The Swing: Wisconsin gets its NCAA Tourney assignment, looking back at a great week in Minneapolis

The Badgers know their opening round opponent in the NCAAs. Zach and Jesse talk about the game against James Madison, but also look back at a great performance by the team in Minneapolis and what it means for them in the Big Dance. They close by answering some of your Twitter questions. 


Badgers get No. 5 seed in South Region, draw 12th-seeded James Madison

A year after having to play in the NIT and watch the NCAA Tournament on TV, the Wisconsin basketball team is back in the Big Dance.

The 68-team bracket was announced Sunday with the Badgers learning they would be the No. 5 seed in the South Region and face 12th-seeded James Madison on Friday night in Brooklyn with tip set for 8:40 CT. A win would mean taking on 4th-seeded Duke or 13th-seeded Vermont on Sunday at Barclays Center.

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The Dukes come into the tournament riding the longest winning streak in the country at 13 and ended up a school-record 31 wins on the year. They finished second to Appalachian State in the Sun Belt Conference during the regular season, but ended up rolling through the conference tournament and beating Arkansas State for the title.

James Madison is led by senior Terrance Edwards who averages 17.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. The 6-foot-6 guard is complimented by two-time transfer forward TJ Bickerstaff's 13.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. South Dakota State transfer Noah Friedel also scores in double figures at 12.1 points per game, while freshman Jaylen Carey gives the Dukes a lift of the bench with 7.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Coached by Mark Byington, James Madison stunned the college basketball world early in the season, taking down top-5 Michigan State on the road in overtime. The three losses consisted of two against Appalachian State and one at Southern Mississippi. The Dukes finished 52 in the NCAA's Net Rankings, one of the data points used by the selection committee to determine which teams make the tournament and those that don't.

Wisconsin and James Madison have just two common opponents -- the Spartans and Arkansas State. The Badgers beat Michigan State twice, while they opened the season by dropping the Red Wolves 105-76. In addition to beating the Spartans, the Dukes beat Arkansas State twice, including by 20 in the conference title game last week.

While many will be picking James Madison in an upset, the Badgers will enter playing some of their best basketball of the season. After losing eight of 11 coming into the Big Ten Tournament, Wisconsin handled Maryland by 31, took down Northwestern, upset top-seeded Purdue and gave Illinois all it could handle before falling.

This will be the fifth time the Badgers have been the No. 5 seed in the tournament. Three of those previous trips -- 1999, 2013 and 2019 -- ended with first-round losses to the No. 12 seed. The other time came in 2003 when they made a run to the Sweet 16 before falling to No. 1 Kentucky.


(5) Wisconsin 70, (4) Northwestern 61: Last word

MINNEAPOLIS -- Fifth-seeded Wisconsin erased an 11-point first-half deficit on its way to a 70-61 win over fourth-seeded Northwestern in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday afternoon.

Player of the Game: AJ Storr

AJ Storr has been Wisconsin’s leading scorer more often than not this season. It’s what led to him pacing the Badgers at 16.7 points per game. But he wasn’t always an efficient scorer. On Friday, that’s exactly what he was in posting a career-high 30 points on just 16 shots to make sure Wisconsin made it to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the first time since 2019. Northwestern had no one that could stay in front of the athletic wing as he got into the lane at will. Once he established his rhythm there, he was able to step outside and knock down three of the five shots he took from deep. The sophomore was also part of a strong defensive effort, limiting the Wildcats to just 37.5% shooting.

The good: Steven Crowl

A day after going 7-for-8 and scoring 17 points in 18 minutes, Crowl put together another strong effort in Wisconsin’s win. He posted 19 points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes, while dishing out three assists. He did a bunch of damage from beyond the arc, too, going 3-for-5 and is now shooting 66.7% in the tournament from deep. It is that aggressive nature that his teammates and coaches have been calling for all season and it’s exactly what the Badgers need from the 7-footer to make noise next week when the NCAA Tournament begins.

The not so good: Injuries

Wisconsin played without point guard Chucky Hepburn as he was battling a knee injury from the previous day. That forced John Blackwell into the game, who promptly injured his right ankle in the first half and spent time in the locker room getting treated before returning. Later in the game, Tyler Wahl bumped knees with a Northwestern player while chasing a guy around a screen and also got treatment.

One good thing out of the game, though, was others stepping up. Kamari McGee, Max Klesmit and Blackwell handled the point guard duties for Hepburn, while Markus Ilver helped lessen the loss of Wahl to the injury and foul trouble.

Stat of the Game: 29

That is how many points Northwestern star Boo Buie had as he torched the Badgers. But 16 of those came in the first eight minutes of the game. After that, Wisconsin did a much better job on Buie, especially Klesmit, who got physical and made a significant effort to deny him the ball. That focus forced the Wildcats to trust others to step up and it didn’t happen. Guys not named Buie went 11-for-38 (28.9%) from the field for the game.

In Case You Missed It

— Coach Greg Gard said he found out about 30 minutes before the game that Hepburn was not going to be able to play. His status for Saturday’s game against Purdue is unclear.

— Wisconsin faced an 11-point deficit just eight minutes into the game. The Badgers answered it with a 14-0 to take a 26-23 lead and never trailed again in the game.

— After one of his 3-pointers, Crowl ran back down the court holding three fingers right in the face of the guy that was guarding him.

-- This is the first time since 2017 that Wisconsin has won multiple games at the Big Ten Tournament. The Badgers have never made it the championship game when they haven't been a top-4 seed.

What’s next?

Wisconsin (21-12) will face No. 1 seed Purdue (29-3) in the semifinals on Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis with tipoff coming at noon.


Wisconsin 87, Maryland 56: Last word

MINNEAPOLIS — Fifth-seeded Wisconsin used some hot shooting and strong defense to roll past 12th-seeded Maryland 87-56 on Thursday afternoon in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.

Player of the Game: Steven Crowl

It’s not totally accurate to say "as Steven Crowl goes, so goes the Badgers," but his importance can’t be understated. Coming into the game, Wisconsin was 14-4 when Crowl played at least 29 minutes and 5-8 when he didn’t. That latter record improved Thursday because Crowl got his work done early and didn’t need to be on the floor for much of the second half. He scored 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting, including going a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. His day was done after four minutes to open the second half and he ended up playing just 18 total. But his efficiency in the limited minutes was off the charts.

The good: The 3-point shooting

Wisconsin has not been a good 3-point shooting team this year. Through 31 games, the Badgers were making just 33% of their shots from deep. But they started out hot against Maryland and never truly cooled off. Crowl hit the first one, followed by AJ Storr and then Chucky Hepburn. As a team, they hit their first six and ended up going 10-for-13 in the first half. They hit six more after the break to finish 16-for-25. It was the Badgers most 3-pointers in a Big Ten Tournament game and tied for the third-most in any game. Eight different guys hit at least one.

The not so good: A little sloppy

As good as Wisconsin was on offense, they were still a little loose with the ball. They turned it over 13 times, which Maryland turned into 13 points.

Stats of the Game: 25

That is how many assists Wisconsin had 31 made field goals. It was the Badgers most in a game this season and the most it has had in a postseason game. Hepburn accounted for eight of them, which matched a career-high. His backcourt mate, Max Klesmit, had five.

What They Said

Wisconsin coach Greg Gard

"I think we're starting to see more of what we were back in January. I felt that the last week or so, that we were trending back in the right direction and really starting to click, and today it showed again."

In Case You Missed It

— The game was a homecoming of sorts for Crowl, Tyler Wahl and Nolan Winter. The trio all grew up in the Minneapolis area and had plenty of family and friends in the crowd.

— Blackwell went 4-for-6 from beyond the arc and is now 10 for his last 17 over the last five games. He has also scored at least 17 points in three-straight games.

-- Wisconsin's much-maligned defense had a strong game, limiting Maryland to just .889 points per possession. The Terrapins 56 points were their fewest in their last nine games.

-- Connor Essegian came off the bench firing. After playing a total of two minutes in the last two games, the sophomore scored nine straight points for the Badgers, including a pair of 3-pointers. They were his first made shots from the field since Feb. 10.

— Hepburn was dealing with a right knee injury Thursday. Several times he left the bench area to try and stay loose while he wasn’t in the game.

— Wisconsin set or tied six school Big Ten Tournament records in Thursday’s game.

Points: 87
Field goals: 31
3-pointers: 16
3-point %: 64%
Rebounds: 42
Assists: 25

What’s next?

Wisconsin (20-12) will face fourth-seeded Northwestern (21-10) on Friday afternoon in Minneapolis with tipoff coming around 1:30 p.m.


The Camp: Luke Fickell's 'humbling' first season at Wisconsin, efforts to adjust in Year 2

Jesse got a 1-on-1 with Luke Fickell this week. The guys discuss his comments on an up-and-down first season in Madison, why he called it a humbling experience, his efforts to adjust heading into Year 2 and more. 

You can read Jesse's article here. 


Brewers lose closer Devin Williams for three months

Milwaukee will be without its top reliever for at least the first half of the season.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Wednesday night that Devin Williams will miss three months due to a pair of stress fractures in his back.

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Williams pitched two times this spring, giving up four runs in just 1 1/3 innings.

The loss is immense for the Brewers. Williams is a two-time winner of the NL Reliever of the Year and has made the MLB All-Star Game in back-to-back years. The 2023 season may have been his best, posting a 1.53 ERA, his lowest in a full season in his career, while ranking fourth in the NL with 36 saves.

Two potential replacements for Williams are Joel Payamps and Abner Uribe. Payamps had three saves last season, while Uribe had one in 32 appearances.

Milwaukee will open the season March 28 in New York against the Mets.


Packers bringing All-Pro KR Keisean Nixon back on a 3-year deal

Green Bay is re-signing one of its own free agents.

The NFL Network reported Tuesday afternoon that All-Pro kick returner Keisean Nixon was sticking around on a three-year, $18 million deal that could be worth as much as $19.2 million.

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In his second year with the Packers, Nixon was an important piece on special teams and defense. He led the NFL in kick return yardage for a second-straight season, posting more 20+ yard returns than anyone else and two 40+ yard returns. The 26-year-old also played an increased role as the team's slot corner, starting 13 of the 17 games. He played 73% of the defensive snaps, posting 80 tackles, three tackles for loss, with one interception and six passes defended.

Nixon is the second of the team's free agents to re-sign with the club, joining tight end Tyler Davis. Several others, including safety Darnell Savage (Jaguars) and guard Jon Runyan Jr (Giants), have agreed to sign elsewhere.


4 Wisconsin players earn Big Ten honors

Four Wisconsin players were recognized when the Big Ten released its all-conference teams and award winners late Tuesday morning.

AJ Storr, who led the Badgers in scoring at 16.2 points per game, was a consensus second-team All-Big Ten selection. The only sophomore to score more points per game at Wisconsin in the last 20 years than Storr was Johnny Davis two years ago when he was the Big Ten Player of the Year on his way to being a lottery pick in the NBA.

Two other Badgers -- senior Tyler Wahl and junior Chucky Hepburn -- earned honorable mention from the coaches. It was the second straight year for Hepburn, while Wahl got the honor for a second time in three years. Hepburn was also named to the conference's all-defensive team, the first Wisconsin player to make it since Zak Showalter and Ethan Happ made it in 2017.

Meanwhile, John Blackwell became the third Badgers guard in as many years to be named to the all-freshman team as chosen by the coaches. He was a four-time winner of Big Ten Freshman of the Week while averaging 8.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

Purdue's Zach Edey was named the Big Ten Player of the Year for a second straight season, while his coach Matt Painter and Nebraska's Fred Hoiberg shared Big Ten Coach of the Year honors.


Packers add one of the top safeties on free agent market

Safety is expected to take on added importance in new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley's scheme and Green Bay put its wallet behind that notion Monday when agreeing to a deal with free agent Xavier McKinney.

ESPN's Adam Schefter was the first to report the deal, including it being for four years and $68 million.

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1767279431817543949?s=20

The 24-year-old McKinney spent the first four years of his career with the New York Giants after being drafted out of Alabama in the second round in 2020. Limited to six games as a rookie, McKinney started 42 of a possible 51 games the last three years, including all 17 in 2023. He totaled eight interceptions and 26 passes defended in those three seasons. That included three picks, 11 pass breakups and a career-high 116 tackles this past year.

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Pro Football Focus ranked him among the top-10 safeties against the pass and against the rush in 2023, while also being a sure tackler. He will step into a safety room that will likely have even more new faces before a snap is taken this fall. Already gone is Darnell Savage, who agreed to a three-year deal with Jacksonville on Monday, while Rudy Ford and Jonathan Owens are also free agents.


Packers reportedly adding former Raiders RB Josh Jacobs, cutting Aaron Jones

The Green Bay Packers have not been involved much in free agency the last few years. The team announced its return with a splash on the first day teams could negotiate with players, agreeing to terms with Las Vegas running back Josh Jacobs.

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Jacobs, a 2019 first-round pick, has run for 5,545 yards and 46 touchdowns, while adding 1,448 yards receiving in five seasons. After holding out of the preseason last year in an effort to get a new contract, Jacobs ran for a career-low 805 yards (3.5 yards per carry) in 13 games. His best year came in 2022 when he put up 1,653 yards rushing, 2,053 total yards and was named first-team All-Pro.

The 26-year-old will take over as the lead back following the team's decision to part ways with Aaron Jones after seven seasons. The two sides reportedly tried to redo his contract to lower his salary cap number but were unable to do so. Depending on how they designate the cut, it will save the team $12 million (post-June 1) or $5 million (before the start of the league year on Wednesday.)

It had to be a tough choice for GM Brian Gutekunst after seeing how different the team's offense looked with Jones on the field in the second half of the season. He finishes his career with 8,016 yards total yards, the seventh-most in team history, while also scoring 63 touchdowns.

AJ Dillon is also not expected back, leaving second-year players Emmanuel Wilson as the only running back under contract right now.