Tag: Schedule

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.

One former Wisconsin transfer set to play in College Football Playoff quarterfinal

One former Wisconsin transfer set to play in College Football Playoff Quarterfinal

One former Wisconsin Badger is set to suit up in the 2024 College Football Playoff quarterfinal: Penn State offensive tackle Nolan Rucci.

He and the No. 6-seed Nittany Lions will face No. 3 Boise State in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31. The team advanced to the quarterfinal after a 38-10 first-round blowout win over No. 11 SMU.

Related: Ranking Wisconsin football’s transfer portal class by projected 2025 impact

Rucci starred in that contest, finishing as ProFootballFocus’ highest-graded offensive lineman from the first round (76.6). He started at right tackle in place of starter Anthony Donkoh, who suffered a season-ending injury in the Nittany Lions’ Week 13 win over Minnesota.

The former top recruit helped Penn State to 325 total yards of offense, 189 rushing yards and a 4.7 yards-per-carry clip. He and the offense weren’t tasked with deciding the contest, however, as the Penn State defense built an early 14-0 lead with two pick-sixes. That margin only grew as the game continued.

Rucci and a dangerous Penn State team now travel to Glendale, Arizona for a Fiesta Bowl matchup against a Boise State team that earned a first-round bye after winning the Mountain West.

The Broncos enter the contest with ESPN SP+’s No. 47-ranked defense, a matchup advantage that Rucci and the Penn State offense should be able to exploit.

Rucci’s emergence as a top tackle is a significant development after an up-and-down career. He originally joined Wisconsin as a five-star recruit in the class of 2021, ranked as the No. 1 player from Pennsylvania and the No. 17 overall player in the class. He then spent several years backing up multi-year starters Jack Nelson and Riley Mahlman before transferring out after the 2023 campaign.

The former top recruit began 2024 in the same position. But Rucci received significant starting reps throughout the year as the starter Donkoh, a redshirt freshman, battled various injuries. Those opportunities then led to strong play as Penn State’s full-time starting right tackle in its Week 14 win over Maryland, narrow Big Ten title game loss to Oregon and CFP First Round win over SMU.

Rucci and the Nittany Lions will take the field against Boise State at 7:30 p.m. ET, 6:30 p.m. CT on Dec. 31. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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

NFL announces Week 18 schedule, Saints-Bucs regular season finale time

The NFL announced its finalized slate of Week 18 games, including the time for kickoff between the Saints and Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium:

The NFL announced its finalized slate of Week 18 games, including the regular season finale between the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for Noon CT/1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan. 5.

It’s not surprising to see the Saints relegated to an early time slot in a low-profile day of games; they’ve been eliminated from the playoffs and have been outscored 59-10 over their last two losses. These NFC South rivalry games are always intense but there are more compelling matchups to put in the spotlight.

Still, the Saints have plenty of reasons to fight hard for a win. Beating the Buccaneers would jeopardize Tampa Bay’s own playoff chances, and another win is unlikely to hurt the Saints’ position in the 2025 NFL draft. It would be a great way to rebuild morale before what’s looking like a difficult offseason kicks off in January. But that’s easier said than done against a Bucs team that already dropped 50 points on the Saints’ heads earlier this year.

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NFL sets date, time and TV info for Broncos-Chiefs game in Week 18

The Broncos will host the Chiefs at 2:25 p.m. MT on Sunday, Jan. 5 on CBS.

The NFL has finalized its Week 18 schedule to wrap up the 2024 regular season.

The league announced Sunday night that the Denver Broncos‘ game against the Kansas City Chiefs has been set for 2:25 p.m. MT on CBS on Sunday, Jan. 5. In-market fans can stream the game on on FuboTV.

Because they already have the No. 1 seed secured for homefield advantage in the playoffs, the Chiefs are expected to rest their key starters in Denver.

The Broncos, meanwhile, will aim to punch their ticket to the postseason in Week 18. Denver can clinch a playoff berth win a win (or tie) against KC.

View the team’s complete 2024 schedule below.

Denver Broncos 2024 Schedule

Week Date TV Opponent Time (MT) Broncos Tickets
1 9/8 CBS @ Seattle Seahawks 26-20 L
2 9/15 CBS  vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 13-6 L
3 9/22 FOX @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-7 W
4 9/29 CBS @ New York Jets 10-9 W
5 10/6 FOX vs. Las Vegas Raiders 34-18 W
6 10/13 CBS vs. Los Angeles Chargers 23-16 L
7 10/17 Amazon Prime Video @ New Orleans Saints 33-10 W
8 10/27 CBS vs. Carolina Panthers 28-14 W
9 11/3 CBS @ Baltimore Ravens 41-10 L
10 11/10 CBS @ Kansas City Chiefs 16-14 L
11 11/17 FOX vs. Atlanta Falcons 38-6 W
12 11/24 CBS @ Las Vegas Raiders 29-19 W
13 12/2 ESPN vs. Cleveland Browns 41-32 W
14 12/8 BYE
15 12/15 CBS vs. Indianapolis Colts 31-13 W
16 12/19 Prime @ Los Angeles Chargers 34-27 L
17 12/28 NFL Network @ Cincinnati Bengals 30-24 L
18  1/5 CBS vs. Kansas City Chiefs 2:25 p.m. Tickets

Denver has already secured its first winning season since 2016. One more victory would secure the team’s first postseason berth since 2015.

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Date and time announced for Chargers-Raiders Week 18 matchup

The Chargers will close out the season on the road against the Raiders.

The date, time and television network have officially been announced for the Chargers’ Week 18 game against the Raiders.

The two teams will play at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 5, at 1:25 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on CBS.

Los Angeles enters this contest already with a spot in the playoffs. However, if the Steelers lose to the Bengals next Saturday, the Bolts must beat the Raiders to secure the fifth seed in the Wild Card Round.

Las Vegas comes into this game riding a two-game win streak. They’re currently 4-12 and hold the No. 8 overall selection in the 2025 NFL draft.

The Chargers and Raiders last met in Week 1, and Los Angeles won, 22-10.

Saints have lost 11 games for the first time since infamous 2005 season

The New Orleans Saints have lost 11 games for the first time since their infamous 2005 season. Major changes are needed to right this ship:

The New Orleans Saints aren’t just bad in 2024 — they’re historically down bad in the team record books, or at least its encyclopedia at Pro Football Reference. The Saints lost to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, 25-10, which put them at 5-11 on the year with just one game left to play.

How bad is that? It’s the first time they’ve lost 11 or more games since the infamous 2005 season, which was derailed by Hurricane Katrina. The Saints went 3-13 that year. With the Superdome seriously damaged by the storm, the Saints played “home” games at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, the Alamo Dome in San Antonio (three times), and LSU’s Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge (four times). They were outscored 398-235 that season. This year, they’ve been outscored 371-319.

It’s been a long time since the team was this hard to watch. They never bottomed out like this with Drew Brees and Sean Payton leading the team. The Saints can’t take more half-measures and play it safe with hiring decisions. They must accept the reality they’ve made for themselves and rebuild this team from the ground up. That might start with moving on from Mickey Loomis, the longest-tenured general manager in the league, whose record without Payton is now 49-65. We’ll just have to wait and see whether team owner Gayle Benson agrees his time has run its course.

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Denver Broncos schedule: When is the team’s next game?

The Broncos are set to host the Chiefs in their regular season finale in Week 18.

The Denver Broncos are set to face the Kansas City Chiefs in their regular season finale in Week 18. The NFL has not yet announced a date and time for that AFC West showdown. The complete Week 18 schedule is expected to be announced tonight.

Denver will have played eight home games at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium this year and nine games on the road. Because the league has an unbalanced 17-game schedule, the NFC and AFC rotate between having an extra home game. This year, the NFC received a ninth home game.

The Broncos are led by head coach Sean Payton with rookie Bo Nix serving as their starting quarterback this fall.

View the team’s complete 2024 schedule below.

Denver Broncos 2024 Schedule

Week Date TV Opponent Time (MT) Broncos Tickets
1 9/8 CBS @ Seattle Seahawks 26-20 L
2 9/15 CBS  vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 13-6 L
3 9/22 FOX @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-7 W
4 9/29 CBS @ New York Jets 10-9 W
5 10/6 FOX vs. Las Vegas Raiders 34-18 W
6 10/13 CBS vs. Los Angeles Chargers 23-16 L
7 10/17 Amazon Prime Video @ New Orleans Saints 33-10 W
8 10/27 CBS vs. Carolina Panthers 28-14 W
9 11/3 CBS @ Baltimore Ravens 41-10 L
10 11/10 CBS @ Kansas City Chiefs 16-14 L
11 11/17 FOX vs. Atlanta Falcons 38-6 W
12 11/24 CBS @ Las Vegas Raiders 29-19 W
13 12/2 ESPN vs. Cleveland Browns 41-32 W
14 12/8 BYE
15 12/15 CBS vs. Indianapolis Colts 31-13 W
16 12/19 Prime @ Los Angeles Chargers 34-27 L
17 12/28 NFL Network @ Cincinnati Bengals 30-24 L
18 1/4 or 1/5 TBD vs. Kansas City Chiefs TBD Tickets

The Broncos have not returned to the playoffs since their Super Bowl-winning season in 2015. Now entering his second season on the job, Payton will aim to snap the club’s eight-year playoff drought with a win or tie in Week 18.

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Mechanical trouble kept Raiders from flying to New Orleans on schedule

Mechanical issues delayed the Las Vegas Raiders’ flight plans. They took off just 15 hours before kickoff with the New Orleans Saints:


The Las Vegas Raiders will be a bit delayed in arriving for their matchup with the New Orleans Saints ahead of Sunday’s game.

Upon their scheduled departure which was originally Saturday morning, there were mechanical issues discovered which prompt them to swap planes. Due to this, the team was set for takeoff at around 8:30 p.m. CT which would place their arrival time at about 11 p.m. or so.

Potentially a very long night for the Raiders.

Since this game is slotted in the early afternoon, players will likely not be getting much sleep ahead of their matchup which could ultimately have an effect on some. Anything that might throw a team off schedule or alter their routine will always come with the potential for issues of some sorts.

Let’s just hope that they arrive to New Orleans safely and that the impact is minimal.

Denver Broncos schedule: How many games are left this season?

The Broncos will face the Bengals in Week 17 and then wrap up the regular season at home against the Chiefs in Week 18.

The Denver Broncos are set to face the Cincinnati Bengals as part of a special Saturday tripleheader in Week 17 of the 2024 NFL season.

Denver will play eight home games at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium this year and nine games on the road. Because the league has an unbalanced 17-game schedule, the NFC and AFC rotate between having an extra home game. This year, the NFC gets a ninth home game.

The Broncos are led by head coach Sean Payton with rookie Bo Nix serving as their starting quarterback this fall.

View the team’s complete 2024 schedule below.

Denver Broncos 2024 Schedule

Week Date TV Opponent Time (MT) Broncos Tickets
1 9/8 CBS @ Seattle Seahawks 26-20 L
2 9/15 CBS  vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 13-6 L
3 9/22 FOX @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-7 W
4 9/29 CBS @ New York Jets 10-9 W
5 10/6 FOX vs. Las Vegas Raiders 34-18 W
6 10/13 CBS vs. Los Angeles Chargers 23-16 L
7 10/17 Amazon Prime Video @ New Orleans Saints 33-10 W
8 10/27 CBS vs. Carolina Panthers 28-14 W
9 11/3 CBS @ Baltimore Ravens 41-10 L
10 11/10 CBS @ Kansas City Chiefs 16-14 L
11 11/17 FOX vs. Atlanta Falcons 38-6 W
12 11/24 CBS @ Las Vegas Raiders 29-19 W
13 12/2 ESPN vs. Cleveland Browns 41-32 W
14 12/8 BYE
15 12/15 CBS vs. Indianapolis Colts 31-13 W
16 12/19 Prime @ Los Angeles Chargers 34-27 L
17 12/28 NFL Network @ Cincinnati Bengals 2:30 PM Tickets
18 1/4 or 1/5 TBD vs. Kansas City Chiefs TBD Tickets

The Broncos have not returned to the playoffs since their Super Bowl-winning season in 2015. Now entering his second season on the job, Payton will aim to snap the club’s eight-year playoff drought this fall.

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Wisconsin basketball leads the nation in an important offensive statistic

Wisconsin basketball leads the nation in an important statistic

Wisconsin basketball improved to 10-3 on the 2024-25 season with a 76-53 win over Detroit Mercy on Sunday.

The Badgers are now off through the remainder of 2024. They return to the court on Jan. 3, 2025, for a home matchup against Iowa. When that date comes, one key statistic should continue to define the team’s success.

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

That statistic: free-throw shooting.

The Badgers’ high rate and efficiency from the free throw line partially led to their 10-3 start, a start that is highlighted by big wins over Arizona and Pittsburgh.

Wisconsin currently averages 22.7 free throw attempts and 19.3 makes per game. That is good for a percentage of 85.1% — the best rate in the country.

The Badgers are closely followed by UC Irvine (83.2%), UTSA (82.4%) and UW-Green Bay (81.9%).

That efficiency has driven the Badgers’ best performances. They made 41 of 47 free throws (87.2%) in a 103-88 win over then-No. 9 Arizona, then 25 of 27 (92.6%) in a 83-74 win over Butler. They are a full 4.5 percentage points clear of the second-best free-throw-shooting team in the Big Ten (Michigan State, 80.5%) and a full 8.8 points ahead of the third-best (USC, 76.3%).

Wisconsin’s leaders at the line are wing John Tonje (94-of-100, 94%), guard John Blackwell (41-of-51, 80%), guard Max Klesmit (39-of-45, 86.7%) and forward Nolan Winter (24-of-29, 82.8%). As seen, Tonje’s rate and unmatched conversion is the biggest driving force behind the area being a significant strength.

The Badgers have gaps to fill once Big Ten play heats up, highlighted by rebounding and interior production. Out-shooting an opponent from the free throw line can mitigate any disadvantages. In Wisconsin’s case, it’s a big reason the team already has 10 wins to start the 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.