Tag: Wisconsin

Twitter reactions: Wisconsin takes down Nebraska 37-21

Here are some of the most notable Twitter reactions from the Wisconsin Badgers’ 37-21 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Madison.

It wasn’t easy by any stretch, but No. 14 Wisconsin ultimately took care of business and earned its seventh straight victory over Nebraska, taking down the Cornhuskers 37-21 yesterday afternoon in Lincoln. As a result, the 8-2 Badgers remain in the hunt for a Big Ten West title with two games left to go.

The events that took place at Memorial Stadium yesterday elicited a flood of reactions and takes throughout the Twitterverse, both during the game and after. Here are some of the most notable:

With its confidence back after last week’s thrilling victory over Iowa in Madison, Wisconsin appeared to be in high spirits in pre-game warmups.

However, that mood didn’t last long.

After marching down the field with ease into Nebraska territory on their first drive of the game, Jack Coan threw an errant pass to Jonathan Taylor out of the backfield. The All-American running back managed to haul it in with a sensational one-handed grab, but just couldn’t hang on and got the ball knocked out. Nebraska recovered and quickly seized the game’s momentum, going up 7-0 on Wisconsin after running back Dedrick Mills’ 12-yard touchdown run.

Unfortunately for the Cornhuskers, Wisconsin kick returner Aron Cruickshank immediately took the wind out of their sails on the ensuing kickoff, taking the kick all the way back for an electrifying 89-yard touchdown and tying up the game once more. It was the speedy sophomore’s first return touchdown of his career, and likely will not be the last.

While Wisconsin would end up claiming victory, many Badger fans are understandably concerned about the performance of this defense moving forward. It gave up a total of 493 yards against the Cornhuskers, the most the Badgers have allowed since the 511 it gave up in last season’s matchup with Nebraska at Camp Randall. Most concerning were the 273 yards it gave up on the ground, including a whopping 188 on just 17 carries from Mills.

A key factor in the defense’s woes yesterday? Missed tackles. A lot of them.

Overall, the unit’s performance was reminiscent of its awful outings against Illinois and Ohio State, a major red flag with the regular-season finale against Minnesota that will likely decide the Big Ten West looming

The next major galvanizing moment from the Badgers following Cruickshank’s touchdown return came about midway through the second quarter. Down 14-10 after a 5-play, 73-yard touchdown drive from the Cornhuskers, Coan hit A.J. Taylor over the middle on an easy pass. The senior wide receiver proceeded to break multiple tackles and scamper all the way into the end zone. At 55 yards, it was the longest pass play for Wisconsin on the year, and it gave the Badgers the lead for good in this one.

Taylor’s reception was part of a broader effort from Paul Chryst and offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph to get their weapons at wide receiver more involved in the offense this week, both to discourage Nebraska from loading the box against Jonathan Taylor and simply because they are talented playmakers.

Speaking of JT, he made history against the Cornhuskers by breaking the legendary Herschel Walker’s record for rushing yards in the first three years of a career on a run early in the fourth quarter.

Another week, another massive goal-line stop from this Wisconsin defense. Last week, it was Chris Orr stuffing Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley on a two-point conversion attempt late in the fourth quarter to keep the Hawkeyes down 24-22.

This week, it was Reggie Pearson’s turn. The redshirt freshman safety essentially sealed the victory for Wisconsin by making an incredible tackle on Nebraska running back Wyatt Mazour on the one-yard line on a 4th-and-goal attempt.

That was an enormous play by Pearson, who had a fantastic day overall by leading the Badgers with ten tackles. However, as usual, the day belonged to Jonathan Taylor, who racked up over 200 yards against this Nebraska program for the third straight season. He finished with 204 and two touchdowns on 25 carries, bringing his career totals against the Cornhuskers to 644 yards and seven scores.

Nebraska deserves credit for giving the Badgers quite the scare, but Wisconsin managed to close out the Cornhuskers and maintain possession of the Freedom Trophy for the seventh straight time in this rivalry.

We’ll close with this gem from Oakland Raiders linebacker Will Compton, who played at Nebraska from 2009-12 and has some thoughts on Wisconsin’s dominance of this rivalry over the years that Badger fans should enjoy.

Big Ten Quick Thoughts, Takes On Every Game: Week 12

Quick thoughts and takes on every Week 12 Big Ten game.

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Quick thoughts and takes on every Week 12 Big Ten game.

@PeteFiutak

Wisconsin 37, Nebraska 21

Adrian Martinez was fantastic. He was fast, decisive, and he looked like the star for the Husker offense everyone is hoping he’ll be. He threw for 220 yards and a score, ran for 89 yards and a touchdown, Dedrick Mills ran for 188 yards and a score, and Nebraska gained almost 500 yards …

And Nebraska lost by 16. 

Wisconsin got shoved around too much, struggled against the Nebraska running game, and gave up too many big plays, but Jonathan Taylor ran for 204 yards and two scores, QB Jack Coan was fine, Aron Cruickshank retuned a kick for a score, and the D came through when absolutely needed.

The Badgers need to win out and get a loss from Minnesota before they play on November 30th. Nebraska has to beat both Maryland on the road and against Iowa to go bowling.

Northwestern 45, UMass 6

Leave it to Northwestern to be the only team that couldn’t hang a gajillion points on the worst defense in college football. One of the scores came on a blocked field goal.

This was the game to have a whole lot of fun with the passing game. Aidan Smith completed 7-of-13 passes for 76 yards with two interceptions. Wheeeeee!

Evan Hull?! The freshman had four carries all year for 15 yards, and he ripped through the Minutemen for 220 yards and four scores on 24 carries. The Wildcats ran for 335 yards and five scores.

It’s going to take something amazing for the Wildcats to win another game with Minnesota and at Illinois to close. 2-10 would be the worst season since going 2-9 in 1993.

NEXT: Michigan 44, Michigan State 10; Penn State 34, Indiana 27

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Wisconsin-Nebraska highlights the need for better tackling in space

Reviewing one aspect of the Wisconsin Badgers’ 37-21 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

It is true that the Wisconsin Badgers continue to be dogged by injuries. It is true that injuries matter, and that one shouldn’t expect the same high level of performance from backup players. Against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, against Iowa, against Ohio State, this idea remains relevant and necessary.

One can question the performance of specific backups if they have gained a lot of snaps in the past, and have been demoted due to poor play. One can raise questions about the trajectory or development of specific players. Yet, for the most part, backups are backups for a reason, and starters are starters for a reason.

One thing starter-level players do better than backups is play sound assignment football. They aren’t out of position as often. They don’t get confused as often. They know where they are supposed to be. This point leads into an analysis of Wisconsin’s defense on Saturday against Nebraska.

One can note the injuries to UW’s defense and yet point out that a lot of the failures on this side of the ball are not flowing from defenders being out of position. Inexperience — due to Eric Burrell and Reggie Pearson getting hurt on Saturday — certainly played a part in shaping this defensive performance. Those injuries are relevant in assessing the Badgers. However, they can’t be allowed to tell the whole story of this game against the Huskers.

Many times on Saturday, Wisconsin defenders weren’t out of position. They weren’t caught off guard. They weren’t failing to diagnose a given play or action. They simply didn’t make the tackle.

How many times on Saturday in Lincoln was a Wisconsin defender one-on-one with a Nebraska ballcarrier in open space, and unable to make a sure tackle? How many times did the Badgers have a chance to get off the field in third down, only to fail to make a play Jim Leonhard and Paul Chryst would expect them to deliver? How many times were linebackers or safeties wondering how a Nebraska rusher slipped away?

One can chalk up some of these missed tackles to inexperience, but a lot of them were much less about football IQ and more about not trusting one’s athleticism and instincts. Wisconsin can’t remain on its heels to this extent when it plays defense. What’s worse is that the Badgers’ poor fourth quarter against Iowa ought to have led to a lucid, energized display in the first 30 minutes against Nebraska. Yet, that first half was as poor a half as Wisconsin’s defense had played all season.

Has the depth chart on this team gotten a workout this season? Yes. Has there been a lot of injury-based attrition this season? Yes. However, Wisconsin defenders were in position to make plays against Nebraska, and they simply failed. Wisconsin got away with it this time. It won’t get away with it against a good opponent. The task is clear for the remainder of this season, especially against Minnesota in a few weeks.

Top three takeaways from Wisconsin’s 37-21 victory over Nebraska

The No. 14 Wisconsin Badgers took down the Nebraska Cornhuskers 37-21 in Lincoln. Here are three takeaways from the game.

It wasn’t pretty, but No. 14 Wisconsin found a way to close against a pesky Nebraska team and will head back to Madison with the Freedom Trophy in hand on the heels of a 37-21 victory. As a result, the 8-2 Badgers remain in the hunt for a Big Ten West title with two games left to go.

Here are our top three takeaways from the win.

1. This Wisconsin defense has some soul searching to do. 

There’s no sugarcoating it; this was an absolutely atrocious performance from the Badgers defensively. Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard’s unit just didn’t have much of an answer to Nebraska’s dynamic spread offense all game long.

Wisconsin surrendered a total of 493 yards, the most the Badgers have allowed since the 511 it gave up in last season’s matchup between these programs at Camp Randall, including 220 through the air from quarterback Adrian Martinez and 273 on the ground.  The Cornhuskers averaged 7.4 yards per carry collectively, an effort spearheaded by a breakout outing from running back Dedrick Mills, who gashed Wisconsin for 188 yards and a touchdown while picking up an average of 11.1 yards each time he touched the ball.

While the coaches were largely ineffective in making adjustments throughout the game as the Cornhuskers picked up big play after big play, the Badgers simply could not tackle to save their lives. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so many missed tackles by a Wisconsin defense, and those mishaps resulted in far too many chunk plays that moved Nebraska rapidly down the field. To put this into perspective, not one of the Cornhuskers’ three touchdown drives took longer than 1:49.

While the Badgers do deserve some credit for making some critical fourth-down stops throughout the game, overall, this was an embarrassing effort that resembled the defensive debacles against Illinois and Ohio State. Wisconsin has some major adjustments to make before taking on an explosive Minnesota offense for a potential shot at a Big Ten West title in a few weeks.

2. Wisconsin’s special teams got the job done today.

The play of special teams can often go underappreciated, but today, there’s no question that they played a critical role in Wisconsin’s victory.

That conversation begins with Aron Cruickshank, whose electrifying kickoff return touchdown in the first quarter gave the Badgers a much-needed boost in momentum following a Nebraska score.

Mills had just scampered into the end zone from 12 yards out to give his team a 7-0 lead after the Cornhuskers recovered a Jonathan Taylor fumble in Wisconsin territory. It was a devastating turn of events, as the Badgers had been running the ball down Nebraska defense’s throat on their first drive and were threatening to score before the turnover. The momentum dramatically shifted to the home team.

It didn’t last for long, as Cruickshank proceeded to completely take the wind out of the Cornhuskers’ sails on the very next play.

The sophomore’s 89-yard house call was the first return touchdown of his young career, and it came in a huge moment for his team. Cruickshank has always had blazing speed,  and it was only a matter of time before he found the end zone in the return game.

Credit is also due to placekicker Collin Larsh, who accounted for 13 of Wisconsin’s 37 points while going 3/3 and 4/4 on field goal and extra-point attempts, respectively.

3. Jonathan Taylor owns Nebraska.

Though they weren’t able to get the win today, it’s safe to say the Cornhuskers and their fans have got to be ecstatic that they will never again have to worry about facing Jonathan Taylor, assuming he takes his talents to the NFL after this season as we all suspect.

For the third straight season, Nebraska had no answer for All-American back. Taylor carried this Wisconsin offense on his back today, turning his 25 carries into 204 yards and two touchdowns and breaking the legendary Herschel Walker’s record for rushing yards in the first three years of a career in the process. Assuming there is no fourth year, Taylor will conclude his storied college career with 644 yards and seven touchdowns in just three meetings with the Cornhuskers.

Taylor was in the midst of a bit of a cold spell that coincided with Wisconsin’s two losses to Illinois and Ohio State, but he’s gotten back to his usual dominance in these last two games. The Badgers desperately need him to keep the momentum going down the home stretch.

Wisconsin’s play vs. Nebraska won’t cut it against Minnesota

An initial reaction to the Wisconsin Badgers’ victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

The Wisconsin Badgers defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday. They won by 16 points. They won without too much drama. Yet, given how flawed the Huskers are, a strong Wisconsin team would have blown the doors off this game. As it was, Nebraska was still in the hunt midway through the fourth quarter. Wisconsin needed a red-zone stop to finally feel good about this game. Until then, the Badgers had to legitimately doubt whether they could put away Nebraska.

That is a problem. Victory should not — and cannot — obscure that reality. Wisconsin handled a bad team well enough to win, but not nearly well enough to inspire confidence about the Nov. 30 matchup against Minnesota on the road. We will continue to unpack various nuances of that game — it’s not as though next week’s Purdue game will offer a hugely revealing insight into the Minnesota contest — but for now, we can simply assert this basic point: Wisconsin’s level of play was nowhere near what Paul Chryst needs it to be against Minnesota.

If the Badgers play like this against the Golden Gophers, they might not merely lose. They might get run out of the building and feel very dissatisfied about the nature of their season. Sure, Minnesota is impressive (we’ll see if the Gophers beat Iowa; this article was written before the start of that game in Iowa City). If the Gophers happen to beat the Badgers by playing a phenomenal game, so be it. Wisconsin can’t control how well Minnesota plays. Wisconsin can control how the Badgers play, and right now, the Badgers aren’t playing particularly well, especially on defense.

Yes, the offense still needs work. Jonathan Taylor can’t keep fumbling (his fumble at Illinois was very costly). Jack Coan has to be more accurate. The offense isn’t a finished product. Yet, the offensive line is knocking the snot out of opposing defensive fronts. Wisconsin can beat Minnesota based on the way the O-line is performing.

On defense, however? Good luck standing up to Minnesota’s speed at wide receiver or the Gophers’ pace, or P.J. Fleck’s scheme. If Nebraska could bust open big holes; if the Huskers could gain first downs with the run on third and seven; if Scott Frost could make Jim Leonhard’s defense look bad for most of the first three quarters; if a 34-14 lead wasn’t entirely safe (and it wasn’t, not with Nebraska being 15 yards from making the score 34-28); and if the back seven was slow to defend a number of downfield pass plays yet again, how will Wisconsin contain Minnesota’s offense?

That question — as we come closer to Nov. 30 — has to dominate coaches’ meetings. It has to be a central talking point on the practice field. It has to be the topic Wisconsin’s defensive players think about. What happened against Nebraska wasn’t acceptable. Victory can’t allow the Badgers’ defense to ignore that point.

Wisconsin-Nebraska odds: Cornhuskers big underdogs at home

Previewing Saturday’s Wisconsin Badgers at Nebraska Cornhuskers college football matchup, with NCAA football betting odds, picks and best bets

The Wisconsin Badgers (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten West) and Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-5, 2-4) square off in Lincoln Saturday at noon p.m. ET, as the home side is looking to spring the upset and keep its faint postseason hopes alive.

We analyze the Wisconsin-Nebraska odds and betting lines, while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.

Wisconsin at Nebraska: Three things you need to know

1. After opening the season 5-1 against the spread, the Badgers are 0-3 ATS across the past three. The Badgers allowed just 29 total points over their first six, but have yielded 84 total points in the past three.

2. Badgers RB Jonathan Taylor continues to chug along, posting a Big Ten-best 1,259 rushing yards with 19 total touchdowns. He leads Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins for the conference title by 59 yards and four touchdowns.

3. Despite allowing 84 total points over the past three, the Badgers are still third in the nation in total yards allowed (233.3) and passing yards allowed (147.0) per game. They’re also seventh in the country with just 12.6 PPG allowed.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!

Wisconsin at Nebraska: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 2:15 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Wisconsin 37, Nebraska 13

Moneyline (ML)

The last time the Badgers (-910) faced off against the Cornhuskers (+445) they were 41-24 winners in Madison back on Oct. 6, 2018. You can expect similar results in this one, as the Huskers just seem to be stuck in neutral. While the Badgers ‘should’ win, remember the Illini game. They fell hard in Champaign when favored by 30.5 points, proving nothing is a guarantee. Avoid the ML when it is more than -160 or -170.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on Wisconsin to win would return a profit of $1.10.

Against the Spread (ATS)

WISCONSIN (-14.5, -106) should come in focused and with a legit chance at a spot in the Big Ten title game should Minnesota slip up in its battle for Floyd of Rosedale at Iowa, as well as its battle Nov. 30 in the Twin Cities vs. these Badgers.

Nebraska (+14.5, -115) shouldn’t offer up much resistance here. While Wisconsin’s 2-5 ATS mark in the past seven road games and 1-4 ATS mark in the past five Big Ten tilts is worrisome, let me quell your concerns. The Huskers are 0-6 ATS in the past six league games and 0-5 ATS in the past five vs. winning sides.

Over/Under (O/U)

The total (50.5) is going to be a close shave, and I really have no lean one way or the other. Wisconsin can pile up the points, but its strength is on the ground which tends to lead to Under results. The Under is 5-1 in the Badgers past six on the road, but the Over is 13-5-1 in the Cornhuskers past 19 inside the Big Ten.

Get some action on this game or others, place a bet with BetMGM today. And for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

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Notre Dame Hockey: Eight Game Unbeaten Streak Snapped

Reigning Big Ten “Third Star of the Week” Cale Morris made 32 saves on 34 shot attempts but the Irish were unable to light the lamp all night while allowing two power play goals to the Badgers.

For the first time this season in Big Ten play the No. 3/4 Notre Dame hockey team fell in regulation and failed to pick up a point as No. 15 Wisconsin bested them 3-0 Friday night in Madison, Wisconsin.

Reigning Big Ten “Third Star of the Week” Cale Morris made 32 saves on 34 shot attempts but the Irish were unable to light the lamp all night while allowing two power play goals to the Badgers.

The Irish went 0-for-1 on the power play while Daniel Lebedoff stopped all 22 shots the Irish put on net Friday night, securing the shutout for Wisconsin.

Notre Dame goes for the series split Saturday night in Madison as the puck drops again at 8 p.m. E.T.

Wisconsin-Marquette, in 2019, is extra personal for both sides

The meeting between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Marquette Golden Eagles is very personal, for two clear reasons.

Sunday’s game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Marquette Golden Eagles at the Kohl Center in Madison will be fierce and intense, just as every game is between Wisconsin and Marquette. The two schools always pour their emotions into this game. It always matters. It always stirs the soul.

This year, though, the battle between the Badgers and the Golden Eagles will be even more personal than it normally is. Really, you might be asking? What could be the reason to make a statement like that? The answer to the question is deceptively simple. There are two reasons why UW-Marquette packs more of a punch in 2019. Those reasons are named Joey Hauser and Sam Hauser.

Makes sense, right? Joey and Sam Hauser played for Marquette last season. Now they don’t. Joey transferred to Michigan State, Sam to Virginia. Those two schools are not Wisconsin. We are left with the simple reality that the Hauser brothers didn’t initially go to Wisconsin, and didn’t transfer there. They also, however, left Marquette and didn’t think it was worth it to stick with Steve Wojciechowski. Both schools have been stung by the rejection of the Hauser brothers.

To be clear, what young athletes choose to do with their careers is not a manifestation or reflection of morality or ethics. Playing at one school is not a more noble (or impoverished) decision than playing at another. A transfer is not an act of betrayal. None of this has anything to do with the character of a person, and should not be seen as a direct or implied criticism of the Hausers (or any other athletes who transfer). I am merely noting that in 2019, Marquette and Wisconsin are both taking the court without a Hauser brother in either program. The two brothers from Stevens Point, Wis., will not be found in Madison on Sunday.

You know Marquette wants to prove it can beat Wisconsin for a million different reasons, but winning without the Hausers is certainly one of the more prominent ones. You know Wisconsin wants to pounce on Marquette, early in the season, to make a statement about the balance of college basketball power in this state.

It is sometimes the case that the absence of a person — or two persons — from a building is noticed more than the presence of any other individuals. Wisconsin will feel the absence of Micah Potter from this game, but other than Potter, are two people going to be noticed more by their absence from Sunday’s contest than Sam and Joey Hauser? Those brothers, no longer playing college basketball in the state of Wisconsin, will definitely be noticed on Sunday. The next question: Which school will lament that absence more when Sunday’s game is over?

Marquette comeback against Purdue gets Wisconsin’s attention

Looking at the Marquette Golden Eagles’ win over the Purdue Boilermakers before Marquette faces the Wisconsin Badgers on Sunday.

The shiny object found in the Marquette Golden Eagles’ 65-55 win over the Purdue Boilermakers on Wednesday night was the 40-point second half the Golden Eagles slapped on Matt Painter’s crew. If Marquette has established an identity in recent years, it is that it can explode on offense at any time. Markus Howard can break free. Seton Hall might have Myles Powell, but Howard makes sure that Marquette always has as much firepower as the opposition, if not more. A 40-point second half is on brand for MU and Steve Wojciechowski.

Yet, while looking at the shiny object — 40 points after halftime in a relatively low-scoring game — one shouldn’t ignore the more substantive aspect of a game in which Marquette came back from a 13-point halftime deficit (38-25). The Golden Eagles held Purdue to just 17 points after the intermission.

If Marquette — which got run off the floor by Ja Morant and Murray State in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament — is to improve as a program and become more of a national force in the Big East Conference, it will come at the defensive end of the floor. Being good enough and tough enough to hold Purdue to 17 points in a half sends a very positive message before Marquette faces the Wisconsin Badgers on Sunday. Such a feat is… well… very Wisconsin-like.

As we size up the Golden Eagles before they visit the Kohl Center on Sunday afternoon, we are brought in touch with a fundamental question: As good as Marquette was in that second half, was the 40-17 drubbing the Golden Eagles handed to the Boilermakers a primary product of MU’s ability to adjust, or was it more a result of Purdue not finding an answer to the departure of Carsen Edwards?

From the Marquette side of the equation, the Golden Eagles have to feel confident they can defend at a high level. They can’t control Purdue’s limitations; they got punched in the mouth in the first half and could have wobbled. Instead, they roared back against a team which came within an eyelash of making the Final Four last spring. Marquette did what was within its power to do. To that extent, the Golden Eagles deserve ample credit.

It is the Purdue dimension of this question which is more encouraging to Wisconsin. Purdue, for those not getting up to speed on college basketball as football enters its crucial home stretch, lacked answers at crunch time versus Texas — in Mackey Arena — a few days earlier. If Purdue had solved Texas but then stumbled against Marquette, the Golden Eagles could be viewed in a more favorable light. Because Purdue couldn’t use home-court advantage well against a previous opponent, however, this loss to Marquette seems like a trend more than a plot twist or an aberration.

Wisconsin can therefore look at Purdue and arrive at the conclusion that Marquette pounced on an especially vulnerable opponent. Wisconsin can look at the statistics and see that Marquette shot just 7 of 25 from 3-point range and won by 10… because Purdue was just 6 of 24 from long distance and a shocking 9 of 21 from the free throw line. If Purdue can’t stand on its own this season without Carsen Edwards, Wisconsin — lacking Micah Potter for no legitimately good reason — can stand on the strength of its balance and its defense.

Wisconsin doesn’t just have a chance to beat Marquette this Sunday. The Badgers can send a message to Purdue and the rest of the Big Ten about their resourcefulness, their balance, and their quality. Just imagine what a win without Potter could do for a team which is still settling into this season. A win over Marquette would settle some scores and enable Wisconsin to feel a lot more settled and calm about its long-term prospects.

Three Marquette players who Badger fans need to know

Wisconsin hosts Marquette at the Kohl Center this weekend. Badger fans should be sure to know these three opposing players.

Wisconsin hosts Marquette at the Kohl Center on Sunday afternoon in this year’s chapter of one of the nation’s most heated rivalries.

The Badgers are 2-1 following their 83-63 victory over McNeese State at home on Wednesday night, while the Golden Eagles are 2-0 and coming off of an impressive 65-55 win over a solid Purdue team in Milwaukee that same evening. Marquette has maintained bragging rights over Wisconsin the last two seasons, taking care of business against Bucky at the Fiserv Forum in a 74-69 overtime thriller a year ago.

While the Golden Eagles lost two huge pieces of their program as a result of the Hauser brothers’ decisions to transfer, head coach Steve Wojciechowski will still have plenty of talent at his disposal this season, and this should be a Top 25-caliber group all year long.

Here are the three Golden Eagles who Badger fans should keep a close eye on throughout Saturday’s contest.

1. Markus Howard – Guard

2019 stats: 28.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 53.1% FG, 58.8% 3P, 92.3 % FT

You can’t break down Marquette’s roster by starting with any player other than Howard, the Golden Eagles’ all-time leading scorer who just went over 2,000 points for his career this week.

The 5-11 senior has become a household name as a result of the monster scoring numbers he has put up throughout his career. Last season was his best yet, as Howard was the Big East Player of the Year and earned consensus Second Team All-American honors after ranking fifth nationally in scoring at 25 points per game.

Howard is off to another scorching start this year for the Golden Eagles through two games, opening the season with a 38-point outburst against Loyola Maryland and following up that performance with 18 points in Marquette’s victory over Purdue.

He has averaged 24 points per game against Wisconsin throughout his career, including 27 in Marquette’s overtime win at Fiserv Forum last year. However, Howard was held largely in check by the Badgers in terms of his production from the field, shooting just 7-29 for the game.

2. Theo John – Forward

2019 stats: 6.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 4.5 bpg, 55.6% FG, 50.0% FT

Feb 12, 2019; Chicago, IL, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles forward Theo John (4) blocks a shot by DePaul Blue Demons forward Paul Reed (4) during the first half at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nuccio DiNuzzo-USA TODAY Sports

The Big East’s leader in blocks per game last season, the 6-9, 255-pound John is a force to be reckoned with in the paint. The junior forward isn’t exactly an impact player from a scoring standpoint, but he has utilized his massive frame to become one of the nation’s top post defenders and a monster on the boards to boot.

It’s safe to assume that John will likely be matched up with Nate Reuvers quite a bit on Sunday, which does not bode well for the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week’s production down low in this matchup. In fact, with him looming in the paint, the Badgers as a whole could have a rough go of it scoring near the basket.

What does this mean? For a team that has often been either extremely hot or cold from beyond the arc with little room in between so far this season, Wisconsin better hope the shots are falling from long range in this one.

3. Koby McEwen – Guard

2019 stats: 17.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.0 spg, 50% FG, 60% 3P, 88.9% FT

With Sam and Joey Hauser out of the picture after packing their bags for Virginia and Michigan State, respectively, there were questions surrounding this Marquette team leading into the season regarding who on the roster would step up as a secondary scoring option to Howard.

After the Golden Eagles’ first two games, it appears as though McEwen may be the answer.

The redshirt junior sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules after coming over from Utah State, where he averaged 15.3 points per game in his two seasons there. McEwen was a Third Team All-Mountain West selection in 2017-18 after leading the Aggies in scoring and rebounding at 15.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

The 6-4 guard has clearly been Marquette’s second-best player so far, making an impact as a scorer, facilitator, rebounder, and defender. McEwen heads into Saturday’s matchup with Wisconsin on the heels of an impressive performance against Purdue in which he racked up 23 points, five rebounds, and 4 assists.