Morning State Sports Briefs: Badgers to face Penn State in Big Ten quarters

• University of Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin

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INDIANAPOLIS - The University of Wisconsin will play Penn State tonight in the quarter-finals of the men’s Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis.

The third-seeded Badgers had a first-round bye, while the Number-six Nittany Lions eliminated Indiana 61-55.

Taylor Battle led Penn State with 22 points. The Lions didn’t foul in the second half until Andrew Jones was whistled down with 2:36 remaining. That brought a long-and-loud sarcastic cheer from the Indiana crowd. The Hoosiers finished the season at 12-and-20. Former Marquette coach Tom Crean is now 28-66 in his three years at Indiana. Penn State improved to 17-13, and will face a Wisconsin squad that’s 23-7. The Badgers hope to improve on their conference tournament performance from last year, when they bowed out in the first round after a four-point loss to Illinois. Bo Ryan’s team has not played since last Sunday, when they lost at Ohio State in their regular season finale.

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University of Wisconsin guard Jordan Taylor is one of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, which goes to the nation’s best point guard. The other finalists are Kemba Walker of Connecticut, Jimmer Fredette of BYU, Nolan Smith of Duke, and Norris Cole of Cleveland State. Taylor, a junior, was a consensus All Big-Ten first-team selection. He leads the nation with a four-point-two-six assist-to-turnover ratio, and averaged 20 points in league games. The winner of the Cousy Award will be announced on April first.

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There were no major surprises last night as the boys’ state high school basketball sectionals got underway. That was especially true in Division-One, where all six Number-one seeds that played were victorious, including top-rated Appleton East. The other four AP divisional Number-ones also won their sectional openers – Waunakee, La Crosse Aquinas, Blair-Taylor, and defending Division-Four champion Randolph which is competing in the new D5. Division-Three titlist Racine Saint Catherine’s also won last night. D1 champ Hartland Arrowhead is playing in one of four sectional openers planned for tonight. The sectional finals will all be played tomorrow night.

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University of Wisconsin men’s hockey player Justin Schultz has been named the WCHA’s defensive player-of-the-year. He’s the first sophomore to win the award since it was first presented in 1992. Schultz had 18 goals in the regular season, the most by any defenseman in the country since 2003. He scored 46 points, also tops among the nation’s defensemen. Schultz also made the All-WCHA first team. Wisconsin junior Jake Gardiner was named to the second team. Matt Frattin of North Dakota is the league’s player-of-the-year. Dean Blais of Nebraska-Omaha was named the coach-of-the-year. The Badgers will open the WCHA Playoffs tonight at Colorado College. A best-of-three series runs through the weekend.

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SCORES

Wisconsin boys' high school basketball sectionals

Division 1

WHITEWATER SUPERSECTIONAL

Madison Memorial 64, Oconomowoc 51

Milwaukee Rufus King 60, Milwaukee Marquette 43

Milwaukee Riverside 51, Milwaukee Washington 49

Sun Prairie 72, Madison East 66

OSHKOSH SUPERSECTIONAL

Appleton East 42, Stevens Point 27

Appleton West 69, Appleton North 56

Germantown vs. Waukesha South, tonight

Waukesha West vs. Hartland Arrowhead, tonight

GERMANTOWN AND HARTLAND ARROWHEAD SECTIONAL

Beloit Memorial 61, Franklin 51

Kenosha Bradford 56, Janesville Craig 47

Milwaukee Hamilton 46, Milwaukee South 39

Racine Case 89, Milwaukee Pulaski 55

STEVENS POINT SECTIONAL

Bay Port 72, Sheboygan North 56

De Pere 46, Pulaski 36

Schofield D.C. Everest 42, La Crosse Central 35

Superior 60, Marshfield 48

Division 2

MARSHFIELD SECTIONAL

Merrill 54, Antigo 40

Onalaska 27, River Falls 22

DE PERE SECTIONAL

Seymour vs. Two Rivers, tonight

Beaver Dam vs. Port Washington, tonight

JANESVILLE CRAIG SECTIONAL

Stoughton 50, Waterford 48

Waunakee 51, DeForest 36

GERMANTOWN AND HARTLAND ARROWHEAD SECTIONAL

Whitefish Bay 41, Wauwatosa West 30

Wisconsin Lutheran 57, Whitnall 47

Division 3

SOMERSET SECTIONAL

La Crosse Aquinas 75, Baldwin-Woodville 38

Unity 52, Maple Northwestern 51, OT

MENASHA SECTIONAL

Little Chute 70, Oconto 61

Wrightstown 74, Manitowoc Roncalli 67

MIDDLETON SECTIONAL

Lakeside Lutheran 74, Clinton 59

Prairie du Chien 60, Viroqua 49

GERMANTOWN AND HARTLAND ARROWHEAD SECTIONAL

Racine St. Catherine's 50, Whitefish Bay Dominican 44

Sheboygan Falls 59, Watertown Luther Prep 48

Division 4

CHIPPEWA FALLS SECTIONAL

Colfax 37, Thorp 35, OT

Grantsburg 50, Phillips 36

STEVENS POINT SECTIONAL

Marathon 59, Amherst 41

Oshkosh Lourdes 58, Algoma 57

BARABOO SECTIONAL

Blair-Taylor 59, Bangor 48

Cuba City 68, Cambridge 46

WHITEFISH BAY SECTIONAL

Oostburg 40, Laconia 39

Racine Lutheran 57, Destiny 43

Division 5

SPOONER SECTIONAL

Clayton 52, Prentice 40

Drummond 49, Luck 32

WAUPACA SECTIONAL

Green Bay NEW Lutheran 59, Suring 41

Marion 39, Laona 37

LA CROSSE CENTRAL SECTIONAL

Plum City 50, Royall 31

Wauzeka 41, Benton 38

WATERTOWN SECTIONAL

Burlington Catholic Central 40, Barneveld 39

Randolph 51, Sheboygan Lutheran 43

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