Marquette fires coach Steve Wojciechowski
The Steve Wojciechowski era at Marquette is done.
The school announced Friday that it had parted ways with Wojciechowski after seven seasons.
"After a thorough evaluation of our program over the last week, which included multiple conversations with Steve, I concluded that now is the right time for a new leader of our storied program," MU Vice President and Director of Athletics Bill Scholl said in a release. "I'm confident that our history of success and our commitment to developing young men who are leaders on and off the court will attract the highest caliber of coaching talent. I want to thank Steve for his dedication to our student-athletes, and for how he represented our men's basketball program and the university. We wish Steve, Lindsay, Jack and Charlie nothing but the best in the future."
Wojciechowski recruited at a high level, but it rarely showed up on the court. Marquette went 128-95 during his tenure and were below .500 in Big East play. The Golden Eagles went to the NCAA Tournament twice, losing in the first round both times.
Scholl said they will begin a national search for Wojciechowski's replacement immediately.
PODCAST: Tourney Time
Confidence in Badgers Basketball (0:00)
Roy Williams & North Carolina Success (17:02)
Sports Director Zach Heilprin (28:16)
Vegas Insider Raphael Esparza (39:49)
Wisconsin women's hockey beats Ohio State, will play for national title
The Wisconsin women's hockey team will play for its sixth national championship Saturday night against Northeastern.
The Badgers punched their ticket to the title game with a 4-2 win over Ohio State in one of the national semifinals Thursday in Erie, Penn.
https://twitter.com/NCAAIceHockey/status/1372719350428405760
Wisconsin pounced on its WCHA rival early, getting a goal from Makenna Webster just 79 seconds into the game. It stayed 1-0 until the second period when Casey O'Brien found the back of the net for her second goal of the season. Caitlin Schneider would make it 3-0 shortly thereafter with goal No. 3 on the year.
Ohio State made a game of it, cutting the lead to 3-2 and came within inches of tying it when a shot in the final minute hit the pipe. But Daryl Watts finally put the Buckeyes away with an empty-net goal with 13.9 seconds left.
Three players -- Webster, O'Brien and Schneider -- combined for eight points on the night to help the Badgers advance to their ninth title game overall.
UW got a really good effort from Kennedy Blair. The Buckeyes peppered the redshirt senior with 39 shots and she saved all but two of them.
Coach Mark Johnson and his team will now get ready to face top-seeded Northeastern, which will be making its first ever championship appearance. The Huskies ousted Minnesota-Duluth with a 3-2 win Thursday in the first semifinal.
Wisconsin and Northeastern have played nine times with the Badgers leading the series 5-2-2, though the last meeting came in 2017 and was a win for the Huskies.
Saturday's game is set for 6:30 p.m.
PODCAST: Red Flags
Badgers Associate Head Coach Mark Strobel & Hockey Insider Barry Richter (0:00)
Packers Continue to Restructure Contracts (15:53)
Packers Insider Rob Reischel (25:09)
Milwaukee Brewers Chatter (42:30)
Zach Heilprin
Zach Heilprin is the Sports Director for 96.7 FM / 1670 AM 'The Zone' and the Wisconsin Sports Zone Network. He joined the company in July of 2016 following three years as ESPN Wisconsin's beat writer for Badgers football and basketball. Prior to that, Heilprin spent two years covering the Green Bay Packers, also for ESPN Wisconsin, along with serving as a news reporter and anchor for a pair of radio stations in Beaver Dam, Wis.
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#Bucks make it official.
Hard to pass on Tyler Van Dyke at 150-1.
Latest episode of @theswing_wi is up. #Badgers guard Max Klesmit joins to talk about his hot stretch, what's working so well offensively for the team, the shot he took to the face vs Indiana and more.
The Swing: A Wisconsin Badgers Basketball Podcast: Max Klesmit joins the show, Badgers offense...
Show The Swing: A Wisconsin Badgers Basketball Podcast, Ep Max Klesmit joins the show, Badgers offense still roll...
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Bucks erase 19-point deficit to beat 76ers for fifth straight win
Milwaukee overcame an ugly first half to win its fifth straight game, this time a 109-105 overtime victory at Eastern Conference-leader Philadelphia.
The Bucks scored just 31 points in the first two quarters and trailed by 14 at the break. After a slow start to the second half that saw the 76ers take a 19-point lead, Milwaukee stormed back and trailed by just nine entering the fourth quarter. That's when Giannis Antetokounmpo took over, scoring 20 of his game-high 32 points in the final period and overtime, including a 7-0 run in the extra period to take control.
https://twitter.com/espn/status/1372364668170166272
Milwaukee's star added 15 rebounds and five assists as the Bucks pulled to with 1.5 games of Philadelphia and Brooklyn for the top spot in the East.
Donte DiVincenzo had 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals for Milwaukee, while Jrue Holiday finished with 19 points and six assists. Pat Connaughton contributed 12 rebounds and a couple of steals off the bench.
The Sixers, who were playing without MVP candidate Joel Embiid for a third straight game, got a triple-double from Ben Simmons. He had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists, while Tobias Harris had 19 points and nine assists. Danny Green had 18 points.
Milwaukee closed its 3-game road trip 3-0 and moved to 26-14 on the year. The club will now head back to Fiserv Forum to face San Antonio on Saturday.
Bucks reportedly acquire forward PJ Tucker in trade with Houston
Milwaukee has added a veteran piece in its effort to compete for an NBA title.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Bucks had acquired forward P.J. Tucker, forward Rodion Kurucs, and a 2022 first-round pick for guard D.J. Augustin, forward D.J. Wilson and a 2023 first-round pick. Milwaukee also moved forward Torrey Craig to Phoenix.
https://twitter.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1372328295090520068
The 35-year-old Tucker hasn't played since before the NBA All-Star break as the Rockets looked to move him. He gives Milwaukee another versatile frontcourt player that can defend multiple positions. His offensive numbers were down slightly this as Houston struggled on the court. Tucker averaged 4.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in his 32 appearances.
Wilson had played in just eight games for Milwaukee this year, while Augustin was averaging 6.0 points and 3.1 assists during his 19 minutes per game. Craig had played in just two of the last 10 games for the Bucks.
Packers: OLB Za'Darius Smith the latest to reportedly restructure his contract
Green Bay's push to get under the salary cap by Wednesday afternoon continues.
According to ESPN's Field Yates, outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith became the latest member of the Packers to restructure his deal.
https://twitter.com/FieldYates/status/1372211477415878656
Smith joins fellow outside linebacker Preston Smith, offensive lineman Billy Turner and safety Adrian Amos as guys that have restructured their contracts as the team attempts to get under the salary cap that is down significantly from last season due to the pandemic.
A contract extension for wide receiver Davante Adams and a restructured contract for Aaron Rodgers are other potential options for GM Brian Gutekunst to free up money.
PODCAST: Shuffling
Packers Restructuring (0:00)
Chicago Bears Hilarious Sitcom (10:13)
NFC North Franchises (26:25)
Greg Gard Comments (33:52)
Milwaukee Brewers Spring Update (42:45)
Wisconsin men's hockey team comes up short in bid for Big Ten Tournament title
An ugly second period was too much for the Wisconsin men's hockey team to overcome Tuesday night in a 6-4 loss to Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament title game.
The Badgers trailed 2-1 late in the second period when the Gophers exploded for three goals in just 2 minutes and 44 seconds of action to take a seemingly insurmountable lead to the final period.
But Wisconsin didn't go quietly. Mike Vorlicky cut it to a 3-goal deficit when he found the back of the net 4:05 into the third period. That was followed just minutes later by Roman Achan scoring his second goal of the game. Big Ten Player of the Year Cole Caufield made it a 5-4 game with 2:11 remaining, but that's as close as Wisconsin would get, as the Gophers finished the scoring with an empty net goal.
Owen Lindmark had a pair of assists for the Badgers, who lost for just the third time in their last 17 games.
Minnesota claimed its second Big Ten Tournament crown, while Wisconsin fell to 1-2 in championship games.
Coach Tony Granato and his club will now wait to see what kind of seed it will get when the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed Sunday.
