Tag: media days

Greg Gard highlights breakout player on Wisconsin basketball’s 2024-25 roster

Greg Gard highlights breakout player on Wisconsin basketball’s 2024-25 roster

Wisconsin basketball head coach Greg Gard spoke with reporters at Big Ten media days in Chicago, Illinois on Thursday. The event marks the start of the ramp-up to the season, which is just four weeks away.

One topic of conversation was Gard’s thoughts on his roster entering the season. Specifically, on a player who could experience a breakout campaign.

Related: Big Ten basketball power rankings entering 2024-25 season: A first look at the expanded conference

His answer: sophomore center Nolan Winter.

BadgerExtra’s Michael McCleary relayed Gard’s sentiment: “For Nolan to take the jump he has … he still’s got a ways to go, but we really like what we’ve seen so far.”

Winter played in 36 games as a true freshman in 2023-24. He finished with per-game averages of 9.4 minutes, 2.4 points and 1.8 rebounds on 56% shooting. Most significantly, he was thrust into action against some of the best players in the country, headlined by Purdue superstar center Zach Edey.

The sophomore enters 2024-25 still as Wisconsin’s backup center behind senior Steven Crowl. This role should allow Winter to continue his development without being relied upon as arguably the most critical member of the Badgers’ starting lineup. If Gard’s words are any indication, Winter could be ready for the same midcareer jump seen with several recent Badgers centers. Crowl and Nate Reuvers are two prominent examples.

Wisconsin enters the 2024-25 season tied for 12th in the preseason Big Ten media poll. While the team has real questions after offseason departures of Chucky Hepburn, A.J. Storr and Tyler Wahl, Gard reloaded the roster in the transfer portal and welcomes top 2024 point guard Daniel Freitag to campus.

Signs point to Wisconsin entering the season under the radar with the ability to again contend for a conference title. Game 1 is at the Kohl Center on Nov. 4 against Holy Cross.

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Wisconsin new Big Ten rival makes headlines at media days with giant inflatable mascot

Wisconsin new Big Ten rival makes headlines at media days with giant inflatable mascot

The 2024 Big Ten football season will be highlighted by the conference’s change. That change includes the addition of former Pac-12 powers USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington, who will all try to make strong first impressions when the season kicks off in late August.

Oregon is taking that idea of a first impression to the extreme. It began its first moments in the conference at Big Ten media days by sending a gigantic inflatable duck down the White River in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana.

Related: Where Wisconsin lands in USA TODAY Sports’ 2024 Big Ten football preseason poll

It was not a small rubber duck one would see at a playground or at the beach. Instead, it more resembled a large cargo ship — but in the form of Oregon’s famous mascot.

We have recently named the Oregon Duck the No. 1 mascot in the new expanded Big Ten Conference. A stunt like this one should only increase that prestige.

 

The Ducks football team are set to visit the Wisconsin Badgers on Nov. 16 in what will be one of the biggest games on Wisconsin’s schedule. The Badgers will be in search of a statement victory to establish the Luke Fickell era, while Oregon projects to be one of the sport’s true national title contenders.

This stunt is all fun and games. But Wisconsin fans should not accept a large inflated Oregon Duck on Lake Mendota or Monona leading up to the matchup between the two schools.

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

Wisconsin blanked from Big Ten 2024 preseason honors list

Wisconsin blanked from Big Ten 2024 preseason honors list

The Wisconsin Badgers are scheduled to appear at 2024 Big Ten media days on Tuesday. Head coach Luke Fickell will give his annual press conference before player representatives Jake Chaney, Hunter Wohler and Jack Nelson all meet with the assembled media.

Media days continue through Thursday, July 25, with the conference’s 18 members spread out over the three-day event.

Related: Where Wisconsin lands in USA TODAY Sports’ 2024 Big Ten football preseason poll

The start of the media’s annual trek to Indianapolis, Indiana always includes preseason polls and honors. The Big Ten released its full list of preseason honorees on Tuesday morning. It is somewhat of a surprise that zero Wisconsin Badgers made the list.

Ohio State led the way with four honorees, led by star safety Caleb Downs and defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau. Michigan was close behind with three players included — star tight end Colston Loveland, cornerback Will Johnson and defensive tackle Mason Graham. Oregon was next with two players, before Iowa, Penn State and Rutgers who all boast one inclusion.

Wisconsin star safety Hunter Wohler and cornerback Ricardo Hallman would have both been worthy additions to the list. The two are the Badgers’ best chances at first-team All-Big Ten players in 2024. Other than that, tackles Jack Nelson and Riley Mahlman, and wide receiver Will Pauling all figure to battle for second or third-team honors.

The Badgers boast a deep roster in 2024 after head coach Luke Fickell’s strong work both retaining talent and bolstering the two-deep in the transfer portal. The team does lack the top-end that Big Ten foes Oregon, Ohio State and Michigan have, however, which is a reason the team is projected to finish seventh in the conference this season.

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

Wisconsin picked to finish 7th in Cleveland.com Big Ten preseason poll

Wisconsin picked to finish 7th in Cleveland.com Big Ten preseason poll

The Wisconsin Badgers are projected to finish No. 7 in Cleveland.com‘s Big Ten football 2024 preseason poll.

The poll, released on Monday morning, marks the annual start of conference media days. The three-day event commences this week in Indianapolis, Indiana, leading directly into each program’s training camp in preparation for 2024 season kickoff.

Related: Full recap of power rankings for every Big Ten football position group entering 2024 season

The preseason ranking comes from writers from across the conference. They each slot the teams 1-18, with 18 points for a first-place vote, 17 for second place, 16 for third place and so on.

Here are the full results of Cleveland.com’s poll, including Wisconsin’s solid standing in the conference’s second tier:

  1. Ohio State (480 points) — 21 first-place votes
  2. Oregon (448 points)
  3. Penn State (418 points)
  4. Michigan (411 points)
  5. Iowa (363 points)
  6. USC (346 points)
  7. Wisconsin (313 points)
  8. Nebraska (293 points)
  9. Rutgers (249 points)
  10. Washington (236 points)
  11. Maryland (185 points)
  12. Minnesota (183 points)
  13. Illinois (145 points)
  14. Northwestern (138 points)
  15. UCLA (124 points)
  16. Michigan State (119 points)
  17. Indiana (76 points)
  18. Purdue (65 points)

The poll is yet another example of Wisconsin receiving the benefit of the doubt despite consecutive 7-6 seasons and big questions entering year two of the Luke Fickell era.

The Badgers were perennially chosen as the Big Ten West champion despite not winning the division for its final four years. That sentiment is carrying over into the conference’s post-expansion age. Writers see Wisconsin, and they assume a steady level of success.

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

Texas football announces three players attending SEC Media Days

Which players will be representing the Longhorns at SEC Media Day next week?

For the first time, the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners will be traveling to SEC Media Days after officially joining the conference on Jul. 1. The two sides announced their intentions to depart the Big 12 nearly three years ago and it took some time for it all to come to fruition.

When the decision to move conferences was announced, many people thought that the Longhorns would struggle as they were having a hard time in a mediocre Big 12. However, a lot has changed since then with head coach Steve Sarkisian getting the Longhorns back into the elite program we all know them to be coming off of a 12-2 season in 2023 that included a Big 12 title and CFP berth.

SEC Media Day will be in Dallas, TX this year making it a real short trip for both of the two new members. The Longhorns will be represented by Sarkisian, quarterback Quinn Ewers, defensive back Jahdae Barron, and left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr.

Texas will have the floor on Wednesday, Jul. 17, alongside the Alabama Crimson Tide, Florida Gators, and Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Marcus Freeman making media rounds but not seeking excuses

Excuses? Unlike Notre Dame’s previous head coach, Marcus Freeman isn’t making any.

I’ve been open about my lack of care for conference media days as a whole. The only things I really enjoy about them are the fact that they mean college football season is getting close to kicking off, and I’ve certainly been thankful for that the last two weeks.

[autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] doesn’t have to participate in these media days for the time being and the good Lord willing, will not have to anytime soon. However, he made the media rounds right after Notre Dame’s epic Shamrock Series jersey reveal video went viral.

What did Freeman have to say as he made stops at both ESPN’s “Get Up” (at least it wasn’t “First Take”) and on Rich Eisen’s radio show? You can catch interviews in full at the links above, but here were the main takeaways, specifically from his time on “Get Up.”

And be sure to check it all out as you may enjoy his not-so-subtle jab at [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] in regards to the position Notre Dame is in to win a national championship today.

Wisconsin OC Phil Longo had the quote of the year at local media day

A great line from Phil Longo at Wisconsin’s media day:

It’s here. Not the season quite yet, but Wisconsin conducted local media today in advance of preseason training camp beginning tomorrow at UW-Platteville.

These days in the past would often be Paul Chryst expressing excitement for the opportunity to enter another season. There was a different energy entering the event Tuesday.

Not much headline news generally comes from local media day, but there are a few significant quotes to note.

First, defensive coordinator Mike Tressel set high expectations for transfer defensive lineman Darian Varner while offensive coordinator Phil Longo did the same for transfer wide receiver Bryson Green. Both players missed spring practice due to injury, though both figure to play prominent roles in their respective units when the season begins.

The real headline was a note from Longo, which may become the quote of the year:

The thing he loves the most after his wife and kids are slot receivers, a terrific line. The position has excelled under Longo in recent years, most recently with Josh Downs leading UNC in receiving yards last year with 1029.

Will Pauling and Skyler Bell figure to be Wisconsin’s two primary slot receivers this year with both playing prominent snaps. The talent is there, and Longo clearly wants to get the group involved.

College football: Brian Kelly on Texas & Tennessee jobs, Tommy Rees, and more

Brian Kelly to…Texas?

While Notre Dame doesn’t have a conference preseason media session to promote their product, they did have last week when [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] and a few of the Irish standouts invaded New York for a media tour.  Meanwhile, Freeman’s predecessor [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] got things started as he was first up at this week’s SEC Media Days on Monday.

Kelly shocked the college football world and left Notre Dame for LSU after the 2021 regular season concluded.  Kelly was again asked about that and shared a few other marquee openings that he was reached about over the years as well.

He also shared thoughts on [autotag]Tommy Rees[/autotag] taking the Alabama offensive coordinator job, an evaluation of former Notre Dame running back, and more.  Here are a few of the highlights as he met the media Monday.

SEC media days schedule announced

The SEC announced the four-day schedule for the conference’s media days in July. The 14 coaches will speak over the four-day period.

The SEC has announced the schedule for when coaches will take the podium during the 2023 SEC media days event. This will be the last time that 14 teams will speak during the four-day span. Starting in 2024 you will be able to add the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns to the schedule.

There are plenty of storylines to follow starting from the first day. On Monday, Jul. 17, we will hear from Brian Kelly and Jimbo Fisher. The latter will likely be addressing how he bounces back in 2023 along with his new offensive coordinator, Bobby Petrino. Kelly will be entering year 2 after securing the SEC West title in his first season on the job.

The second day will feature new Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze and two-time defending national champion head coach Kirby Smart. What does Freeze have in store for his second run in the SEC? Plus who will Smart tab as the next quarterback of the Dawgs with Stetson Bennett heading to the next level?

Nick Saban and Billy Napier will headline day three. Napier will surely be asked questions about the fallout of Jaden Rashada. While the Alabama head coach will have a new quarterback in 2023.

Lane Kiffin and Josh Heupel will close out the four-day event on Friday. When Kiffin is speaking, you better get your popcorn ready.

Barrett Sallee of CBS Sports tweeted out the schedule on Thursday.

Monday, Jul. 17

Tuesday, Jul. 18

Wednesday, Jul. 19

Thursday, Jul. 20

  • Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss Rebels
  • Shane Beamer, South Carolina Gamecocks
  • Josh Heupel, Tennessee Volunteers

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Bijan Robinson believes last season’s struggles will benefit the Horns in 2022

Texas is using 2021 as a learning experience.

It is no secret Texas did not perform to expectations in 2021. Continue reading “Bijan Robinson believes last season’s struggles will benefit the Horns in 2022”