Wisconsin basketball’s game against Illinois will only be available on one streaming platform
The 11th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers (8-2, 0-1 Big Ten) are on the road on Tuesday night for a critical early season game against No. 19 Illinois (6-2, 0-1 Big Ten).
As was the case for the Badgers’ recent contest against Michigan, the game will only be available via streaming on Peacock. That is the reality for many conference contests in this era of the Big Ten.
As a reminder, the streaming-exclusive games are part of the Big Ten’s new television deal with Fox, CBS and NBC. Peacock, an NBC property, has carried football and basketball games since the deal began last year.
Both teams enter the important matchup after disappointing weeks. Wisconsin dropped tough contests against Michigan and at No. 5 Marquette, while Illinois fell to Northwestern in overtime.
The two projected to be among the Big Ten’s best through Feast Week and the season’s first month. A win on Tuesday is paramount for both as they look to return to that standing.
The Badgers and Illinois will tip off at 9 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. CT at State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. Again, a Peacock subscription is required to watch the contest.
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New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Joe Woods has high praise for Malik Nabers. The rookie is a special talent, and could be a problem on Sunday:
It didn’t take New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Joe Woods long to praise Malik Nabers. When asked about the New York Giants rookie wide receiver, the first thing out of Woods’ mouth was, “He’s special.”
Nabers was described by Woods as possessing “slot receiver movement skills, but has the size to play outside.” The combination of those skills makes him a difficult player to defend.
What may be the most concerning is Nabers’ ability to get yards after the catch. This is one of the wide receiver’s traits Woods singled out. The Saints have to be tight at the catch point and be a sure tacklers.
Woods reflects on seeing Nabers when scouting for defensive backs. “Part of when you’re evaluating guys coming out of college, like defensive backs, you want to see them play against the best receivers. A lot of defensive backs that I looked at if they played LSU, I was watching that game. I noticed him right away.”
If Nabers is able to play, he’ll be a challenge for Woods and his defense to slow down. The wideout is dealing with a hip injury suffered in practice this week that may keep him on the sidelines for Week 14.
Darren Rizzi knows stopping Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns is imperative. Taliese Fuaga and Trevor Penning must rise to the occasion:
A lot of pressure rests on the New Orleans Saints’ young offensive tackles as they take on the New York Giants’ duo of Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns on the edges.
Interim head coach Darren Rizzi understands the importance of Taliese Fuaga and Trevor Penning protecting Derek Carr in Week 14. Rizzi told the media earlier this week, “We got to do a great job of protecting the edge this week. That’s going to be a big part of what we do.”
Rizzi continued: “They have two playmakers on the edges between Burns and Thibodeaux. We’ve known Burns in this division for a long, long time. He’s wrecked a lot of games for people. They just got Thib back on the other side. Those guys are a problem.”
For Fuaga, this continues a stretch of facing formidable pass rushers. He’s stood up to Myles Garrett, Jared Verse and now this duo in consecutive weeks, with a bye week in that span. Penning struggled against the Rams as Verse racked up a multitude of pressures. The offensive tackle is looking to bounce back.
As for the offensive interior? The Saints are hoping to get several starters back from injury, including Erik McCoy and Lucas Patrick, but that’s where the Giants may be weakest up front. A potentially season-ending injury to Dexter Lawrence puts the focus concretely on New York’s edge defenders. Fuaga and Penning must be on point this Sunday.
The move from Dennis Allen to Darren Rizzi took Kendre Miller out of the doghouse. It should lead to greater usage when he returns from injured reserve:
Kendre Miller’s New Orleans Saints career hasn’t really been able to get off the ground due to injuries. Injuries have limited the former third-round draft pick to just 10 games in two seasons.
The frustrating part about Miller is you see why the Saints selected him when he plays. He only played in two games and carried the ball nine times this year, but he looked like a great complement to Alvin Kamara.
And Miller may have the chance to truly showcase this upon his return now that Darren Rizzi is the coach. Dennis Allen was publicly critical enough to assume he and Miller had a bad relationship in private.
It was reported Miller didn’t need to be put on injured reserve, and that was a Dennis Allen decision. The change at head coach takes the running back out of the doghouse.
Per LouisianaSportsDotNet’s Ross Jackson, the plan is for Miller to be “all gas, no brakes” when he comes back from a hamstring injury. That could be as early as this week against the New York Giants.
Miller should see plenty of carries per game if this is the approach. The Saints will be without Taysom Hill for the rest of the season, and Miller should be the secondary rushing option over Jamaal Williams.
Wisconsin basketball’s game against Michigan will only be available on one streaming platform
The Wisconsin Badgers (8-0, 0-0 Big Ten) will host the Michigan Wolverines (6-1, 0-0 Big Ten) on Tuesday evening. The game will begin the 2024-25 conference schedule for both schools after each has started strong against their respective nonconference slates.
Wisconsin’s first Big Ten game of the season brings a fresh reminder about how to watch college basketball in the modern age of the sport: the big game will only be available via streaming on Peacock.
The streaming-exclusive games are part of the Big Ten’s new television deal with Fox, CBS and NBC. Peacock, a property of the latter, has been the home for numerous football and basketball games over the past two years.
Wisconsin’s important home matchup against Michigan is the next in the long line of those matchups.
Debuting a new look on Tuesday 🆕🔥
This season's "By the Players" alternate uniforms, in collaboration with @UAbasketball
Wisconsin is 8-0 to begin the season and ranked No. 11 in the latest AP Poll entering Tuesday. Its resume already include wins over Arizona and No. 18 Pittsburgh. Michigan, meanwhile, is 6-1 to begin the season under first-year head coach Dusty May. It’s start is highlighted by a recent win at the Fort Myers Tip-Off, capped by a 78-53 victory over Xavier.
The Badgers and Wolverines will tip off at 9 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. CT. Again, a Peacock subscription is required to watch the contest.
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Previewing the Lions ahead of Thursday night’s showdown at Ford Field in Week 14.
The primetime showdown between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions is the first game and might be the best game of Week 14 of the 2024 season. The highly anticipated rematch — the Lions beat the Packers at Lambeau Field in early November — is a huge game in the NFC North, which has three teams with at least nine wins coming out of Week 13.
Both the Packers and Lions scored wins on Thanksgiving Day to set up this showdown at Ford Field.
Here’s a closer look at the Lions in Week 14:
Last week (Win, 23-20 over Bears)
The Lions scored four times in the first half and held a 16-0 advantage after two quarters but needed a wild ending to escape with a three-point win over Caleb Williams and the reeling Bears. Jared Goff was efficient, completing 21 passes for 221 yards, two scores and zero interceptions, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combined for 228 total yards, Sam LaPorta caught both of Goff’s touchdown passes and former Packer Za’Darius Smith had 1.5 sacks. But Jake Bates missed a field goal, Gibbs lost a fumble and Williams threw three second-half touchdown passes to get the Bears back in the game. Down three, the Bears drove into field goal territory but had one of the NFL’s biggest clock management gaffes to end the contest without as much as a field goal attempt. The Lions were outscored 20-7 in the second half but held on to improve to 11-1.
Quarterback play
Since throwing an incredible five interceptions on Nov. 10, Jared Goff has thrown six touchdown passes and zero picks in the last three games, all wins. He was perfect — at least by passer rating terms — in a blowout win over the Jaguars but hasn’t been as deadly efficient in the last two games. Goff is accurate and generally gets the ball out on time. He doesn’t attack aggressively downfield — by PFF’s measure, Goff has 10 “big-time throws” and 13 “turnover-worthy plays” this season. Therein lies the key for the Packers. Can Jeff Hafley’s defense confuse or pressure Goff into a few mistakes? He played a clean game in the first meeting.
Line of scrimmage
When everyone is healthy, the Lions have one of the best offensive lines in football. Left tackle Taylor Decker is dealing with an injury and missed last week, so his status for Thursday is up in the air. Dan Skipper played left tackle against the Bears. By PFF grade, the Lions rank 15th in pass-blocking grade and third in run-blocking grade. It all starts up front for the Lions on offense. Aidan Hutchinson, John Cominsky and Marcus Davenport are all on injured reserve, which is why the Lions went out and added former Packer Za’Darius Smith at the trade deadline. He has 17 pressures in three games in Detroit. Alim McNeil plays like a young Kenny Clark — he has 39 pressures. DJ Reader produced two sacks last week. The Lions are giving up 4.4 yards per carry this season, but no team has faced fewer rush attempts. The Lions win a lot of football games up front along the line of scrimmage.
Turnovers
The Lions have only turned the ball over in six of 12 games this season. Jared Goff had one nightmare performance — throwing five picks in a win over the Texans. And he hasn’t protected the football perfectly this season, so the Packers must capitalize if Goff presents an opportunity on Thursday. He turned the ball over multiple times in the meeting at Ford Field last season. The Lions defense has 19 takeaways, creating a plus-8 turnover margin. In 11 games, the Lions have won the turnover battle five times. When the Lions don’t turn the ball over this season, they are averaging 40.2 points per game.
Injury situation
The Lions will be without Aidan Hutchinson, Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Kalif Raymond, Ennis Rakestraw, Ifeatu Melifonwu, John Cominsky, Malcolm Rodriguez, Marcus Davenport and Mekhi Wingo, who are all on injured reserve. Carlton Davis, Taylor Decker, Levi Onwuzurike and Josh Pascal are all dealing with injuries and have uncertain statuses for Thursday. The Lions are beat up — no doubt about it. They will be without key pieces in the rematch, but Dan Campbell’s team has already proven — over and over — that they can overcome.
Players to know
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown: He caught all seven of his targets and scored a fourth-down touchdown against the Packers in November. St. Brown is catching 83 percent of targets and has nine scores this season.
TE Sam LaPorta: His catches and receiving yards are down, but LaPorta has a touchdown catch in three of the last five games. If nothing else, he is a dangerous red-zone weapon.
S Kerby Joseph: His pick-six in the first meeting turned the game. The playmaking safety is currently tied with Xavier McKinney for the NFL lead in interceptions (7).
DL Alim McNeil: He’s one of the NFL’s better interior pass-rushers. The Packers have to keep him blocked or he’ll wreck the game.
WR Jameson Williams: The speedster missed the first meeting. He has a catch of at least 20 yards in seven games this season, and the Lions have given him at least one carry in seven games.
Most NFL experts are backing the Broncos to beat the Browns on ‘Monday Night Football’ this week.
The Denver Broncos (7-5) are set to host the Cleveland Browns (3-8) on Monday Night Football in Week 13. Check out NFL.com’s preview (and expert game picks) in the below video.
After hosting the Browns on Monday, the Broncos will have a bye in Week 14 before hosting the Indianapolis Colts (5-7) in Week 15.
All the latest updates and news on Wisconsin’s injury report ahead of a Week 14 game vs. Minnesota.
The Wisconsin Badgers (5-6, 3-5 Big Ten) and Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) are less than 90 minutes from kickoff for their Week 14 rivalry matchup.
Wisconsin released its final injury report leading up to the contest. Of note, the Badgers are getting star safety Hunter Wohler back for the first time in two weeks. Leading wide receiver Will Pauling is also listed as ‘questionable’ after missing the team’s Week 13 game at Nebraska.
Here is the full injury report from both Wisconsin and Minnesota entering the important rivalry matchup. Several notable Badger starters are listed as ‘questionable.’
Wisconsin injury report
OUT: RB Chez Mellusi, QB Tyler Van Dyke, WR Joseph Griffin Jr., S Kamo’i Latu, QB Cole LaCrue, S Owen Arnett, LB Tamer Dalloul, OT Evan Brown, OL Leyton Nelson, TE Rob Booker
QUESTIONABLE: LB Jake Chaney, WR Will Pauling, LB Jaheim Thomas, TE Tucker Ashcraft, DL James Thompson Jr., DL Elijah Hills
Minnesota injury report
OUT: DB Aidan Gousby, DB Darius Green, TE Pierce Walsh
QUESTIONABLE: OL Tyler Cooper
Wisconsin S Hunter Wohler injury update
Wohler is off the injury report after missing the Badgers’ Week 13 game with an injury.
Wisconsin WR Will Pauling injury update
Pauling is ‘questionable’ after missing last week’s contest. He left the Badgers’ Week 12 game against Oregon with a lower-body injury.
Wisconsin DL James Thompson Jr. injury update
James Thompson Jr. made his season debut during Wisconsin’s Week 13 loss to Nebraska. He is ‘questionable’ vs. Minnesota though is expected to return to the field.
Wisconsin LB Jake Chaney injury update
Jake Chaney left the Badgers’ Week 13 game vs. Nebraska with an injury. He’s ‘questionable’ against the Gophers.
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Luke Fickell’s Badgers have yet to beat a team as good as the 2024 Minnesota Golden Gophers
The following statistic tells an accurate story for those in search of a glimpse at Wisconsin football’s current state of affairs under head coach Luke Fickell: the Badgers are 0-and-9 against teams ranked higher than No. 50 in ESPN FPI since the start of 2023.
Looking a year-end FPI numbers from 2023 and the updated rankings entering the final week of 2024, the Badgers’ best win was against Rutgers (No. 50) last season. Otherwise, Wisconsin has lost every game against a team inside FPI’s top 50.
Fickell was hired to not only win those matchups but elevate the Badgers toward the top tier of the Big Ten. Obviously, that has yet to come to fruition.
That reality sets up the Badgers’ upcoming rivalry matchup against Minnesota. The Gophers enter 6-5 on the season and 4-4 in Big Ten play. Their quality is better than the record suggests — FPI currently ranks the team No. 33 in the nation.
That ranking can be attributed to narrow losses to North Carolina, Michigan and top-ranked Penn State, plus statement wins over USC and Illinois. The Gophers are a few bounces of the football away from 9-2 and long-shot College Football Playoff contention.
Of note, Wisconsin has not beaten a team close to the quality of the 2024 Gophers, according to FPI, during the Fickell era. That reality creates an opportunity for a defining victory, but it also paints a negative light on the team’s chances. That 0-for-9 mark against top-50 teams is a significant trend that doesn’t come as some large fluke.
The Badgers need a win to clinch bowl eligibility for the 23rd consecutive season. Maybe most importantly, they need a win to show some life under the no-longer-new regime.
Wisconsin and Minnesota will kick off at noon ET, 11 a.m. CT on Friday afternoon.
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These 24 players will be honored during Wisconsin’s Senior Day festivities before Minnesota game
Wisconsin football announced its 2024 Senior Day honorees on Tuesday.
Those 24 honorees will be WR Haakon Anderson, LB Jake Chaney, CB R.J. Delancy III, CB Nyzier Fourqurean, WR Bryson Green, CB Ricardo Hallman, DL Elijah Hills, OG Joe Huber, OL Kerry Kodanko, CB Max Lofy, DL Cade McDonald, LS Duncan McKinley, K Gavin Meyers, WR Alex Moeller, OT Jack Nelson, TE Riley Nowakowski, LS Cayson Pfeiffer, OLB John Pius, ILB Jaheim Thomas, DL James Thompson Jr., K Nate Van Zelst, RB Tawee Walker, S Hunter Wohler and S Preston Zachman.
That group of seniors will be honored on Friday morning before the Badgers close their regular season against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
One noteworthy inclusion is CB Ricardo Hallman, a redshirt junior with eligibility remaining. The consensus is he will enter the 2025 NFL draft after the season concludes.
Other players listed who still have eligibility remaining are Max Lofy, James Thompson Jr., Preston Zachman and Cade McDonald. They each could have a chance to return for another season, either at Wisconsin or elsewhere.
Some notable players not listed are DL Ben Barten, OLB Leon Lowery, C Jake Renfro and QB Tyler Van Dyke. All four are seniors but have eligibility remaining. Their omission does not guarantee anything, but could point toward each returning to the program in 2025.
Neither running back Chez Mellusi nor safety Kamo’i Latu are listed. Both players have been listed as ‘out’ for the majority of the season to date. Mellusi left the program in early-October.
Wisconsin and Minnesota will kick off at noon ET, 11 a.m. CT on Friday after the Senior Day festivities have concluded. It will then be worth monitoring the decisions of those upperclassmen who still have eligibility remaining.
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