Afternoon State Sports Briefs: Bucks to try and keep Wizards winless

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WASHINGTON D.C. - The Milwaukee Bucks will try to keep the Washington Wizards winless, when the two teams play tonight in the nation’s capital.

The Wizards are 0-3 – and their star point guard John Wall is out for an unknown amount of time due to a stress injury in his right knee. After this morning’s shoot-around, the Bucks said that veteran forward Drew Gooden would be inactive for tonight. It’s the first time in his NBA seasons he was put into that status – and he responded that if it’s best for the team, he’ll do it. Bucks’ coach Scott Skiles has been giving younger players more time on the court at the start of the season. Washington is coming off a six-point overtime loss at Boston on Wednesday night, while the Bucks fell by 18 at home to Memphis on the same evening. It prevented the Bucks from going 3-0 for the first time in seven seasons. One pleasant surprise for the Bucks has been the stellar play of third-year forward Larry Sanders. He has averaged 12 points and eight rebounds – nine points and five boards more than a year ago. The Wizards also found a pleasant surprise in forward Kevin Seraphin. He leads the team with 17-and-a-half points and eight rebounds, after getting just eight points and five boards a game last season.

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The UW-Milwaukee women’s basketball team opens its regular season tonight at Chicago State. It’s the first regular season contest for Milwaukee’s new coach, Kyle Rechlicz. She inherits three starters from a year ago. UWM is 6-16 in season openers since playing in the NCAA’s Division I, but they’ve won 17-of-20 games against Chicago State. The Cougars also return three starters from a team that went 6-and-24 a year ago. Milwaukee is coming off an 88-55 win over Hillsdale in its lone exhibition game.

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The UW-Milwaukee men’s basketball team will be without one of its starters tonight, as the Panthers open their regular season at home against the University of Mary. Senior guard Paris Gulley is out for about three more weeks, after he broke his left hand at practice in late October. Gulley is one of three starters returning from a UWM team that won 20 games a year ago under coach Rob Jeter, the former Bo Ryan assistant who’s starting his eighth season. Milwaukee has won 10 of its last 14 season openers – and their losses were to Wisconsin, Iowa, Memphis, and Portland. The Panthers just barely won an exhibition over Division-Two Parkside by one point this week. Mary split a pair of exhibitions, losing to Creighton. The Marauders are from Bismarck North Dakota, and they went 8-18 a year ago. The Milwaukee men are playing all their home games on campus this season at the Klotsche Center, after a number of years downtown at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

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So, will he or won’t he? On a CBS Sports Internet blog today, University of Wisconsin men’s basketball junior Zach Bohannon reminded us about President Obama’s promise to play a pick-up game with the Badgers after Tuesday’s election. The president loves his hoops. And Bohannon had asked Obama to play a pick-up game with his team last month, during the first of his two recent visits to Madison. Obama’s staff said there wasn’t time – but thanks to some connections from a teammate, the president did meet privately with the Badger team for five minutes. Later, during his speech outside Bascom Hall, Obama confirmed that the team invited him to play – and he said quote, “After the election, I will be raining down jumpers on them.” Obama then said he was getting old for that – for Bohannon said the president still publicized his promise. And he still hopes Obama will keep it.

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University of Wisconsin quarterback Bart Houston has returned to practice earlier than expected, after having surgery during the summer on an injured shoulder. Houston is red-shirted this year, but coach Bret Bielema was still happy to see him throw for the first time. He was not expected to practice until late December, when the Badgers will play an undetermined bowl game. Observers said Houston displayed a strong arm in the limited passing drills he’s had this week. The Badgers can wrap up a berth in the Big Ten championship game with a victory tomorrow at Indiana. Wisconsin will get left tackle Ricky Wagner back, after he missed the last two games with a sprained MCL ligament in his right knee. Junior Ryan Groy has filled in at the left tackle spot, and he’s expected to return to his normal place at left guard. Bielema says the interior line should be improved – and they’ll have a challenge facing the Hoosiers’ solid interior defensive line.

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Wisconsin running back Montee Ball was named today as a semi-finalist for the Doak Walker Award, which goes to the nation’s top rusher. Last year, Ball was among the three finalists for the award during his junior season. This year, Ball is one of just three Big Ten running backs to surpass the one-thousand-yard mark at this point of the season. He has 1,028 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. Ten semi-finalists for the Walker award were named today.

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The Midwest Conference wraps up its football season tomorrow, with three teams still in the running for at least part of the title. Lake Forest has secured a share, with an 8-0 record in conference play. Saint Norbert hosts Lake Forest tomorrow, and a Saint Norbert victory would give them a claim to their title. Illinois College can also finish in a tie for first place with a home victory over Carroll – but Lake Forest would have to lose. Under that scenario, Illinois College, Saint Norbert, and Lake Forest would all close out at 8-1. Ripon College ends its season at Lawrence tomorrow. Beloit College finished a week ago, when it got crushed by Carroll 55-0.

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In the Northern Athletics Conference football, Concordia-Chicago has won the league title at 6-0. They’ll close out the regular season at Maranatha Baptist in Watertown. Also, Wisconsin Lutheran is at Concordia-Mequon. And Lakeland hosts Benedictine. In the CCIW, 1-5 Carthage will finish out its league schedule at Millikin.

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Most WIAC football teams will close out their seasons tomorrow – including three-time national champion UW-Whitewater. The NCAA Division III playoff field will be announced on Sunday evening, and the Warhawks are not expected to be among the 32 teams invited after losing three times this year. Undefeated Oshkosh nailed down the WIAC title a week ago, with the league’s automatic playoff berth. The Titans will finish their regular season at Stout. 12th-ranked Platteville might also be playoff-bound. The Pioneers are 7-2 overall, and will close their regular season at Stevens Point. Whitewater is at La Crosse, and River Falls plays at Eau Claire. Oshkosh is 6-0 in league play. Whitewater and Platteville are both 4-2.

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The Milwaukee Wave will open its Major Indoor Soccer League season tonight at Wichita. Milwaukee won the league title last season – and it’s the only team not to play yet during the new campaign. The Wichita Wings are 0-2, after losing a pair to Missouri. Wings’ forward Andre Hoxie already has 14 points and two hat tricks. Milwaukee went 6-1 against Wichita last season.

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Three women’s soccer teams from Wisconsin will begin the NCAA Division I tournament runs tonight – and all three are in different sub-regional brackets. Marquette University earned a No. 4 seed in its group, and will host Illinois State. UW-Milwaukee takes on Notre Dame at the home field of the Fighting Irish. And the Wisconsin Badger women will play at UCLA. The Badgers earned an at-large berth, while Marquette and UWM won their respective conference tournaments.

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University of Wisconsin men’s soccer defender A.J. Cochran has been named to the All-Big Ten Conference first team. And Drew Connor and Adam Lauko were selected to the all-league freshman squad. Cochran, a sophomore, anchored a Badger defense that held opponents scoreless for 419 straight minutes since from late October through Wednesday – when the Badgers lost 1-0 to Michigan in the first round of the league tournament.

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Both Wisconsin Badger hockey teams have the weekend off. The men’s squad is coming off a pair of home losses to Colorado College last week. They’re 1-4-1 overall, and will play at Minnesota next Friday night. The Badger women have won four straight, after sweeps over Minnesota State and New Hampshire. Mark Johnson’s squad is 7-3-2 overall, and will play at Ohio State next Friday afternoon.

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The road to a national title begins tomorrow for small college cross country runners throughout Wisconsin. The NCAA Division III Midwest Regional will take place near Oshkosh at the Lake Breeze Golf Club. North Central of Illinois has won the last four men’s regional titles – including the one last year at Rock Island, Illinois. UW-Oshkosh was third at that meet and La Crosse fourth. On the women’s side, Washington of Saint Louis comes in as the defending regional champion. They unseated Eau Claire, which had won the previous three years. The Blugolds finished second last fall, and Stevens Point was fifth. The top runners at the Midwest Regional will advance to the national Division III finals a week from tomorrow in Terre Haute, Indiana.

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UW-Whitewater will take on Wittenberg this afternoon in their opening match at the NCAA Division III women’s soccer tournament in Wheaton Illinois. The Warhawks are making their second straight national appearance, after winning their third consecutive WIAC league crown. If Whitewater wins today, they’ll play either Wheaton or Webster in the second round tomorrow. On the men’s side, two Wisconsin teams will open their Division-Three tournament runs tomorrow afternoon. Both are playing in a four-team bracket at Gustavus Adolphus in Minnesota. Carroll of Waukesha is up first against Carleton College. And then UW-Platteville was scheduled to the face the host Adolphus. Both winners will square off on Sunday for a place in the Sweet-16.

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Former Milwaukee Bucks’ center Andrew Bogut has been sidelined for 7-to-10 games with the Golden State Warriors, as he continues to struggle with the left ankle he broke in January. Bogut has only played in four contests for the Warriors since he was traded in February – while the Bucks have made full use of the two major players they obtained in that deal, guard Monta Ellis and forward Ekpe Udoh. The 7-foot Bogut meanwhile, was only a spectator for the final two months of last season. He had a second ankle surgery in April, wiping out the possibility that he’d play for his home Australia in the Summer Olympics. Bogut also missed the Warriors’ entire exhibition schedule. And in four games this season, he’s averaging six points, four rebounds, two assists, and a blocked shot. He said he’s disappointed in his play – and he does not feel like he’s helping the Warriors by being on the floor right now. Bogut made the decision to rest after consulting with Golden State’s coaches, front office, and medical staff. He played in all of his first 148 NBA games, until missing 58-percent of them the past four seasons due to various injuries.

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The Green Bay Packers have not said how long Bryan Bulaga will be out. But the Green Bay Press-Gazette says the right tackle could miss the rest of the season at worst, after he injured a hip in last Sunday’s win over Arizona. The paper said the injury appears to be significant, because the Packers ordered additional diagnostic tests. For now, T.J. Lang is expected to fill in at Bulaga’s right tackle spot – and back-up Evan Dietrich-Smith will take over Lang’s normal spot at left guard. It’s a big change for the Packers, who played their first eight games with the same crew on the offensive line. Dietrich-Smith has been a solid replacement in the past, and it’s possible the Green Bay line won’t suffer a loss of quality. But one more injury to the offensive line could result in untested rookie Don Barclay going in. Veteran center Jeff Saturday says he won’t sweat it. He says the Packers have a lot of good players, and quote, “I have the utmost confidence in whoever’s beside me.” He said offensive line coach James Campen does a good job of mixing players on the line at practice – so everyone knows what to do if they’re called upon in game conditions. The Packers are on their bye week. They’ll return to practice Monday to get ready for their November 18th contest at Detroit.

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By the end of tomorrow, we’ll know which teams will make the trip to Madison for the WIAA state high school football finals. Semi-finals are on tap in all seven divisions. Seven of the 14 contests will be played, and the rest tomorrow. All will be played at neutral sites, and the winners will advance to the state finals which begin next Thursday at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. Four of last year’s seven champions are still in the running for repeat titles – Waunakee in Division 2, West De Pere in D-3, Colby in D-5, and Fond du Lac St. Mary's Springs in Division 6.

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The combined team of Waukesha South and Mukwonago will go for its second straight girls’ high school swimming championship this weekend. The WIAA state swim meet opens this afternoon at UW-Madison Natatorium. And Hartland Arrowhead will try to regain the Division-One title it had for three straight years, before losing by just two points a year ago to Waukesha South-Mukwonago. Milton is back as the Division-Two champ from 2011. Three events in Division-One have their defending champions back – Mackenzie Buss from Shawano-Bonduel in the 100-yard backstroke, Mary Warren of Arrowhead in the 50-freestyle, and Natalie Johnson of Cedarburg in the 500-free. In Division 2, Rachel Stave of Whitnall goes for her third straight diving championship. Bridgette Alexander of Milton goes for her third crown in the 200-individual medley. Other returning Division-Two champs are Kristin Malone of Shorewood in the 100-freestyle, Madison Tew of New Berlin West in the 200-free, and Katelyn Holmquist of Milton in the 100-backstroke.

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Fox Sports says the Milwaukee Brewers have started at least preliminary talks about a contract extension for first baseman Corey Hart. But Hart himself tells the Journal Sentinel he’s not aware of what the Brewers have in mind for him. The 30-year-old Hart is under contract for one more season, and will be paid 10-million dollars. Fox said Hart was seeking a three-year extension – but the Brewers might be interested in bumping up his pay for 2013, and then extending the deal for another two years after that. Hart is the senior member of the Brew Crew, having been drafted 12 years ago. He said late last season that he’d like to stay a “Brewer for life.” Fox also says the Brewers have an interest in free-agent starter Ryan Dempster of the Chicago Cubs – which has been mentioned before in other media reports. The developments are coming out of baseball’s general manager meetings this week in Indian Wells, California.

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Matt Kenseth of Cambridge has two more chances to move up the standings in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup. Kenseth rose to fifth place last week, and he’s 72 points behind front-running Jimmie Johnson going into Sunday’s Advo-Care-500 in Phoenix. Three non-Chase drivers from Wisconsin are also entered for the Sprint Cup event – Paul Menard of Eau Claire, Travis Kvapil of Janesville, and Beloit-born Danica Patrick. Patrick is 10th in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series, which competes tomorrow in the Great Clips-200 at Phoenix. In the Camping World Truck Series, Johnny Sauter of Necedah will be among the drivers in tonight’s Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix. He has won two races this season, including last weekend at Texas. But still, the 34-year-old Sauter is only ninth in the Truck Series’ point standings – and for that, he blames more breakdowns than his vehicle has had in recent years. Sauter was ninth in a practice run at Phoenix, with a one-lap speed of 134.183 miles an hour.

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The Milwaukee Admirals will host the division-leading Chicago Wolves tonight. The Wolves are 7-3-and-1 on the young season, and they lead the American Hockey League’s Midwest Division with 15 points – seven more than the fourth-place Admirals, who are 4-6. Wolves’ winger Zack Kassian will sit out tonight’s contest after being suspended. The Admirals are coming off a 4-2 loss at Grand Rapids on Wednesday. Milwaukee will open a seven-game road trip tomorrow night at Rockford.

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