Feb. 8, 2010

MADISON, Wis. -- The men's basketball team kicks off a busy week of Wisconsin athletics in Madison on Tuesday night as it hosts Illinois in a battle of teams tied for second place. Men's tennis then hosts Nebraska on Thursday afternoon, before nine more home events close out the weekend.

The No. 16-ranked Wisconsin men's basketball team (18-5, 8-3 Big Ten) returns to the Kohl Center and puts its 18-game home win streak on the line in a pair of games this week. The Badgers host Illinois (16-8, 8-3) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, looking to break a three-way tie for second place in the league standings the teams share with Ohio State. UW is limiting opponents to just 56.2 points per game, a defensive scoring average that ranks No. 5 nationally. The Badgers also lead the NCAA in turnovers, committing only 9.3 per contest. Wisconsin enters the week coming off consecutive 18-point wins over No. 5 Michigan State and Michigan, games in which the Badgers allowed an average of just 46.5 points.

With less than a week to recover from Saturday's wins over SMU and Illinois-Chicago, men's tennis is back in action as it hosts No. 66-ranked Nebraska on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 4 p.m. at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium. Wisconsin holds a 1-2 record with Nebraska, with their lone victory occurring when UW played at home. The Wisconsin men's tennis team swept two dual matches Saturday afternoon, going 4-0 against No. 69 SMU and stomping Illinois-Chicago 6-1.

The Wisconsin women's tennis team (2-4) dropped both of its matches last weekend against ACC teams North Carolina and North Carolina State. The Badgers fell 6-1 to the No. 11 Tar Heels and 5-2 to the Wolfpack. Freshman Hannah Berner was the only Badger to win both of her matches over the weekend. Wisconsin looks to a busy weekend as it hosts the 2010 ITA Women's Tennis Indoor Championships. The tournament takes place Feb. 12-15 at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium. The Badgers will take on No. 1 Duke in their first round match up. In addition to the host-Badgers and defending champion Northwestern, this year's 16-team field includes: Baylor, California, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Miami, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, UCLA and USC.

The women's hockey team (16-11-3, 13-10-1) closes out its regular season home schedule with a series against Minnesota State (5-18-5, 3-16-5) Friday and Sunday. The Badgers need to pick up some wins this weekend to keep their chances alive to host the first round of the WCHA Playoffs. Currently UW sits in third place but only one point separates teams from third to sixth place.The Culver's Camp Randall Hockey Classic was a huge success for the Wisconsin women's hockey team as they won the second consecutive U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame game and played in front of an NCAA-record crowd of 8,263 fans in the second-ever women's hockey outdoor showdown.

Sophomore Carolyne Prevost (Sarnia, Ontario) scored the first goal in Camp Randall history but it was Kelly Nash (Bonita, Calif.) who had a career day. Nash finished with four points, one goal and three assists, to lead Wisconsin to the 6-1 victory over Bemidji State. However, the Badgers couldn't ride the momentum, suffering a 2-0 loss against the Beavers in the series finale at the Kohl Center. Despite outshooting the Beavers 36-20, Wisconsin was shutout for the third time this season, and the second time against BSU this season.

Wisconsin men's hockey (16-7-4, 11-6-3 WCHA) begins the final four WCHA regular-season series with a two-game set against Minnesota State (12-14-2, 6-13-1 WCHA). Both games begin are at 8 p.m. The Badgers and Mavericks split a series in Mankato on Oct. 23-24 earlier this season. The Badgers come off a 3-2 victory over Michigan in the Culver's Camp Randall Hockey Classic last Saturday outdoors at Camp Randall Stadium in front of 55,031 people.

The Badgers' women's basketball team (17-7 overall, 7-6 Big Ten) counts down the regular season with only five games remaining. After a bye on Thursday, Wisconsin hosts Indiana (13-10, 6-6) on Sunday. Tip-off is at 6 p.m. from the Kohl Center. The Badgers play three of their last five games at home. Wisconsin hosts Indiana, No. 8 Ohio State and Iowa while traveling on the road at Penn State and Michigan.

Following Sunday's loss at Purdue, Wisconsin fell into a tie for third place in the Big Ten. Only four games separate the second through 11th-place teams in the league. The Big Ten Tournament is March 4-7 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The top five teams in the regular season standings receive a first-round bye.

Senior Rae Lin D'Alie needs to play in just one more game to break the UW career record for games played and consecutive games played. On Sunday, the 5-3 guard will have played in her 125th game in a row.

Six teams will be playing on the road this week.

The Wisconsin women's golf team wraps up play at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic from Feb. 7-9. The Badgers are currently in sixth place after day one of the tournament, held at the Trump International Golf Club in Rio Grande Puerto Rico. Senior Kelsey Verbeten (Green Bay, Wis.) is currently tied for twelfth, leading the Badgers with a 1-over-par score of 73 after the first 18-holes of play.

The Wisconsin softball team starts the 2010 season in Tempe, Ariz., this weekend, Feb. 11-14, as it faces Texas Tech, Texas A&M, California, Creighton, Cal-State Fullerton and Auburn at the Kajikawa Classic. Four of the six Badger opponents in the tournament are either ranked or are receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball and NFCA/USA Today preseason polls and made it to the College World Series in 2009. The Badgers return five starters in the field and two more in the circle for the 2010 season. Jennifer Krueger is back for her junior season after being named third-team All-Big Ten and Team MVP in 2009.

The Wisconsin women's track and field team will go its separate ways this weekend, as the Badgers divide between a pair of meets featuring some of the nation's top competition. The Badgers' hurdles and jumps groups are set to  head to Fayetteville, Ark., for the annual Tyson Invitational, while the bulk of the roster will travel to Ames, Iowa, for the Iowa State Classic. The Badgers enter the weekend coming off a successful first road trip of the season to New York City for the New Balance Collegiate Invitational. Several Badgers posted strong marks inside The Armory, led by senior Megan Seidl's win in the highly-competitive championship division of the high jump and senior Chavon Robinson's school-record mark in the triple jump.

The Wisconsin men's track and field team hits the road for the second-consecutive weekend, with the Badgers' distance runners heading to the Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash., and the team's sprinters and field-event athletes traveling to the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa. Both meets annually produce some of the nation's fastest times, as both are run on oversized, 300-meter tracks. Senior Craig Miller, who ranks in a tie for No. 3 nationally in the mile, headlines the distance group and will run in the 3,000 meters this weekend. Also competing in Seattle is junior Zach Beth, who returns to the 800 meters after running a school-record time of 2:22.33 in the 1,000 meters at last weekend's Meyo Invitational.

The Wisconsin men's golf team begins the 2010 spring season with Big Ten Match Play at the Heron Bay Golf Course in Coral Springs, Fla. from Feb. 12-13. Wisconsin finished the fall season with some impressive stats, including a tie for seventh place finish at the Memphis Intercollegiate from Oct. 19-20 in Memphis, Tenn. Senior Jordan Elsen placed in the top position for Wisconsin in three of the five fall tournaments. The Kenosha, Wis., native had his best individual finish at the Wolverine Intercollegiate from Sept. 26-27 when he carded a career best 54-hole score of 208 and tied for fourth overall.

The No. 13 Wisconsin wrestling team (6-9, 2-3) concludes its three-match road trip as it heads to Ann Arbor, Mich., this Sunday to face off against Michigan (4-12, 0-5). Wisconsin trails in the all-time series against the Wolverines, 21-25-1. The Badgers dropped seven matches in a row to Michigan from 1995-2005, but have since won two in a row, including a 20-18 upset win over UM last year. UW went 1-1 this past weekend with a win at Purdue Friday night and a loss at Illinois on Sunday.

This Week in Badger Athletics

Marketing Notes - Week of February 8

For the Fans - Game Day Promotions
Men's Basketball on Saturday, February 13, 2010 vs. Indiana at 1:00 p.m.
Badger Halftime Showcase
Fans will enjoy a very special halftime performance featuring the Fargo-Moorhead Acro Team courtesy of Cenex Harvest States.

Rally Towel Giveaway
All fans will receive a free Wisconsin basketball rally towel, courtesy of Charter Communications.

Men's Hockey on Saturday, February 13, 2010 vs. Minnesota State at 8:00 p.m.
Register to Win!
UW Students, register for your chance to participate in an in-game contest to win a $250 Best Buy gift card.

Women's Hockey on Sunday, February 14, 2010 vs. Minnesota State at 11:00 a.m.
Senior Introductions
Graduating members of the Wisconsin women's hockey team will be recognized during a special pre-game ceremony.

Women's Basketball on Sunday, February 14, 2010 vs. Indiana at 6:00 p.m.
Register to Win!
All fans will have the opportunity to register for a chance to participate in a halftime contest to win a $500 Best Buy gift card.

Merchandise Updates
The "Red Shirt" - Second Edition
"On Wisconsin" turns 100! Celebrate and commemorate this Wisconsin tradition with the Red Shirt, Second Edition. Bucky's Locker Room is pleased to partner with the Wisconsin Alumni Association on this fashionable way to give back. A portion of the proceeds from the Red Shirt, Second Edition, will support need-based financial aid through the UW Foundation's Great People Scholarship Campaign. Available for only $15 at Bucky's Locker Room.

Contests
Join the Badger football team in Las Vegas this fall. Win one of two V-I-P trips including airfare for four, three-night stay in a penthouse suite, game and tailgate tickets, limo service and $5000 cash courtesy of the Ho Chunk Nation. For details, visit UWBadgers.com/VIP.
Special Events

Ticket News
Women's Basketball
Single Game Tickets On Sale Now
General public Wisconsin women's basketball single game tickets are on sale now through UWBadgers.com. Group tickets and mini plans are also available. Men's Basketball

Big Ten Tournament Tickets
The 2010 Big Ten Tournament will be held Thursday, March 4 through Sunday, March 7 at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com.

Men's Hockey
Group Tickets On Sale Now
Save up to 50% off by purchasing group tickets. There are a number of ticket packages available. For complete details, visit UWBadgers.com.

Single Game Tickets On Sale Now
General public Wisconsin men's hockey single game tickets are currently on sale through UWBadgers.com. Reserved single game tickets are $22.00 and Upper Reserved single game tickets are $18.00.

Women's Hockey
Single Game Tickets On Sale Now
Single-game tickets for Wisconsin women's hockey are on sale now. Choose from the Famous Footwear Family Four Pack (four tickets, hot dogs, sodas, and a $5 gift card) for only $24. Or, try a group ticket package and save as much as 50% when you buy 15 or more tickets. Secure your seats today by visiting UWBadgers.com.

Men's Basketball
Big Ten Tournament Tickets
The 2010 Big Ten Tournament will be held Thursday, March 11 through Sunday, March 14 at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com.