ESPN BPI:

  • KenPom: No. 31 (No. 9 Big Ten), with the No. 15 offense and No. 78 defense in the country.
  • BPI: No. 35 (No. 9 Big Ten), with a projected record of 20.0 – 11.0 and a 4.9% chance to win the Big Ten.

The Badgers were slightly upgraded in both after sitting idle after a Dec. 22 win over Detroit Mercy. They were ranked No. 33 and No. 36, respectively, on Dec. 23.

Ranking upgrades and adjustments won’t matter when Big Ten play heats up in the coming days. The scoreboard and conference standing will be the statistics of relevance, that until NCAA Tournament cases are made in early-March.

Wisconsin will look for an important victory to open the New Year when Iowa travels to Madison on Jan. 3.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith sends warning to Oregon defensive backs

Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith sends warning to Oregon defensive backs that if they play man coverage, it will be at their own peril.

The Oregon Ducks don’t need bulletin board material to get motivation for Ohio State in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. But Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith provided the Ducks some.

“So I’m just letting everybody know right now that if you play man (coverage) Wednesday, we’re taking a shot,” Smith said.

No doubt coach Dan Lanning and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi’s eyes perked up after hearing Smith say this at the press conference on Monday. If you have been paying attention to the Ducks this season or even last season, Lanning doesn’t need help from the opposition to fire up his football team.

Ask Colorado how that went.

Smith and the Buckeyes have a lot of confidence, however, after defeating Tennessee, 42-17, in the first round of the College Football Playoff. The Volunteers played mostly man coverage in their secondary and were burned. Smith had six catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Emeka Egbuka had five more receptions for 81 yards.

Odds are the Ducks aren’t going to change up their game plan just because of what Smith said. Oregon usually mixes up the defensive coverage throughout every game, including man coverage. Oregon also features one of the best cornerbacks in the nation, Jabbar Muhammad.

Look for a conversation between those two players throughout the game Wednesday. It might be as entertaining as the game itself, which promises to be one of the best ones of this college football season.

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UCLA women’s hoops tops AP Top 25 poll for sixth-straight week

The Bruins are top dogs yet again.

The UCLA women’s basketball team is on a tear. After bulldozing Nebraska 91-54, the Bruins improved a perfect 13-0 record and secured head coach Cori Close’s 300th victory with the program.

This week, the Bruins remained atop the AP Top 25 poll for the sixth straight week. The only remaining undefeated program in the top five, UCLA edged out South Carolina, Notre Dame, rival USC, and Texas for the number one spot.

With an undefeated record and a fifteen-point statement win over South Carolina in November, UCLA remains the undisputed best team in women’s college basketball.

That said, in the new year, the Bruins will have some stiff competition.

With games against No. 24 Michigan and No. 8 Maryland in January and No. 10 Ohio State and No. 4 USC in February, the Bruins will need to play their best basketball soon.

In games featuring some of the best players with Big Ten-standing implications, UCLA must stay focused to avoid peaking too early before March Madness this spring.

Where Wisconsin ranks in USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll entering New Year

Where Wisconsin ranks in USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll entering 2025

Wisconsin basketball (10-3, 0-2 Big Ten) will enter 2025 and its full conference schedule unranked in the USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.

The latest release of the poll saw the Badgers drop out of the ‘receiving votes’ section. The team sat idle during the week — its Dec. 22 win over Detroit Mercy is its only result since Dec. 14. That extended time off saw the Badgers drop the seven votes they received in last week’s edition of the poll.

Related: Updated game-by-game predictions for Wisconsin basketball entering 2025 Big Ten schedule

Tennessee leads the latest coaches poll after continuing its undefeated start to the season. Auburn, Iowa State, Duke and Florida round out the poll’s top five. Big Ten teams in the top 25 are Oregon (No. 9), Michigan State (No. 15), UCLA (No. 18), Illinois (No. 20), Purdue (No. 22) and Maryland (No. 24).

Here is the full coaches poll top 25 entering the New Year:

Ranking Team Record Points Change
1 Tennessee 12-0 764 (20) –
2 Auburn 11-1 747 (11) –
3 Iowa State 10-1 707 –
4 Duke 10-2 664 –
5 Florida 13-0 651 –
6 Alabama 11-2 626 –
7 Kansas 9-2 552 –
8 Marquette 11-2 539 –
9 Oregon 12-1 491 –
10 Oklahoma 13-0 476 +1
11 Kentucky 10-2 428 -1
12 Texas A&M 11-2 424 +1
13 UConn 10-3 416 +1
14 Houston 8-3 386 -2
15 Michigan State 10-2 270 +3
16 Mississippi State 11-1 267 +3
17 Cincinnati 10-1 259 –
18 UCLA 11-2 255 +3
19 Gonzaga 9-4 170 -4
20 Illinois 9-3 129 +2
21 Baylor 8-3 113 +2
22 Purdue 8-3 108 +3
23 Ole Miss 7-3 92 -7
24 Maryland 11-2 90 +2
25 Memphis 10-3 87 +8

Others Receiving Votes
St. John’s 70; Arkansas 58; Drake 53; Michigan 49; Utah State 42; Georgia 36; San Diego State 30; Dayton 19; Texas Tech 12; Pittsburgh 10; Clemson 9; West Virginia 8; Missouri 6; North Carolina 1;

Wisconsin is back on the court on Jan. 3 against Iowa. It will look to recapture early-season form that led to an 8-0 start and No. 11 coaches poll ranking.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

Previewing the Ohio State defense before the Rose Bowl Game

Previewing the Ohio State defense before the Rose Bowl Game against Oregon on Jan. 1.

When it comes to media coverage of the Ohio State Buckeyes, most stories are aimed at the offense and those two incredible receivers in Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith. And for good reason. It’s one of the top offenses in the country.

But on the other side of the ball is a defense that might be just as good as any defense in the nation and sometimes that’s forgotten in all of the noise.

Ohio State is great in all three levels, the line, the linebackers and the secondary. There are no weaknesses and it’s the Ducks’ job to poke a hole in that defense, if possible.

“They limit explosive plays. They do a great job keeping the ball in front,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said before the first game with the Buckeyes. “They play really physical in the front. They’re able to stop the run. They’re really sound and aggressive at times in coverage, but they pitch a lot of different looks at you as well. But it starts with they eliminate explosive plays.

“They play really sound football. They have good overlap in their defense. They’re able to change the picture up. They have really good D linemen, good edges, and then they’re able to cover outside, so they create a lot of challenges there.”

In the first game with the Ducks, the Buckeyes had a tough time with Oregon’s balanced attack and they also had trouble with Oregon going deep down the field in one-on-one matchups on the outside.  The Ducks had three plays of over 40 yards. Before that game, Ohio State had just allowed just one explosion play of that type.

Before that game, Lanning said the Buckeyes have a good defensive line, but the Ducks were excellent in protecting Dillon Gabriel. Ohio State didn’t sack him once.

But that line is still really good and is led by defensive end JT Tuimoloau and his eight sacks to go with his 46 tackles and 14 for loss. He demands a double-team a lot of the time, which opens up holes for the other D-linemen or linebackers, such as Lathan Ransom, to run through and get to the quarterback.

The secondary is led by one of, if not, the best safety in the country in Caleb Downs. He transferred to Ohio State after leaving Alabama. Downs has 69 tackles, but the opponent tries to throw away from his area a lot of the time. He’s also a dangerous kick returner. Downs averages 16 yards per punt return and a touchdown.

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Previewing the Ohio State offense before Rose Bowl game against Oregon

Ohio State brings in one of the most talented and consistent offenses into the Rose Bowl Game against Oregon on Jan. 1.

This happens all the time in the NFL, but in college football, this is rare.

Oregon and Ohio State will meet up for the second time this season as the two teams will fight it out in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.

Ohio State’s offense has been one of the more consistent offenses in the country this season. The Buckeyes had one clunker offensively, the 13-10 loss to Michigan. Other than that, quarterback Will Howard, a transfer from Kansas State, fits perfectly with the Buckeyes. He was named Third-Team All-Big Ten.

Predictably, Howard’s favorite targets, as they should be, are receivers Emeka Egbuka and true freshman Jeremiah Smith. Egbuka is one of the best receivers out there and should be a first-round NFL draft pick and Smith isn’t disappointing as a former No. 1 recruit. Smith was also a First-Team All-Big Ten selection.

Egbuka has 65 catches for 824 yards (63.3 ypg) to go with nine touchdowns. Smith has shown he’s ready for the big time as he leads Ohio State with five touchdowns with his 63 receptions and 1,037 yards and 12 touchdowns. In the first matchup with the Ducks at Autzen Stadium, the two combined for 19 receptions for almost 200 yards and two scores.

“They can catch the ball and they can turn into a big play right away. It’s not necessarily always their average depth of target is way down the field,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said before the first game where Oregon pulled out a 32-31 thrilling win. “It’s their ability to catch it in space and get vertical. They block really, really well on the perimeter. And those guys have big catch radius. So you see them win on balls that you can you call 50-50 balls. A lot of times they win on contested balls, they do a really good job there.”

Although it wasn’t as evident against the Ducks defense, what makes Ohio State’s offense so good is that the opposition can’t just concentrate on the passing game. Running backs Quinshon Judkins (Third Team All Big Ten) and TreVeyon Henderson are a powerful 1-2 punch out of the backfield.

Judkins has gained 839 yards (64.5 ypg) and has scored 10 touchdowns, while Henderson is averaging seven yards a carry and has scored eight times.

Lanning says offensive coordinator Chip Kelly doesn’t get enough credit for the Buckeyes’ rushing game.

“I think he’s always done a great job of utilizing his personnel. Moving guys around and allowing them to do things that they do really, really well. He always finds unique ways to run the ball,” he said. “I think that’s one thing that he probably doesn’t get enough credit for is his ability to run the ball regardless of the situation. You know, he’s at UCLA last year, the number one rushing team in our conference for many reasons, and it’s because of his ability to run the ball.”

Ohio State has a big offensive line typical of most Big Ten teams. Each of them weigh over 300 pounds, led by senior guard Donovan Jackson. He was a First-Team All-Conference lineman in 2022 and 2024.

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