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.
https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1768101386011513183?s=20
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.
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1767638424461148523?s=20
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.
https://twitter.com/NFL_DougFarrar/status/1767284453586698360?s=20
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.
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1767251063504015871?s=20
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.
David Bakhtiari bids farewell to Green Bay
The inevitable became reality Monday with David Bakhtiari announcing he was being released by the Green Bay Packers.
With a salary cap hit of $40 million in 2024, the decision to move on from the five-time All-Pro was always the most likely move. It comes after the left tackle had barely played the last three years due to a significant knee injury suffered on New Year's Eve 2020 and complications in his rehab that resulted in several additional surgeries. The 32-year-old was on the field for just one game in 2021, 11 in 2022 and just one in 2023. He hadn't played a full season since 2019.
Green Bay will get nearly $20.1 million in salary cap space as a result of cutting Bakhtiari, though he will still count $19 million against the cap in 2024.
Though he is not at Bakhtiari's level, the Packers did get a solid performance from second-year left tackle Rasheed Walker on Jordan Love's blindside. A former seventh-round pick, Walker started 17 of the team's 19 games, with Pro Football Focus crediting him with six sacks allowed. It's unclear if the Packers view Walker as their future at left tackle.
Bakhtiari is the midst of another rehab but reportedly wants to continue to play. If cleared, many expect him to land in New York with the Jets and former Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
https://twitter.com/DavidBakhtiari/status/1767231566499995900?s=20
The Swing: Was Wisconsin's regular season a success, looking ahead to the B1G Tourney
Wisconsin closed out its conference schedule with a loss at Purdue to finish 19-12. Zach and Jesse discuss whether the regular season was a success, takeaways from the Rutgers and Purdue game, the Badgers chances at the Big Ten Tournament and the guys answer some Twitter questions.
Wisconsin will be the No. 5 seed in the Big Ten Tournament
Wisconsin's postseason will get going Thursday in the Big Ten Tournament.
Following the Badgers loss at Purdue on Sunday, along with wins by Northwestern and Nebraska, coach Greg Gard's club will be the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament in Minneapolis. It means they will see the winner of Wednesday's game between 12th-seeded Maryland and 13th-seeded Rutgers, with tip slated to come around 1:30 p.m. A win would send them to Friday, where they would face fourth-seeded Northwestern.
https://twitter.com/ZachHeilprin/status/1767003882494865508?s=20
Wisconsin went 2-1 against the Terrapins and Scarlet Knights during the season, splitting with Rutgers and beating Maryland in the lone meeting between the two schools. The Badgers beat the Wildcats at the Kohl Center in January, which was also the only time they played.
UW hasn't won more than one game at the conference tournament since 2016-17 when it made it to the championship game before losing to Michigan. A run like that seems unlikely, as the Badgers are still reeling from a brutal six-week stretch that saw them lose eight of their final 11 games. It dropped them from No. 6 in the country and being in first place in the Big Ten to unranked and not getting one of the four double byes at the conference tournament.
Despite that slide, Wisconsin is still comfortably in the NCAA Tournament, with most bracketologists having the Badgers a No. 6 or No. 7 seed.
