State Basketball Roundup: Badger men face nationally ranked Creighton next

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Wisconsin

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MADISON - The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team pounded Presbyterian last night, 88-43 at the Kohl Center.

It was the fourth straight blow-out loss for the South Carolina school, after losing its first three games by an average of 25 points. The Badgers out-shot Presbyterian 52-to-36 percent, and they led by as many as 50 in the second half with the help of 16 three-pointers on the night. Guard Ben Brust led Wisconsin with 20 points and 12 rebounds. It was his third double-double in a four-game stretch – and the last Badger to achieve that was Mike Wilkinson back in 2005. Wisconsin committed only six turnovers, as it improved to 3-1. Khalid Mutakabbir scored 14 for Presbyterian, which was coming off a 29-point loss last week to 14th-ranked Creighton. The Badgers will play Creighton on Friday as part of the Las Vegas Invitational.

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The Marquette University men's basketball will play Southern California this afternoon for fifth-place among the eight teams at the Maui Invitational in Hawaii. The Golden Eagles evened their tournament record at 1-1 with an 89-62 rout of Mississippi State Tuesday afternoon. Marquette never trailed, and they led by as many as 24 with about 10 minutes to go. Four Golden Eagles scored in double figures, led by Vander Blue with 18. Marquette also had eight blocked shots and 14 steals against a Mississippi State team that dressed only eight players due to injuries and suspensions. Fred Thomas scored 17 for the Bulldogs, which fell to 1-and-3 overall. Marquette and USC are both 3-1 as they enter their tournament finale. The Trojans are led by former Marquette coach Kevin O’Neill. The game begins at four this afternoon.

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The UW-Green Bay men lost at Idaho 72-62 last night. The Phoenix were playing their fourth game in five days, and it didn’t take long for the fatigue to set in. Green Bay center Alec Brown picked up his second foul less than four minutes into the game. Idaho then went on a 10-nothing run, and the Phoenix never recovered. They were out-shot 55-to-42 percent, and were outrebounded 34-27. Stephen Madison scored 19 for Idaho, which won its first game of the season against two losses. Brennan Cougill scored 19 for Green Bay, which fell to 2-and-3 on the young season. They’ll host North Dakota State on Saturday night.

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The Milwaukee Bucks will play the NBA defending champion Miami Heat tonight in south Florida. Both teams do a decent job of protecting the ball. Milwaukee is fourth in the league with an assist-to-turnover ratio of one-point-six-eight. And Miami is third in that department, with one-point-six-nine assists for every turnover. The Bucks’ renewed emphasis on defense has resulted in their opponents committing a high number of turnovers. Milwaukee has forced just over 17 turnovers per game this season, the fifth-best in the NBA. But coach Scott Skiles says the Bucks are making too many miscues themselves, as evidenced in their four-point loss at Charlotte on Monday night. Milwaukee committed 14 turnovers in that game, which led to 22 points by the Bobcats. Charlotte committed 17 turnovers, but the Bucks could only score 12 points off those mistakes. That’s below par for the Bucks – who lead the league in fast-break points with 18-point-six a night.

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