Wisconsin running back enters transfer portal
Nakia Watson’s time in Madison has come to an end.
As first reported by Josh Schafer of 247Sports, the Wisconsin running back has entered the NCAA’s transfer portal.
Watson started four of Wisconsin’s seven games, but did not play in the final two contests of the season for undisclosed reasons. He carried 53 times for 191 yards (3.6 yards per carry) and three touchdowns this year. The Texas product finished his career with 522 yards and five touchdowns.
Though Watson was the starter to open the year, true freshman Jalen Berger had overtaken him by the end of the season and appears to be the future of the position. The New Jersey native led Wisconsin in rushing with 301 yards despite not playing in three games.
Watson has three years of eligibility remaining and will be allowed to play immediately wherever he ends up transferring.
In addition to Berger, Wisconsin’s running back depth chart still includes sophomore Isaac Guerendo, redshirt freshman Julius Davis, while the Badgers also added three running backs in their 2021 recruiting class.
It’s possible that senior Garrett Groshek returns for a sixth season and Wisconsin is also reportedly in the mix for former 4-star recruit Markese Stepp, who announced his transfer from USC last month.
Packers: LT David Bakhtiari reportedly suffers season-ending knee injury
The top scoring offense in the NFL reportedly took a huge hit Thursday.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice.
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1344795241379991553
Bakhtiari was named to the Pro Bowl earlier this month and is a two-time All-Pro. According to Pro Football Focus, he has allowed just one sack this season while playing 420 snaps.
Green Bay played three games without Bakhtiari earlier this year after he suffered a chest injury in a loss to Tampa Bay. In those three games, they went with Billy Turner at left tackle and had Rick Wagner at right tackle. That would seemingly be the direction the team would go on Sunday against Chicago, though Wagner is dealing with a knee injury himself that had him being limited in practice on Thursday.
Bakhtiari recently signed the richest contract for an offensive lineman in NFL history.
(6) Wisconsin 71, (21) Minnesota 59: Last word
No. 6 Wisconsin responded to its first Big Ten loss of the year with an overwhelming effort in a it-wasn’t-as-close-as-the-score-indicates 71-59 win over No. 21 Minnesota on Thursday night at the Kohl Center.
Player of the Game: Micah Potter
Wisconsin forced the ball into the paint early and Potter was the biggest beneficiary. He scored 10 of his 18 points and grabbed nine of his 11 rebounds in the first half as the Badgers took a 7-point lead at the break. All but three of his shots came from inside the 3-point line as Wisconsin outscored the Gophers 40-18 in the paint.
As a team, the Badgers shot 50.8% from the field, including 65.4% in the second half.
The good: The defense
Three days after a disastrous second-half performance against Maryland on the defensive end of the floor, the Badgers held Minnesota to its lowest point total of the year. The Gophers shot just 31.3% from the floor, the second-worst they’ve been this year, and only 7-for-31 (22.6%) on 3-pointers, which was the lowest in conference play.
Guard Marcus Carr came into the game averaging 24.0 points per game but Wisconsin held him to just 10 points on 3-for-13 shooting. His first points in the second half didn’t come until there was just 2:22 left.
The not so good: Defensive rebounding
Wisconsin won by double digits and dominated the second half, but it could have been even more if the Badgers kept Minnesota off the offensive glass. The Gophers finished with 16 offensive rebounds and it led to 19 second-chance points.
Stat of the Game: +24
Wisconsin was that many points better than Minnesota when guard D’Mitrik Trice was on the floor. He finished with 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals. The senior was also the main defender on Carr for much of the night.
In Case You Missed It
-- Wisconsin was without freshman Ben Carlson again due to what the team is calling an upper body injury. The forward hasn’t played since Dec. 15 and has seen the floor for just 4 minutes since Dec. 4.
— Aleem Ford had 14 points and has now scored in double figures in five straight games, the longest streak in his career. In that streak he's averaged 12.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
What’s next?
Wisconsin (9-2, 3-1) will hit the road on Sunday to face Penn State (3-4, 0-3)
PODCAST: Happy New Year
Badgers Win Duke's Mayo Bowl (0:00)
Packers-Bears Chatter (18:44)
Packers Insider Rob Reischel (32:27)
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Heat avenge embarrassment, rally to top Bucks 119-108
MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Heat engineered a 58-point turnaround against the Milwaukee Bucks in 24 hours.
And just like that, an embarrassing loss was avenged.
Goran Dragic scored 26 points off the bench, Bam Adebayo finished with 22 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds and the Heat beat the Bucks 119-108 on Wednesday night — one day after Milwaukee made an NBA-record 29 3-pointers on the way to a 47-point romp on Miami’s home floor.
“They were better than us last night,” Dragic said. “Tonight, we had to fight.”
Tyler Herro scored 21 points and grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds for Miami, which trailed by 14 early in the second half and rallied to get a split of the two-game, two-night series against the team that finished with the NBA’s best record in each of the past two regular seasons.
“Started to feel like Miami Heat basketball again,” Herro said.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a triple-double — 26 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists — for the Bucks. Donte DiVincenzo scored 15 and Jrue Holiday 13 for Milwaukee, while Khris Middleton was held to eight on 3-for-15 shooting.
“We need to be more consistent. We need to be better,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “But I think there’s positives. We’ve played well for big stretches of games. We’ve just got to extend those.”
Milwaukee is 2-3 this season; the Bucks started 24-3 last season. Milwaukee missed 25 of its last 34 shots on Wednesday, and Miami — perhaps ironically, given how Tuesday went — outscored the Bucks 15-3 from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter.
“Got to figure ourselves out as a team,” Antetokounmpo said. “We’re going to be consistent. ... At the end of the day, we’re going to play our game, going to find open shots and hope they fall.”
Avery Bradley scored 16 and Kelly Olynyk had 15 for Miami.
Milwaukee’s lead was 72-58 early in the second half, 84-73 with 3:44 left in the third. It was all Miami from there, with the Heat — who were without Jimmy Butler for a second straight game because of a sprained right ankle — outscoring the Bucks 40-15 over the next 12 minutes
Herro beat the third-quarter buzzer with a 3-pointer to get Miami within three, Dragic opened the final quarter with another 3 to tie it and the Heat, who trailed by as many as 51 on Tuesday, took the lead for good on a 3 by Olynyk with 9:04 left.
“You want to constantly develop some grit and some toughness during the course of a long season,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And our guys responded in an appropriate fashion.”
Packers reportedly add veteran defensive lineman
Green Bay has added a veteran defensive lineman that could help in its push for a Super Bowl title.
The Packers claimed Damon “Snacks” Harrison off of waivers from Seattle on Wednesday afternoon.
https://twitter.com/AlbertBreer/status/1344403898119974920
GM Brian Gutekunst and the Packers were interested in signing Harrison before he joined the Seahawks earlier this year. He ended up playing in six games but was inactive against Los Angeles last Sunday. The 32-year-old then asked for his release.
There was some uncertainity initially whether Harrison would report to the Packers. He tweeted after his release that he didn’t want anything to do with the waiver process and seemingly wanted to choose his own team. But after the Packers claimed him, he appeared to acknowledge that Green Bay was among the teams he was OK joining.
https://twitter.com/snacks/status/1344408461522608129
Harrison has played for four teams in his nine years in league, including six split between the two teams in New York. New teammate Kenny Clark was glad to see Harrison was being added.
https://twitter.com/KCBoutThatLife/status/1344422785171525633
Wisconsin 42, Wake Forest 28: Duke's Mayo Bowl 2-minute drill
Wisconsin erased a 14-0 first quarter deficit and went on to beat Wake Forest 42-28 in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Wednesday in Charlotte.
Game Balls
Offense: Graham Mertz
Mertz’s numbers weren’t big — 11 for 17 for 130 yards and one touchdown — but he didn’t make any mistakes with the football either. For a second straight game he didn’t throw an interception or have a fumble. In addition to his one passing touchdown, he also ran for a pair of scores on quarterback sneaks.
Perhaps his biggest play came when the Badgers were trailing 14-0 in the first quarter and had a fourth-and-1 on their own side of the field. Instead of punting, the Badgers counted on Mertz and the offensive line to pick it up on a sneak and they did. It led to the Badgers first touchdown of the day.
Defense: Jack Sanborn
Wisconsin’s defense gave up a ton of yards, 518 to be exact, but they made huge plays all day, including Sanborn. He finished with a team-high 11 tackles, had two tackles for loss and he tallied one of the four interceptions the Badgers had. He was part of a front seven that limited the Demon Deacons to 111 yards on the ground and just 3.2 yards per carry. For his efforts the linebacker was named the Duke’s Mayo Bowl MVP.
Special Teams: Jaylan Franklin, Devin Chandler
The Badgers trailed 14-7 when Franklin took advantage of a dropped snap by Wake Forest and blocked a punt inside the 10-yard line. He jumped on top of it and Wisconsin soon scored a touchdown to tie the game.
In the second half, after Wake Forest had taken a 21-14 lead, Chandler broke free for a 59-yard kickoff return, giving the Badgers excellent field position. Five players later they were in the end zone to tie the game once again.
Best Video
Wisconsin got a really nice trophy for its win over Wake Forest but it did not make it very long in the locker room. As Mertz was dancing among his teammates, the crystal ball on the top of the trophy fell off.
The Duke’s Mayo Bowl said it will replace it, though the Badgers did get creative in fixing it themselves.
https://twitter.com/ZachHeilprin/status/1344400073938120705
https://twitter.com/BarstoolBigCat/status/1344397021860519937
Best Tweets
https://twitter.com/PFTCommenter/status/1344341188988395522
https://twitter.com/rodger/status/1344346544640831488
https://twitter.com/BarstoolBigCat/status/1344368551709331457
https://twitter.com/uwpaguy/status/1344374236517982217
https://twitter.com/akschaaf/status/1344383681113305090
In Case You Missed It
— Wisconsin played without a host of starters on both sides of the ball. It included wide receivers Danny Davis and Kendric Pryor, left tackle Cole Van Lanen, right guard Logan Bruss and defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk.
— Redshirt sophomore Michael Furtney made the first start of his career at right guard.
— Former 5-star recruit Logan Brown replaced senior Jon Dietzen at left tackle in the second quarter.
— Nose tackle Keeanu Benton suffered a leg injury in the third quarter and was eventually taken by a cart to the locker room. He later returned to the sideline on crutches.
Inside the Numbers
4 — That’s how many interceptions the Badgers had. It tied a UW bowl record set three other times. All four interceptions came in the second half. Coming into the game Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman had thrown just one interception in the first eight games of the year.
13 — That’s how many turnovers the Badgers forced this year. They turned 10 of those into points, including three of them on Wednesday.
34 — That’s how many straight games tight end Jake Ferguson has caught a pass after catching one on Wednesday. The belief is that Ferguson will declare for the NFL Draft, meaning he’ll leave Wisconsin having caught a pass in every game he’s played in during his career.
19 — That’s how many seasons in a row Wisconsin has finished with a winning record, including this year’s 4-3 mark.
42 — That’s how many points Wisconsin scored. It’s the most the Badgers have ever scored in a bowl game.
What’s Next
Wisconsin players will get three weeks off before winter conditioning begins in Madison.
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Mayo Bowl Preview (0:00)
Mark Murphy Love? (13:15)
Sports Director Zach Heilprin (25:11)
Mayo Tasting (34:50)
Bucks & Brewers (45:38)
Bucks set NBA record for 3′s, roll past Heat 144-97
By TIM REYNOLDS
MIAMI (AP) — On Sunday, the Milwaukee Bucks endured their worst 3-point effort in just over a year.
On Tuesday, they set the NBA record for 3′s in a game.
Go figure.
The Bucks made a record 29 3-pointers in their 144-97 romp past the reigning Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat on Tuesday night. They shot 29 for 51 from deep, two nights after going 7 for 38 in a loss to New York.
“Some nights, the basketball gods are with you a little bit,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “It’s probably one of those nights.”
Milwaukee used 13 players and 12 made at least one 3-pointer — the only exception being two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Khris Middleton had four 3′s and scored 25 points, Jrue Holiday made six 3′s in his 24-point night and Donte DiVincenzo was 5-for-6 from deep to finish with 17 points.
Antetokounmpo had only nine points. But his brother, Thanasis Antetokounmpo — who was 0 for 11 from 3-point range in his career entering the night — got into the act and made one from deep.
“I knew we were shooting well,” said Bucks center Brook Lopez, who made three 3′s. “I didn’t know we were anything close to that.”
The record-breaker was made by Sam Merrill, who got the 28th 3-pointer with 6:07 remaining, giving the Bucks a 131-86 lead.
The previous record for 3’s in a game was 27, set by the Houston Rockets against the Phoenix Suns on April 7, 2019. Milwaukee’s previous most was 22, against Sacramento on Nov. 4, 2018. The most previously allowed in a game by Miami was 24, on Feb. 5 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Milwaukee was up 10-0 after 78 seconds, 21-3 after about four minutes, and the tone was set in the first meeting between the teams since last season’s playoffs, when the Heat eliminated the Bucks in five games.
“It looked like they have been thinking about this game for 80 days,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Milwaukee led 46-26 after one quarter, 83-51 at the half.
Tyler Herro scored 23 points for the Heat. Miami’s Jimmy Butler missed the game with a sprained right ankle; it’s unknown if he’ll play Wednesday when the Heat and Bucks meet again.
“Tomorrow, we’re going to have to come out with a lot more energy or we’re going to get embarrassed again,” Herro said.
It was the biggest road win in Bucks history, topping the 39-point margin at New York on April 10, 1987. The 47-point margin matched the second-worst loss in Heat history; they lost 138-91 to Pat Riley and the Los Angeles Lakers in the eighth game of Miami’s first season.
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Duke's Mayo Bowl Preview: Wisconsin vs Wake Forest
THE BASICS
The teams: The Wisconsin Badgers (3-3) vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-4) in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl
The time: 11 a.m. CDT, Wednesday
The place: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
The TV coverage: ESPN with Taylor Zarzour and Matt Stinchcomb in the booth, and Marty Smith on the sideline.
The last time: N/A
The series: First meeting
The line: Wisconsin -7.5
The Badgers injury report:
DOUBTFUL
WR Danny Davis
WR Kendric Pryor
QUESTIONABLE
OL Cole Van Lanen
RB Nakia Watson
RB Jalen Berger (COVID-19)
DL Isaiahh Loudermilk
THE BREAKDOWN: 5 THINGS TO WATCH
1) Finish with momentum
Wisconsin is going for its fifth bowl victory in Paul Chryst’s six seasons as coach and you can expect them to play to win. Though some fans may want to see younger players in what many believe is a meaningless game, that’s not how the Badgers will approach it. Wisconsin hasn’t had a losing season since 2001 and don’t want to see that streak end at the hands of a middle of the road ACC team. Not only is it important to send the departing players out with a win, it also gives the program a good feeling heading into an uncertain offseason.
2) The return of Jalen Berger
Though Garrett Groshek was the difference in Wisconsin’s overtime win against Minnesota earlier this month, the Badgers best running back is Jalen Berger. And after having to miss two games due to a positive COVID-19 test, the true freshman is expected to return to the lineup on Wednesday against a Wake Forest defense that ranks 91st in the country against the run.
Despite playing in just three of UW’s six games, Berger leads the Badgers in rushing with 267 yards and is averaging 5.9 yards per carry. It’s unclear how much work Berger will get after missing so much on-field time, but after believing we’d seen the last of him due to the COVID-19 diagnosis, any glimpses of what the future holds for the New Jersey product is a big plus.
3) Graham Mertz stepping up
Mertz is expected to make his seventh career start on Wednesday despite being knocked out of the Minnesota game in the third quarter. The hope, at least for the Badgers, is he can build on the last -- and best -- two throws of that game -- a deep sideline route to Jack Dunn and a strike down the middle to Jake Ferguson.
Mertz will once again likely be without his two top receivers in Kendric Pryor and Danny Davis. That means more of Dunn, along with true freshmen Chimere Dike and Devin Chandler. Helping matters should be a weak Wake Forest defense, which ranks 107th in the country against the pass.
4) Slowing Wake Forest
Wake Forest’s defense is a sieve, ranking 107th in the country in total defense and 78th in scoring defense. But their offense is going to be a big test for the Badgers. The Demon Deacons come in averaging 435 yards of offense and 37 points per game. Both totals are by far the best among the offenses Wisconsin has faced this season.
Led by quarterback Sam Hartman, Wake Forest will challenge the Badgers with its pace. The Demon Deacons run 80.3 plays per game, the eighth most in the nation. Hartman has thrown for 1,906 yards, 10 touchdowns and just one interception. His main target is junior Jaquarii Roberson, who has caught 54 passes for 795 yards and five touchdowns.
Though second-leading rusher Kenneth Walker III (579 yards, 13 touchdowns) decided in early December to sit out the remainder of the year, Christian Beal-Smith (650 yards, four touchdowns) will test the Badgers run defense after it gave up 151 yards to Minnesota’s Mo Ibrahim the last time out.
5) Last ride
While a number of seniors, and at least one junior, are yet to make a final decision on whether to return for the 2021 season, it seems likely that quite a few guys will be making their final appearances in a UW uniform on Wednesday.
That includes, assuming they’re healthy enough, left tackle Cole Van Lanen and defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk. Safety Eric Burrell is also likely off to the NFL and the same goes for fullback Mason Stokke. After returning for a sixth season, guard Jon Dietzen is expected to retire for good after the game.
Others that could be playing their final game include cornerback Caesar Williams, running back Garrett Groshek, outside linebacker Noah Burks, defensive end Garrett Rand, safety Madison Cone and junior tight end Jake Ferguson.
NUMBERS TO CONSIDER
This will be Wisconsin’s 19th straight year playing in a bowl game. Only Georgia (24) and Oklahoma (22) have longer current streaks. The Badgers are 9-9 in bowl games during the streak.
Wisconsin leads the nation in total defense, allowing 263.5 yards per game. That would be the third-best mark in school history since 1959.
According to UW, the top four players at wide receiver and running back coming into the season have each missed at least one game this year and a total of 20.
ZONE PREDICTIONS
Zach Heilprin’s prediction: Wisconsin 21, Wake Forest 20
Ebo’s prediction: Wisconsin 27, Wake Forest 24
Nelson Raisbeck’s prediction: Wisconsin 24, Wake Forest 20
