http://www.yardbarker.com/content/team/845 Recent articles about the Wisconsin Badgers en-us For the last four seasons, the Wisconsin Badgers have enjoyed the play of the best defender in school history, Michael Flowers. www.rawsportsblog.com Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:09:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/260195 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/260195 Kevlar, anyone? The matchups for the ACC/Big Ten challenge were announced on Tax Day this past week. North Carolina will travel to Motown on December 3, 2008, to play the Michigan State Spartans. Ah, there's nothing quite like Detroit in December. The snow. The decorative lights. The hail of bullets… Sat, 19 Apr 2008 22:58:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/244107 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/244107 Maryland fans will get to see James Gist in uniform one last time as he competes in the college all-star game dunk contest. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:07:49 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/227411 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/227411 You can't help but lick your chops if you're a Badger or Spartan fan today. You got taken to the woodshed last night and it wasn't pretty. In Wisconsin's case, they had the better team but couldn't overcome a player, who was more than likely the best player on the court. In MSU's case, they simply did not have enough talent and athleticism to match Memphis. It was a testament to how bad the Big Ten has become as of late. Sat, 29 Mar 2008 13:24:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/223361 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/223361 Curry continues his dominance of the 2008 Tourney. Watch highlights here. Sat, 29 Mar 2008 13:22:40 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/223360 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/223360 There have been several great individual performances in the NCAA tourney this year. But who had the single most outstanding performance in the Sweet 16? Who deserves the honor of being the 'Sweet 16 Workhorse?' Sat, 29 Mar 2008 11:19:15 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/223297 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/223297 Stephen Curry is having an NCAA Tournament performance for the ages. He scored 33 points on Wisconsin's No.1 defense in the nation, as No. 10 Davidson blew out No. 3 Wisconsin, 73-56. Lebron James was there to cheer on Curry, standing up twice to applaud the player who has come from nowhere to lead Davidson to the Elite 8. Curry outscored the Badgers, 22-20, in the second half and has 103 points in three NCAA Tourney games. Davidson is the ninth No. 10 seed in NCAA Tourney history to reach the Elite 8, and the first in six years. Video is available at the below link Sat, 29 Mar 2008 03:05:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/223019 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/223019 "At the end of the game I want him to be breathless and remember what team he played against and how hard he worked." -Wisconsin guard, Michael Flowers on stopping the darling of this years NCAA Tournament, Davidson's Stephen Curry As we predicted earlier in the week we see Wisconsin ending Davidson's Cinderella run. However, we are a bit unnerved that Flowers is giving Curry some added motivation. Fri, 28 Mar 2008 17:01:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/222611 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/222611 The nation's wait is over: We finally get to see Steph Curry and the Davidson Wildcats play again. Okay, let's be honest: We finally get to see Steph Curry play again... Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:39:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/222491 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/222491 Which teams will win tonight in the South and Midwest regions? Who would you select against the spread? Click on each team to visit their home page and view their latest information from the local newspapers and bloggers. Fri, 28 Mar 2008 11:57:48 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/222441 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/222441 Of course, the reasons why you should root for Davidson far outnumber why you shouldn't, but we all aspire to be more informed sports fans, don't we? Fri, 28 Mar 2008 11:02:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/222413 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/222413 The folks over at produnkhoops.com might have had a little too much time on their hands this time. They broke down which 16 mascots still in the NCAA Tournament would advance to the "Elite 8"....if they dueled in a cage match. The article comes complete with pictures and "cool facts" about the mascots, as well as a detailed breakdown of why each mascot would win. Stanford Tree was never meant to take such abuse... Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:18:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/220415 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/220415 After two exciting and entertaining rounds of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, FIO staff writer Dan Mesday releases his picks for the Sweet 16. Included, find Mesday's personal bracket, as well as some interesting commentary on each match-up. Also, find a recap of last weekend and why everyone should have tons of respect for Davidson's Stephen Curry. Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:15:51 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/218988 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/218988 We are just a day from the NCAA Tournament resuming with the round of 16. This tournament has it all right now - all four 1-seeds, a few Cinderellas, and Stephen Curry. TSP is taking a look at each region and its games while providing a gut feeling on the outcomes. Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:25:15 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/218390 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/218390 After an exciting first weekend, the NCAA Tournament continues on Thursday night with the Regional Semifinal round, otherwise known as the Sweet 16. Here are the exclusive Sports Fan Base game previews for the Sweet 16 on Thursday and Friday: WEST REGION (7) West Virginia vs. (3) Xavier As predicted by Sports Fan Base.com, the West Virginia Mountaineers were able to upset the #2 seeded Duke Blue Devils in the 2nd round. With Joe Alexander inside and Alex Ruoff hitting three-point shots from the outside, West Virginia is a very dangerous team. The Xavier Musketeers defeated a very tough Purdue team in the 2nd round and have quietly advanced into the Sweet 16. Xavier is athletic and balanced with big men Josh Duncan and Derrick Brown, versatile guards Stanley Burrell, C.J. Anderson and B.J. Raymond and the little court general, Drew Lavendar. Because of this, Xavier may be a little too much too handle for West Virginia. SFB Prediction: Xavier wins 74-68 (12) Western Kentucky vs. (1) UCLA The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are perhaps this year`s biggest surprise into the Sweet 16. Their thrilling 101-99 overtime victory over Drake in the 1st round permanantly won the hearts of basketball fans everywhere and put the Hilltoppers` guard Ty Rogers into the NCAA Tournament history with his three-point shot at the buzzer. Western Kentucky has two very athletic guards in Courtney Lee and Tyrone Brazleton and can certainly give UCLA some problems. For the Bruins, Naismith Award finalist Kevin Love is a force in the paint. Combine that with guards Darren Collison and Russel Westbrook along with forward Josh Shipp, you have a great basketball team. UCLA should win this game, but it will be closer than many people think. SFB Prediction: UCLA wins 79-74 EAST REGION (4) Washington State vs. (1) North Carolina This is probably the worst possible matchup for North Carolina, other than Wisconsin. Why do I say this? Simply because the Cougars are well-coached and always put together a great defensive scheme. Head coach Tony Bennett will have a plan ready for the Tar Heels and use the big bodies of Aron Baynes and Robbiw Cowgill to frustrate UNC`s Naismith Finalist, Tyler Hansbrough. Washington State was able to shut down Notre Dame`s high-powered offense in the 2nd round, could they do the same against North Carolina? The only problem is that Washington State just does not have the scoring to even come close to what North Carolina scores. But the Cougars could provide the blueprint for Louisville or Tennessee to take down the Tar Heels in the next round. SFB Prediction: North Carolina wins 71-62 (3) Louisville vs. (2) Tennessee In what may be the most entertaining Sweet 16 game, the Louisville Cardinals take on the Tennessee Volunteers. Louisville has had a somewhat easy tournament so far with dominating Boise State and Oklahoma in the 1st and 2nd rounds, respectively. Meanwhile, the Vols had a fairly easy game against American in the 1st round, but had a tough take with #7 seeded Butler in the 2nd round, nearly being bounced from the NCAA Tournament. This is a great matchup of athletic players with Tennessee`s Wayne Chism and Tyler Smith versus Louisville`s Terrence Williams and Eric Clark. The x-factor in this game may end up being Tennessee guard Chris Lofton. If he can make his outside shots, the Vols win. If he struggles, Louisville may move on to the Elite 8. SFB Prediction: Tennessee wins 86-84 MIDWEST REGION (10) Davidson vs. (3) Wisconsin While many sports fans were hoping for a classic Big East-Big Ten showdown in the Sweet 16 with Georgetown and Wisconsin, Stephen Curry and the Davidson Wildcats had other plans. Curry went off for 30 points in the 2nd half (35 overall) to single-handedly take down the Georgetown Hoyas in the 2nd round. If anyone wasn`t a Davidson believer before, believe it now. In addition to Curry, point guard Jason Richards and power forward Andrew Lovedale are very solid players. Wisconsin is a great defensive and fundamentally sound team with experienced players such as Brian Butch and Michael Flowers. The matchup of Flowers, one of the best defensive players in the country, versus Curry, one of the top scorers in the country, is very intriguing. That matchup will be the key to the game for both teams. If Flowers can hold Curry under 20 points, it will be hard for Davidson to defeat the Badgers. SFB Prediction: Wisconsin wins 70-65 (12) Villanova vs. (1) Kansas The Villanova Wildcats were the 8th team put into the NCAA Tournament for the Big East Conference and perhaps were the last team into the Big Dance this year. But a 1st round win over Clemson and a dominating victory over another surprise, Siena, has put Nova into the Sweet 16. Led by play-making guard Scottie Reynolds, the Cats are experienced, athletic and could be a threat for Kansas. The Jayhawks are deeper, more athletic and more balanced than Villanova. Guards Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins combined with the frontcourt of Darrel Arthur and Darrell Jackson gives Kansas a lethal starting lineup. SFB Prediction: Kansas wins 85-73 SOUTH REGION (3) Stanford vs. (2) Texas The Stanford Cardinal and Texas Longhorns run their offenses distinctly different ways. Stanford has the twin towers witgh 7-footers Brook and Robin Lopez and they are the Cardinal`s two leading scorers and rebounders. Meanwhile, the Longhorns rely on guard play, primarily from D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams. Texas` big man Conor Atchley will have a large task in defending Brook Lopez, who will most likely be a Top 10 NBA Draft Pick this coming year. Stanford had a tough take with Marquette in the 2nd round, winning 82-81 in overtime. The good thing for Texas is that Marquette also relies on their guard play. So the Longhorns should certainly watch the game film from this past Saturday if they want a good idea of how to defeat Stanford. SFB Prediction: Texas wins 79-77 (5) Michigan State vs. (1) Memphis Sports Fan Base.com counted out the Michigan State Spartans early in the NCAA Tournament with a 1st round loss to #12 seed Temple. Of course that did not happen and now the Spartans are in the Sweet 16 with a solid win against Big East Champion Pittsburgh in the 2nd round. Guard Drew Neitzel is the leader of this Michigan State squad and he will need to lead his team not only with his three-point shooting and scoring ability, but also with his ability to distribute the ball and get his players involved. The Memphis Tigers will be a tough team to defend as they have a lot of ways they can score. Chris Douglas-Roberts is probably the best player on this team and guard Derrik Rose may be the most athletic. Their front court consists of Robert Dozier and Joey Dorsey and combined they pull down over 16 rebounds per game. But the achilles heel for Memphis has been free throw shooting and that did not change in their 2nd round game against Mississippi State with a free-throw percentage of 47%. If Michigan State can get Memphis to the free throw line, they have a shot to win. SFB Prediction: Memphis wins 79-75 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:13:48 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/216820 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/216820