With "March Madness" in full bloom, I thought it would be appropriate to see how the UW athletic department stacks up with other schools around the country in terms of regular-season success.

There are currently 35 schools that compete at the Division I level in men's basketball, women's basketball and men's hockey. Among those schools are Big Ten members Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State as well as "big-names" such as Notre Dame, Connecticut and Boston College.

Out of those 35 schools, only two qualified teams for the NCAA tournament in all three sports. One, obviously, is the Badgers or I probably wouldn't be writing this. The other is Vermont who, coincidently, was paired up against UW in the first round of both the women's basketball and men's hockey tournaments (the Badger men's hockey team will look for revenge for the loss Vermont hung on the women's hoops team).

It is just the second time in school history all three Badger teams advanced to the NCAA tournament. The only other time was in 2001 when UW was a No. 6 seed in men's basketball, a No. 7 seed in women's basketball and a No. 4 seed in men's hockey. This year, men's hoops was a No. 4 seed, women's hoops a No. 7 and men's hockey a No. 1.

After a day off on Sunday, the football team was back in action on Monday afternoon. The team practiced for 24 periods, or roughly two hours, outside in Camp Randall Stadium wearing full pads.

Practice No. 6 Photo Gallery

Secondary shines
The secondary had a couple of big plays during the practice. Junior Antonio Fenelus had himself a solid day of practice, making multiple plays in the secondary. He broke up a pair of passes and intercepted a fade pass deep down the far sideline. During skelly, senior Jay Valai broke in front of a Jon Budmayr pass and picked it off. It likely would have gone for a touchdown in a game. Aaron Henry also got into the act late in practice as he broke up a deep pass from Scott Tolzien intended for Isaac Anderson.

Post-practice interviews with QB Scott Tolzien, OL Bill Nagy and WR Isaac Anderson

Kendricks already in Bowl form
If you'll recall the Champs Sports Bowl, senior tight end Lance Kendricks had big blocks on each of John Clay's touchdown runs, flattening the opposition in the process. He showed that blocking prowess again in the "move the ball" drill on Monday to earn our Play of the Day. On a counter play to the left, Kendricks threw down a pancake block on Henry to create a hole for Zach Brown, much to the delight of his offensive brethren.

Same faces, different places
A couple of position changes occurred on Monday as a pair of defensive backs found new homes on the other side of the ball. Redshirt freshman Kyle Zuleger (pictured above) was taking snaps at running back, while redshirt junior Chukwuma Offor was lined up at wide receiver. During the "move the ball" drill at the end of practice, Zuleger was standing right next to running backs coach John Settle as Settle pointed things out to the new back.

News and Notes
Head coach Bret Bielema was mic'd up for the beginning of practice. Be sure to check back to UWBadgers.com for the full video ... Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith from the Big Ten Network were both in attendance, as were recently departed seniors Garrett Graham and Jeff Stehle ... the Badgers are back tomorrow for practice outside in Camp Randall. The team is schedule to go in half-packs ... quarterback Curt Phillips, linebacker Culmer St. Jean and tight end Brian Wozniak  did not practice after sustaining injuries on Saturday

We will be outside again as there is "plentiful" sunshine and it is currently 53 degrees. Full pads today.

Gerry DiNardo, the former head coach of Indiana and LSU and current Big Ten Network analyst, is in the house to watch practice.

Adam Rittenberg from ESPN.com says his full "Badger Spring Football" package will be online on Wednesday. He was in town last week, talked to a bunch of players and coaches, sat in on some meetings and watched practice.

Nick Toon had plenty to celebrate about after his great TD catch during Saturday's scrimmage (too bad this photo was taken as the team was stretching before practice):

For the first time this spring, UW took part in a live scrimmage. After 45 minutes of individual drills, which included some work on the punt team, the Badgers took a water break and broke into their offensive and defensive units for some old-fashioned American football, complete with officials and tackling.

Practice No. 5 Photo Gallery

The scrimmage consisted of some situational play. It began with first and second down, where everything started at first-and-10 and the ball was spotted for second down wherever the result of the first down play was. Then the Badgers worked on third downs, starting with 3rd-and-2 and gradually moving the ball back to 3rd-and-12. There were then two drives (ones vs. ones and twos vs. twos) of "move the ball" (basically football as you would see in a game). Practice ended with some work in the red zone followed by about 10 plays for the No. 3 offense and defense.  

"I thought the scrimmage went well," head coach Bret Bielema said. "A couple guys jumped out. I think Jon (Budmayr) can throw the ball around pretty good, which is evident. Jared Abbrederis, if you've been watching practice, has really come along well at the wide receiver spot. It was also nice to see some hits on defense."

Head coach Bret Bielema's complete post-practice media session (video)

The defense set the tone on the very first play as CB Antonio Fenelus came up to drop RB Montee Ball for a two-yard loss on a toss play. Later in that series involving the No. 1 offense vs. the No. 1 defense, LB Kevin Rouse intercepted a pass from QB Scott Tolzien as the defensive line was pressuring Tolzien.

During the third-down drills, Tolzien hooked up with WR Kyle Jefferson for conversions on consecutive 3rd-and-long situations. Jon Budmayr also had a nice conversion of a 3rd-and-long, hitting fellow freshman Jeff Duckworth on about a 15-yard gain after he was flushed out of the pocket.

In the two drives of "move the ball" the defense won one and the offense won one. When the No. 1 offense and defense squared off, Fenelus ended the drive by intercepting Tolzien's pass on a rollout to the right.

The No. 2 offense got revenge when Budmayr marched them down the field for a score. Zach Brown got the drive started with a 12-yard scamper, cutting to the outside to find running room. Budmayr then hit Jefferson and TE Jacob Pederson each for about 12 yards. On first-and-goal from the 4-yard line, Ball looked as though he would score but DT Ethan Hemer came up with a big hit to keep him out of the end zone. Following a procedure penalty, Ball got his touchdown from six yards out, making a great cutback to hit pay dirt.

The No. 1 offense got two cracks in the red zone drill and was 1-for-2. On the first drive, tight coverage by Fenelus on Nick Toon forced a 3rd-and-long. J.J. Watt then came up with a sack to halt the scoring threat.

On the next drive, Toon and Tolzien hooked up for about a 15-yard touchdown that was eerily reminiscent of Toon's "Play of the Year" http://www.uwbadgers.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/121109aal.html catch vs. Michigan last season. Matched up 1-on-1 with CB Devin Smith, Toon jumped over Smith and was able to come down with the ball despite Smith being flagged for pass interference.

When the No. 3 offense and the No. 3 defense squared off, WR Jared Abbrederis again came up with a big play, hauling in about a 60-yard touchdown pass from QB Nate Tice.

With only three healthy running backs in the spring, Bradie Ewing got his share of work and then some. Ewing lined up at fullback for many of the plays with the No. 1 and No. 2 offenses then saw some time at tailback with the No. 3s.

QB Curt Phillips and TE Brian Wozniak both left the scrimmage with injuries. Coach Bielema did not know the extent of the injuries after practice.

Faces in the Crowd
Among the large crowd in attendance to witness the scrimmage was Mike Tice, father of UW quarterback Nate Tice and offensive line coach for the Chicago Bears ... former UW assistant coach Jay Hayes, now the defensive line coach for the Cincinnati Bengals, was also in attendance ... former Badger players included Taylor Mehlhaff, Mickey Turner and Garrett Graham

Defensive end J.J. Watt shows off some graceful moves during a "strip" drill, punching the ball out with one hand and grabbing it out of the air with the other during yesterday's practice.

In the midst of the first round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, the Wisconsin football team tended to business as usual. The Badgers held their fourth spring practice in half-pack (shoulder pads, helmets and shorts) for 24 periods. For the second straight practice, Wisconsin was outside in Camp Randall for a breezy 60-degree day under the sun.

Practice No. 4 Photo Gallery

Stepping up in the Red Zone
The defense had another solid day with three interceptions during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 today. With an emphasis in making red zone stops, all three picks came when the offense was inside the 20-yard line.

During skelly (7-on-7), Devin Smith had a one-handed interception in the back of the end zone, fighting off Nick Toon to pick off the pass. Culmer St. Jean got the second pick of the day during 11-on-11 jumping in front of Isaac Anderson near the goal line.

"It was a long drive, the offense was driving and the red zone is where most points happen, 7 or 3, so getting the ball out of there and getting it back is definitely a good stop for our defense," said St. Jean.

Video highlights and post-practice interviews with LB Culmer St. Jean, DB Devin Smith and DT Patrick Butrym

Marcus Cromartie capped practice with a pick on the final play. Kevin Claxton tipped the ball, taking a hit from Jared Abbrederis and Cromartie caught the tip to get the turnover.  
During positional drills, new defensive back coach Chris Ash emphasized to his players to keep their eyes up. Looks like it paid off.

Next man in
With running back John Clay out, running backs coach John Settle has a small group to work with in Montee Ball, Zach Brown and Bradie Ewing. During 11-on-11, Ball and Brown each saw a lot of reps which seems to be paying off, both finding holes for big gains.

Ball had a good read breaking down the middle to get into the open field. Before practice was over, Brown also got in on the action. He broke off the line going down the left side for a big gain before getting pushed out of bounds. Ewing made his mark in the passing game, gaining nearly 20 yards on a pass from quarterback Jon Budmayr

Finding his sweet spot
Offensively Lance Kendricks had a good outing, finding his sweet spot in the back of the end zone. First Budmayr found him for the score during 11-on-11 drills inside the red zone and then quarterback Scott Tolzien connected on another touchdown in the back corner of the end zone during 11-on-11. He made both catches look easier than they were.

Showing some leg
The punting unit got its first live action of spring ball, giving Brad Nortman a chance to show off his leg. An unofficial average of Nortman's punts sailed approximately 40 yards into the wind. Before they wrapped up, Nortman hit his long which nearly cleared 60 yards, again kicking into the wind.

This and That
Not too many guests at practice today, however, the Badgers had a familiar visitor in former safety Chris Maragos.

J.J. Watt did a touchdown celebration during a water break that included jumping up and slamming the football over the goal post.

Next up
The majority of Saturday's practice will be a live scrimmage with officials present. UW's fifth practice starts at 10:15 a.m. and will likely be back indoors on the practice field in the McClain Center with the forecast calling for snow. 

I'm sure everyone is thinking NFL today, so here's some info on former Badgers making noise in the NFL:

* Former Badger Troy Vincent, a No. 1 draft pick in 1992 and five-time Pro Bowler, was recently named vice president of player development for active players by the NFL.

* The Newark Star-Ledger reports that Giants' head coach Tom Coughlin is looking for a role for tight end Travis Beckum: "We are working on that though and we have to. His development is important to us too. Different rookies take different routes. He is a talented young guy that showed us, to be quite honest with you, a lot. Like special teams, he tried hard, was physical, was always on the kickoff return team. You are right, we got to get him in the offense and get him in there with consistency."

* The New Orleans Saints are looking to replace Scott Fujita at strong side linebacker and Jonathan Casillas is in the mix.

* According to the Detroit News, Lions head coach Jim Schwartz seems pretty happy with DeAndre Levy's play at middle linebacker last season: "I think that we are very happy where we are at middle linebacker. I thought DeAndre Levy was a guy that we drafted with a very particular skill-set in mind and we thought he could fill that (position). We are very pleased with what he did (last year) and I think we're in a good position there."

* Unlike the man he protected for so many years (Bret Favre), it looks like Mark Tauscher will finish his career as a Green Bay Packer. And reports say it will be a very lucrative two years for him.

* Matt Shaughnessy looks to be next in line now that the Raiders have released defensive end Greg Ellis.

While millions around the country will be watching basketball games either on their computers or TVs, I, along with our intern Jacqueline Boscacci, some media folks and about 80 players and 30 other staff will be outside in Camp Randall for football practice. Practice starts at 3:45 and is scheduled for 24 periods (two hours) in half-pack (shoulder pads, helmets and shorts).

Could be worse I guess. Saturday's weather calls for a high of 40 and light snow and next week calls for highs only in the 40s. Looks like this could be our last practice outside until after spring break.

As always, we will be back after practice with a complete practice report, photo gallery and video highlights.

(Like most people today, I am watching games. And though I am a Notre Dame grad, I did pick Old Dominion so I am currently undefeated in my "for entertainment purposes only" bracket)

As you are watching March Madness on Demand today, take some time to also check out some UW football links from around the web:

* ESPN.com - Wisconsin's lucky numbers in 2010: 84, 32, 1
* ESPN.com - Video: Wisconsin DE J.J. Watt
* DenverPost.com - Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez and football coach Bret Bielema appearing in Denver
* The Daily Cardinal - Offense finally in good hands with Tolzien