Evening Sports Briefs: UW men's hoops move up in polls

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MADISON - The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team moved up one place to 17th in the AP media poll this week.

The Badgers also moved up two spots to 15th in the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll. Wisconsin is 15-4 overall, after defeating Northwestern on the road yesterday. The Badgers don’t play again until Saturday night, when they’re at Penn State. Ohio State remains at number-one in both polls.

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Minnesota health officials said they had to bear down on plans by a tavern serve a bear during yesterday’s Packer-Bear NFC title game. Tiffany’s Sports Lounge in Saint Paul is a favorite haunt for the Packers’ fans. And the owner said they were planning to serve up pieces of the 180-pound bear. But the Gopher State’s health department would not allow it, saying it was unprocessed. Co-owner Blake Montpetit said they had to send it through a processing plant – even though they were giving the bear meat away and not selling it. The giveaway was planned because it’s against the law in Minnesota to sell wild meat. The bear was shot in Wisconsin – and he ended up slow-roasting the animal across the border in Somerset, where he went on display outside his garage before the game.

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Wisconsin political leaders are having some fun as they look for prime seats on the Green Bay Packers’ Super Bowl bandwagon. Republican Governor Scott Walker was busy on his Twitter account during yesterday’s Packer-Bear NFC Championship Game. He said his wedding anniversary is on the same day as the Packer-Pittsburgh Super Bowl on February sixth. And he said his birthday was the same day he won his election as governor. Walker tweeted quote, “see a pattern here?” Democrats also got in the act. State Party Chairman Mike Tate joked that the Packers are heading to the Super Bowl under a Republican governor – but they played the entire regular season under Democratic Governor Jim Doyle.

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The toughness of Bears’ quarterback Jay Cutler was questioned by present-and-former pro football players after he left early in the third quarter of yesterday’s NFC Championship Game. It was also a big subject on Chicago talk radio after last evening’s loss to the Packers. The Bears said Cutler injured his left knee a little before halftime. Coach Lovie Smith gave a terse reply when asked about it, saying quote, “He was out, all right? There’s nothing else for me to tell you on that.” The team said Cutler would have an MRI today, and early reports said a ligament might have been torn. Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher said Cutler was quote, “tough as hell.” And he criticized players who are not in the post-season who slammed Cutler on Twitter. Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew was among them. So was former defensive pack Deion Sanders who said he never questions a player’s injury but he does question a player’s “heart.” Urlacher called Jones-Drew and other players “jealous” that they’re season’s over, and they’re making comments about what they see on TV. Urlacher said, quote, “Nothing like jealous people at home watching.”

Tags: wisconsin sports, sports, proam