Wisconsin tabbed for rematch with Virginia in 2013 Big Ten/ACC Challenge

May 8, 2013 Leave a comment

MADISON, Wis. – Last season Wisconsin and Virginia squared off for the first time in Big Ten/ACC Challenge history. In 2013, the two teams will play the rematch as the Badgers travel to Charlottesville, Va. in the 15th-annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge presented by wpid-8358801.jpeg Dick’s Sporting Goods, it was announced Wednesday.

 The Badgers and Cavaliers will play the second night of competition on Wednesday, Dec. 4. Game time and  television network have yet to be determined.  Wisconsin will be looking to avenge a 60-54 loss when the two teams meet in the 2013 challenge. UW is 6-8 all-time in the Challenge, recording victories in three of the last five seasons.

 The Badgers trail only Illinois (7) for the most victories among Big Ten teams. Wisconsin’s winning percentage (.429) is tied for fifth behind Illinois (.500), Ohio State (.500) Purdue (.500) and Michigan State (.462).  The Badgers are coming off their 15th-consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament after earning 23 victories in 2012-13, the ninth-highest win total in school history.

 Virginia, which is 8-5 overall in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and owns a 5-1 home record, is coming off an appearance in the 2013 NIT. Led by former UW assistant Tony Bennett, the Cavaliers finished 23-12 overall after suffering a 75-64 loss to Iowa in the quarterfinals of the tournament.

 Next season’s matchup promises to be a defensive showcase as Virginia and Wisconsin finished fifth and seventh, respectively, in the country last season in scoring defense. The Badgers yielded just 55.9 points per game, while the Cavaliers gave up only 55.6 points per contest.

 The ACC won the first 10 Challenges, but the Big Ten is unbeaten in the last four after last season’s inter-conference duel ended in a tie.

 

2013 ACC/BIG TEN MEN’S BASKETBALL CHALLENGE

 

Tuesday, Dec. 3

  • Florida State at Minnesota

  • Illinois at Georgia Tech

  • Indiana at Syracuse

  • Michigan at Duke

  • Notre Dame at Iowa

  • Penn State at Pittsburgh

 

Wednesday, December 4

  • Boston College at Purdue

  • Maryland at Ohio State

  • Miami, FL at Nebraska

  • North Carolina at Michigan State

  • Northwestern at North Carolina State

  • Wisconsin at Virginia

Filed under Basketball, Big Ten News, Wisconsin Badgers Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Dekker Big Ten Freshman of the Week

January 14, 2013 Leave a comment

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MADISON, Wis. –  Following his 13-point, four-rebound outing in Wisconsin’s win over No.12/13 Illinois on Saturday, freshman Sam Dekker earned the Big Ten’s freshman of the week award, the conference announced on Monday.

 The Sheboygan, Wis., native went 5-for-9 (.556) from the field, including a 3-of-7 (.428) effort from beyond the arc during the win. The freshman has scored in double figures in six of the Badger’s last nine games and is playing a vital role in UW’s first 3-0 start in Big Ten play since the 2008-09 season.

 Dekker, who is fourth on the team averaging 9.3 points per game, is the first Wisconsin freshman to earn the award since the Big Ten debuted the honor in 2010-11.  Dekker ranks sixth in the Big Ten, shooting 41.8 percent (23-55) from 3-point range and is fifth among all Big Ten freshmen in scoring.

Filed under Basketball, Big Ten News, Wisconsin Badgers Tagged with , , , , , ,

Travis Frederick to Enter NFL Draft

January 4, 2013 Leave a comment

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MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin junior center Travis Frederick has elected to forgo his final season of eligibility with the Badgers and make himself eligible for the 2013 NFL Draft.

 Frederick, who started all 14 games for the Badgers at center this season, explained his decision in a letter to his Badgers teammates, coaches, staff and fans.

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Abrederis Named Semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy

November 20, 2012 Leave a comment

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MADISON, Wis. – The latest in a long line of walk-on success stories at Wisconsin, junior WR Jared Abbrederis was announced Tuesday as one of 10 semifinalists for the Burlsworth Trophy.

The award is presented annually to the most outstanding player that began his career as a walk-on.

Abbrederis fits the bill as a former walk-on who was awarded a scholarship prior to the start of the 2012 season. The Wautoma, Wis., native is the Badgers’ leading receiver and ranks second in the Big Ten, averaging 72.9 receiving yards per game. He ranks fourth among active FBS players with an average of 16.8 yards per reception for his career and is tied for sixth in UW history with 12 career touchdown catches.

Earlier this season, Abbrederis became the first UW player to record three consecutive 100-yard receiving games since Lee Evans accomplished the feat in 2003. Abbrederis had 147 yards vs. UTEP, 142 yards at Nebraska and 117 yards vs. Illinois.

Despite missing the second half of UW’s game vs. Oregon State and the entire Utah State game, Abbredreis ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 729 receiving yards this season.

Abbrederis is one of 73 walk-ons who have earned a scholarship at Wisconsin since former coach Barry Alvarez began emphasizing the walk-on program in 1990. He is one of seven former walk-ons on the Badgers’ current roster who are regular starters for UW this season.

The Burlsworth Trophy is named for Brandon Burlsworth, who walked on at Arkansas and developed into a three-year starter and All-American for the Razorbacks. Burlsworth was killed in a car accident shortly after being selected by Indianapolis in the 1999 NFL Draft.

Three finalists will be selected from the semifinalist pool on Nov. 27, and the winner will be announced Dec. 3 at a banquet in Springdale, Ark.

Fans can vote for their choice from Nov. 20-26 by logging on to www.burlsworthtrophy.com. The fan votes will be combined with the votes of a selection committee to determine the finalists.

Filed under Football, Wisconsin Badgers Tagged with , , , , ,

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