Morning State Sports Briefs: Badger hoops host UNO tonight

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MADISON - The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team will host Nebraska-Omaha tonight with the tip-off at 7 p.m.

The Badgers are coming off an 81-56 home rout of California on Sunday, in which the Golden Bears failed to go 7-0 for the first time since the Pete Newell era 1950’s. It also started a new winning streak for the Badgers at the Kohl Center, where they’ve only lost 16 games in Bo Ryan’s 12 seasons as coach. Wisconsin is 5-3, and junior Ben Brust had double-doubles in three of those eight games. He’s averaging 13-and-a-half points – and he’s third in the Big Ten in rebounds with seven-and-a-half per contest. Nebraska-Omaha is in its second year in the NCAA’s Division-One as a member of the Summit League. They’re coming off a 78-63 loss to defending league champion South Dakota State on Saturday night. Center John Karhoff led Omaha in that game with 16 points and three rebounds. Tonight will be the Mavs’ eighth game in a 10-game road trip. Omaha is 2-7 overall, and has dropped four-of-its-last-five. Also tonight, the UW-Milwaukee women host Bradley. The UW-Parkside men are at home against Northland International. And the Parkside women entertain Finlandia.

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The University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team moved up in the national Top-10, despite getting swept during the weekend by top-ranked Minnesota. The Badgers rose one spot to ninth in their U.S. College Hockey Online poll. Wisconsin is 10-6-2 overall, after falling to a Gopher squad that’s 18-0-0. Clarkson is second in the women’s poll, followed by Cornell. Meanwhile, the Badger men did not get a mention in their College Online poll. That’s despite beating and tying Denver – which fell one place to sixth in today’s new weekly survey. New Hampshire moved up one place into the top spot. Boston College fell to second.

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An exhibition game has been added to the Badger women’s hockey schedule. The Minnesota Whitecaps’ pro team will play Wisconsin on January fourth at the new LaBahn Arena in Madison. Admission will be free to this contest. The Badgers say it will give them a chance to limber up after a month-long break, before they return to WCHA action against Ohio State January 11th-and-12th. The Whitecaps are made up of former collegiate and national team players, including four-time Olympian Jenny Potter.

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UW-Whitewater rose one place to second in the Division III men’s basketball poll from D3hoops.com. The Warhawks are 5-0, on the heels of a six-point win over Stout in their WIAC conference opener. Whitewater trails only Virginia Wesleyan in the new poll. That’s after last week’s No. 1, MIT, dropped to 18th following a 68-44 loss to Rhode Island College. UW-Stevens Point rose two spots in the new poll to Number-seven. Carroll College of Waukesha also received votes along with La Crosse, Stout, and Platteville. In the D3hoops.com women’s poll, Stevens Point dropped from third place to 12th after back-to-back losses to Saint Thomas and UW-Superior. Whitewater fell five places to 19th, with a 4-2 start. Saint Norbert dropped out the Top-25 after being 25th a week ago. The Green Knights still received votes, as did Carthage, Superior, and River Falls. DePauw is still the women’s No. 1.

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Milwaukee Brewers’ general manager Doug Melvin says he wouldn’t mind signing another starting pitcher – but it’s not that pressing off a need at this week’s Winter Meetings in Nashville. Melvin expects to have more talks with the agent for Chicago Cubs’ veteran Ryan Dempster. But the 35-year-old Dempster reportedly wants a three-year deal – and unless Melvin finds somebody exceptional, the GM says he would rather sign a two-year contract for an experienced starter. The Brewers have been burned in the recent past with longer deals for older starters Jeff Suppan and Randy Wolf. Melvin says he’s prepared to go with the starters he has for 2013. Yovani Gallardo is the Crew’s only veteran starter – and Melvin is prepared to start Marco Estrada and Chris Narveson as well. Beyond that, the Brewers expect to keep giving opportunities to Mike Fiers, Mark Rogers, and Wily Peralta – just like they did for much of this past season. The Brewers don’t appear to have the money to make a super-splash in the free-agent market. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel says the team has about $65 million dollars in commitments with an expected Opening Day payroll of around $80-million.

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The UW-Eau Claire men’s hockey team remains at No. 3 in this week’s Division-Three poll from U.S. College Hockey Online. The Blugolds are 10-1-1. Saint Norbert dropped one spot to sixth at 8-2-1. UW-Superior rose two places to 10th. The Milwaukee School of Engineering rose one spot to 14th. River Falls and Stout also received votes. Norwich of Connecticut moved up one place to become the new men’s Number-One. Oswego of New York dropped to second. In the Division III women’s poll, UW-River Falls remains at Number-Six. Superior fell to seventh after being tied for sixth a week ago. Stevens Point joins the survey at Number-10. Plattsburgh of New York is still the women’s No. 1.

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The Milwaukee Admirals have made a switch at the back-up goaltender spot. They recalled Magnus Hellberg from Cincinnati of the East Coast Hockey League – and they sent Zoltan Hetenyi to Cincy. Hellberg went 1-1 for the Cyclones this past weekend, and he stopped 60-of-65 shots.

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Madison golfer Steve Stricker dropped two places to 16th in the new World Golf Rankings, despite his Top-10 finish at the World Challenge in California. Stricker is currently 10 places below where he started this year, at Number-six in the World Rankings. Stricker finished eighth among 18 players at the World Challenge. Rory McIlroy still leads the rankings, followed by Luke Donald, Tiger Woods, and Justin Rose.

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SCORES

Wisconsin boys' high school basketball

Argyle 54, Warren, Illinois. 45, OT

Benton 41, Galena, Illinois 39

Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran 65, Lake Holcombe 40

Eau Claire Memorial 50, Wausau East 42

Eleva-Strum 58, Greenwood 46

Elk Mound 53, Fall Creek 44

Gibraltar 80, Oneida Nation 34

Glendale Nicolet 68, West Bend West 40

Gogebic, Michigan 48, Mellen 42

Milwaukee Heritage Christian 55, Trinity Academy 50

Horicon 50, Mayville 48

Houghton, Michigan 62, Northland Pines 45

Hurley 68, Mercer 28

Kenosha St. Joseph 55, Kenosha Reuther 44

La Farge 45, Hillsboro 42

Marinette 50, Oconto 40

Marinette St. Thomas Aquinas 63, White Lake 40

Mondovi 60, Gilmanton 47

Niagara 65, Crivitz 34

Peshtigo 72, Lena 12

Prescott 62, Spring Valley 40

Solon Springs 55, Birchwood 32

Suring 65, Gillett 21

Waupaca 79, New London 75

Central Wisconsin Christian 58, Fall River 45

Wausaukee 86, Coleman 34

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Girls' high school basketball

Amherst 67, Westfield 64

Ashland 35, Maple Northwestern 26

Barneveld 76, Mineral Point 36

Boscobel 48, Wauzeka-Steuben 46

Brillion 50, Nekoosa 38

Brookwood 72, La Farge 27

Cameron 75, Shell Lake 45

Clinton 50, Delavan-Darien 42

Colby 55, Edgar 37

Crandon 58, White Lake 7

Durand 41, Altoona 33

Evansville 70, New Glarus 50

Fennimore 42, Highland 32

Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau 69, Melrose-Mindoro 50

Goodman/Pembine 48, Elcho 44, OT

Green Bay Preble 61, Kiel 37

Hayward 69, Somerset 17

Hurley 57, Mercer 14

Milwaukee School of Languages 58, Milwaukee Hamilton 31

Milwaukee Young-Coggs Prep 38, Milwaukee Madison 37

Monticello 49, Orfordville Parkview 27

Owen-Withee 58, Thorp 36

River Ridge 50, North Crawford 24

Solon Springs 58, Birchwood 24

Stratford 52, Athens 42

Wabeno 36, Laona 35

Watertown Maranatha Baptist 41, Milwaukee Salaam School 17

Weyauwega-Fremont 53, Wautoma 38

Wisconsin Dells 33, Tomah 31

Wonewoc-Center 32, Weston 26

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Girls' high school hockey

Black River Falls 5, Waupaca 2

Chippewa Falls 6, Central Wisconsin 2

Marshfield 3, Lake Geneva Badger 1

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