Latest news with #NCAATournamentSweetSixteen
USA Today
29-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Wisconsin basketball announces exhibition contest vs an SEC team to tip off 2025-26 season
Wisconsin basketball announces exhibition contest vs an SEC team to tip off 2025-26 season The Wisconsin basketball program announced a newly scheduled exhibition contest against the Oklahoma Sooners on Thursday. The contest will be played on Oct. 24 at Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum. Staged in the home of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks, the Badgers will square off against the Sooners prior to the beginning of the 2025-26 regular season. "This is a great opportunity for our program to take on a Power Four team in our backyard in an exhibition setting," Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said to "It will be a terrific first test for us in late October. We know we have a lot of Badger fans and alums in Milwaukee and we're excited for them to get an early look at our team." The news arrives a day after Wisconsin announced a November non-conference contest against potential No. 1 overall NBA draft pick A.J. Dybantsa and the BYU Cougars at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Aside from a future NCAA Tournament appearance, the Badgers are now set to play in a pair of NBA arenas this fall. Coached by Porter Moser, the Sooners went 20-14 during the 2024-25 season. They secured a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament. With star freshman and future NBA draftee Jeremiah Fears at the helm, Oklahoma fell 67-59 to defending champion UConn in the tournament's first round. The test against the Sooners will allow Wisconsin fans to witness a first glimpse at a revamped roster for the 2025-26 season. With star wing John Tonje, veteran center Steven Crowl, guard Max Klesmit and bench contributors Carter Gilmore and Kamari McGee all gone to graduation, Greg Gard retooled his platoon through the transfer portal. Former San Diego State guard Nick Boyd, Virginia wing Andrew Rhode and Portland forward Austin Rapp will likely replace Tonje, Crowl and Klesmit in the starting lineup this fall. Star sophomore guard John Blackwell, who shared his plans to return to Madison for his junior campaign on Wednesday, will also lead the starting five with rising junior forward Nolan Winter. Fans may also get a feel for how Gard utilizes projected bench contributors Braeden Carrington, Aleksas Bieliauskas, Jack Robison, Zach Kinziger, Hayden Jones and Will Garlock in rotations. The Badgers only went seven or eight players deep in critical games last season, so the dispersion of minutes on the bench will be something to monitor against the Sooners. Still in search of its first NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen appearance in nearly a decade, UW will aim to replicate its final 27-10 record from a season ago. The quest officially commences with an exhibition test against the Sooners in Fiserv Forum. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
USA Today
29-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Kim Mulkey talks about Kailyn Gilbert's block against NC State in Sweet Sixteen win
Kim Mulkey talks about Kailyn Gilbert's block against NC State in Sweet Sixteen win Down by one with a minute and a half left in Friday's NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen game, LSU's Kailyn Gilbert blocked a shot from Zoe Brooks on in the paint after the latter scored four straight points for NC State. LSU didn't give up a bucket the rest of the game, holding off the Wolfpack for an 80-73 win. Following the contest, the Tigers' head coach Kim Mulkey talked about Gilbert's defensive transformation after transferring in from Arizona. When Gilbert visited Baton Rouge before committing, Mulkey and associate head coach Bob Starkey got honest with her about her lack of commitment to defense and what it means for a future at LSU. "We had watched her on film and told her the way she performed defensively wasn't going to fly at LSU," Mulkey said. "'You're never going to see the floor so if you commit to defense, we know what you can do offensively.' "This is one of those moments in your coaching career. She sat up in her chair and she leaned over toward me and said, 'Coach, now I'm just going to be honest with you... I've never been worried about the defensive end because I've always thought I'm going to get it back for you on the offensive end.'" By choosing LSU as her transfer destination, Gilbert made a commitment to improving particularly on defense. The hard work came to light throughout the entire season as she started getting more minutes and culminated in her game-changing play on Friday. "To watch her on-ball defense every day in practice get better and better... like she said, she was getting beat off the dribble there and makes a defensive play," Mulkey said of the block on Brooks. "It's only fitting that we talk about that in this game."
