Badgers Mens Basketball Program Wins The Big 10 Title: My Thoughts.

The Badgers recently beat a Minnesota Gophers squad that has struggled in conference play throughout the season. The victory gave Wisconsin full control of the Big 10 title. Here are few of my thoughts on the accomplishment.

According to http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/teams/rpi/WISC/wisconsin-badgers the Badgers lost to the two top ten opponents they faced this year. Wisconsin still needs to prove themselves.




Wisconsin's victory enables them to regain the momentum it loss after being upset by Maryland earlier this season.

I think focusing on the accomplishment too much will hinder the Badgers chances at another deep March Madness run.

Packer Draft 2015 Prospects ~ Oklahoma DT Jordan Phillips

We kick off our draft preview by looking at defensive players, today DT Jordan Phillips whom is projected to be there by a couple of draft gurus.

Positives:

Phillips has rare size for his position, but wears his weight well and looks and plays much lighter than his weight would suggest.  He moves well, with a good first step, and has surprising quickness and agility.  In the running game, Phillips has great strength and  maintains his position, even when he is double teamed.  On pass plays he gets excellent penetration, collapsing the pocket from the inside, and forcing Quarterbacks to either get rid of the ball or scramble out of the pocket.  Phillips is not just a space eater; he is athletic and has a couple of nice pass rush moves, including a great swim move, which I highlighted in the play below.

Jordan Phillips vs Tennessee (2014)



Negatives:

As a red shirt sophomore, Phillips is young and inexperienced, especially considering he missed most of last year due to a back injury.  One thing I noticed on film was that even though he does a great job getting pressure, he does not finish the play.  This is due to a couple of different reasons.  One is that he doesn’t keep his head up and his eyes on the ball.  Another  is he struggles to disengage from blockers.  His height for the position is also sometimes a detriment.  Smaller Centers are able to win the battle of leverage and he tends to bend at the waist as games go on.  In the play below, you see Phillips get decent penetration on the run play, but then he cannot disengage from the Center, which allows the running back to run by him.

Jordan Phillips vs Texas Christian (2014)



Overall:

Phillips is an intriguing player.  Right now, he is raw but has only just scratched the surface of his potential.  I envision him as a player who could make in impact from the DT position as both a run stuffer and a pass disruptor.  He probably won’t put up big numbers that jump off the stat sheet, but his ability to collapse the pocket could be a valuable asset.  He needs to work on his play awareness and technique but the physical tools are there. I believe he can be put in a rotation in GB on DL and is an upgrade over Raji or Guion.

The Brewers School UW Wisconsin Millwakuee in Exhibition Game

The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee got schooled by the local pros today. The Brewers produced eight runs including multiple 2 run innings. The Brewers faced a college team for the first time since 1998. I like the concept and think more MLB teams should adopt it.

You can read a recap of the exhibition game on the official Fox Sports Wisconsin blog http://www.foxsports.com/wisconsin/story/milwaukee-brewers-blank-wisconsin-milwaukee-panthers-8-0-030415   .

The Milwaukee Brewers  tweeted a video of Kris Davis's two run single. 

pic.twitter.com/zROW0iZiDA

   

Ready For War: Badgers Set To Battle Sparty On Opposing Ice.

The Wisconsin Badgers and The Michigan State Spartans are preparing for war.

March 6th and 7th present a  tough challenges for the struggling mens Badgers Hockey program. Last place Wisconsin must survive both games in East Lansing if they want a shot at the Big 10 championship. The Badgers swept Sparty last season can they do it again ?

Milwaukee Needs To Learn From Seattle If It Wants To Prevent History From Repeating It's Self.

The Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentential recently published an article regarding the proposed downtown Milwaukee arena plan. http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/arena03-b99454436z1-294697751.html . The article failed to point out how similar the progress of the current situation is to what happened in Seattle. If your unfamiliar with what happened in Seattle I recommend watching the documentary Sonicsgate. Here are a couple of key similarities.


Seattle also acquired a potential superstar via the draft with the second overall pick amidst potential arena problems.

                                    

  New owners promised to keep the Sonics in Seattle. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2522944  New owners are promising to keep the Bucks in Milwaukee.  http://www.jrn.com/wtmj/wi-sports/Report-Bucks-owner-to-sell-to-New-York-based-billionaires-255507031.html .

The fact that both historic franchises won their only ring in the 70's is arguably the biggest warning sign.

The Top 3 Players I Think Green Bay Should Draft

By  Samuel Goldman

  The Green Bay Packers have remained draft masterminds throughout franchise history. I think a solid 2015 NFL draft will enable the Packers to bring another trophy home. Here are the top three players I think the Packers should target.

3. Blake Sims possesses a unique skill set. The former Alabama Quarterback showed glimpses of greatness last year. The Packers are known for drafting developmental Quarterbacks. I think they should gamble on the low risk high reward Quarterback prospect.

2. The Packers offense is lacking a young explosive tight end. Clive Walford the second best Tight End on the board fits the bill. The former Hurricane was labeled the most explosive Tight End in the draft by media annalists Mike Mayock. If that’s not enough to convince you, watch this jaw dropping catch. 

1. Eric Kendrick’s is a value pick capable of helping solve the Packers Linebacker problems.

 

February Blues

Good Morning Wisconsin Sports Fans,

As we hit mid February and the winter blues I thought a brief blog post would be in order. Many articles and thoughts about the recent staff shake up in Green bay last week. While many positive changes were made I can't help but wonder why a coach so ensconced in his beliefs and program would do these things.

I personally do not buy he has been "thinking " about it for a long time. These moves have a deeper rooted meaning but nothing I can put my finer on. It will be interesting moving forward weather messing with the formula helps or hinders the packers.


The NFL combine is coming up and with it more draft coverage over at our blog. Please stop in and register so you don't miss a minute of our off season coverage !

We will also cover the Badgers BB team as they get ready for March madness and Brewers spring training so please stick with us this off season !


Wisconsinsportstalk.com is currently seeking writers for our blog including a lead writer to manage the daily articles. If your a Wisconsin sports fan or outdoor buff who likes to write please drop me an email at wisconsinsportstalk@outlook.com  and we can chat further.


With that it's time to sign off.... stay warm and cheers from all of us at Wisconsinsportstalk !