Four keys that will determine the outcome between No. 1 Kentucky (38-0) and Wisconsin (35-3) in the Final Four. 1. Frank Kaminsky The Wisconsin 7-footer arrived at the 2014 Final Four on a huge roll, but had just eight points and five rebounds in the semifinal loss to the Wildcats and said, “I learned that maybe I wasn’t as good as I thought I was at that point in time.” He is better and a matchup problem for most teams because he can score on an array of inside moves, but also step out to shoot a 3-pointer. Kentucky counters with Willie Cauley-Stein, also a 7-footer and probably the nation’s toughest defender. He’s agile enough to play inside or out. 2. Karl-Anthony Towns The New Jersey product has been an offensive tour de force all season — emerging as the potential No. 1 pick in the NBA draft — and has played especially well in the NCAA Tournament. He’s averaging 13.8 points on 63% shooting and 6.3 rebounds in 21.5 minutes … [Read more...] about Kentucky vs. Wisconsin: Four keys to the Final Four matchup
Wisconsin
Over 300 chinchillas removed from ‘uninhabitable’ and ‘deplorable’ Wisconsin home: authorities (WARNING – GRAPHIC IMAGES)
There was nothing warm and fuzzy about the treatment of these adorable creatures. Authorities in Wisconsin seized 331 live chinchillas, and found 25 more that were dead, at a “hoarder home” they inspected on Sunday, the Waukesha Police Department announced Monday. Police visited the home in Waukesha, on Milwaukee's western edge, to check on the well-being of one of its female residents and discovered the rodents stacked in cages in the rental property’s living and dining rooms. The carcasses were stored in the garage and in a chest freezer in the basement of the home at 2208 Melody Lane, cops said. The home’s inhabitants, which include three kids aged 7, 9 and 19, were maneuvering around piles of clothing and belongings strewn all over the house in a set up that cops described as “deplorable,” according to police. The scent of ammonia so repulsed the cops that they called in the local fire department, … [Read more...] about Over 300 chinchillas removed from ‘uninhabitable’ and ‘deplorable’ Wisconsin home: authorities (WARNING – GRAPHIC IMAGES)
ALS-afflicted ex-Wisconsin deputy not responsible for murdering wife, sister-in-law; defense blamed disease
An ALS-afflicted former Wisconsin deputy was acquitted of killing his wife and her sister because his disease made him not legally responsible for the murders, a jury found. Andrew Steele, 40, had written in a rambling suicide that he’d had “numerous threesomes” with the women before killing them both in August in a botched suicide pact at his Fitchburg, Wis., home outside Madison. But a jury found early Thursday that the Dane County Sheriff’s deputy, who resigned in June after his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis diagnosis, found the disease affected his brain and he wasn’t in his right mind during the slayings. Ashlee Steele, 39, and her 38-year-old sister, Kacee Tollefsbol, were killed in the attack. Steele betrayed little emotion as the verdict was read. He'll be committed for life to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, which will evaluate him and either send him to an institution or release … [Read more...] about ALS-afflicted ex-Wisconsin deputy not responsible for murdering wife, sister-in-law; defense blamed disease
Wisconsin survives Michigan State in OT for Big 10 title, 80-69
CHICAGO (AP) — Nigel Hayes scored 25 points, Frank Kaminsky added 19 and No. 6 Wisconsin outscored Michigan State 11-0 in overtime Sunday for an 80-69 victory in the Big Ten Tournament championship game. Bronson Koenig scored 18 points, and the Badgers (31-3) rallied from 11 points down in the second half in an attempt to strengthen their bid for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Branden Dawson and Denzel Valentine scored 16 points each for Michigan State (23-11). But the Spartans were outscored 31-10 over the final 11 1/2 minutes of the game and came up short after winning the tournament last year. In the first overtime in a Big Ten title game, Hayes and Koenig hit 3-pointers in the first 3 minutes to give the Badgers a 75-69 lead. Michigan State missed all six shots and committed two turnovers in the extra period. RELATED: PRINTABLE NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET All that came after a wild finish in regulation. Michigan State led 57-46 after going on a 17-5 run … [Read more...] about Wisconsin survives Michigan State in OT for Big 10 title, 80-69
Final Four has plenty of intrigue between Kentucky, Wisconsin, Duke and Michigan State
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Kentucky is still undefeated and the favorite to cut down the nets in Indy one week from tonight — but a coronation is suddenly no longer a foregone conclusion for the Big Blue nation. Before Saturday night, it appeared Kentucky was invincible, but Notre Dame gave the rest of the college basketball world something to think about, pushing the Cats to the limit in the Midwest Region final before Kentucky’s 6-11 freshman Karl Anthony Towns woke up to save their season. “We’re unbeaten, but we are far from perfect,” Kentucky coach John Calipari admitted Saturday night. RELATED: THE 10 GREATEST NCAA TOURNAMENT GAMES OF ALL-TIME That fact, along with the three other college blue bloods — top-seeds Wisconsin and Duke and undervalued Michigan State — makes the weekend’s Final Four in Indy a potential classic. Duke and Michigan State will feature two masters of March in Mike … [Read more...] about Final Four has plenty of intrigue between Kentucky, Wisconsin, Duke and Michigan State
Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky chosen AP Player of the Year
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Frank Kaminsky, the 7-footer who anchored Wisconsin’s run to a second straight Final Four, is the runaway choice as The Associated Press’ player of the year. Kaminsky averaged 18.7 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 54.9 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from 3-point range as the Badgers ran up a 35-3 record and won the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles. WEISS: BO RYAN HAS BADGERS BELIEVING THEY CAN BEAT KENTUCKY “Frank the Tank”’ is the first Wisconsin player to win the award, which started in 1961. He is the third from the Big Ten in the last six seasons, joining Ohio State’s Evan Turner in 2010 and Michigan’s Trey Burke in 2013. Kaminsky received 58 votes from the 65-member national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25. Duke freshman Jahlil Okafor received five votes and Kentucky’s Wille Caulaey-Stein and Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant had one … [Read more...] about Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky chosen AP Player of the Year
Arizona holds off Xavier, 68-60, to set up Elite Eight showdown with Wisconsin
ARIZONA 68, XAVIER 60 LOS ANGELES – Arizona kept its end of the bargain. After seeing that top-seeded Wisconsin had won one West region semifinal to start the night, the second-seeded Wildcats made sure to win the other and gain the rematch it’s been waiting for. Arizona held No. 6 Xavier without a field goal for a stretch of 7:35 late in the game to pull out a 68-60 victory Thursday night before 18,809 at Staples Center. Arizona (34-3) and Wisconsin will play for the West Region championship for a second straight year. Last season’s meeting was an epic overtime battle where the Badgers prevailed 64-63. The Wildcats are in their 10th Elite Eight. “After we lost to them, it gave us a long time to think about it, and we watched them go to a Final Four and lose at the buzzer to Kentucky,” said T. J. McConnell, who continued a stellar run through this tournament by shaking off a poor first half to finish with 17 points, seven rebounds and five … [Read more...] about Arizona holds off Xavier, 68-60, to set up Elite Eight showdown with Wisconsin
Mitt Romney: Bracket Guru — failed GOP presidential candidate correctly picked Duke, Wisconsin, all ‘Final Four’ teams in NCAA men’s basketball championship tournament
Mitt Romney may be bad at running for President, but he’s apparently amazing at picking his NCAA bracket. The failed 2008 and 2012 Republican presidential candidate picked Wisconsin and Duke to make it to the NCAA men’s basketball championship game in his ESPN.com “Tournament Challenge” bracket. He also correctly picked all four of the teams that advanced to the tournament’s “Final Four” round, as well as six of the eight teams that advanced to the tournament’s “Elite Eight” round. Romney’s picks, provided first to The Huffington Post, were good enough, as of Monday morning, to put the former Massachusetts governor’s bracket in the 99.98th percentile of all 11.57 million brackets in the ESPN competition. Romney has picked Duke to beat Wisconsin in Monday night’s championship game. He will be in attendance at the game. By contrast, President Obama, who famously announces his bracket each year in a televised … [Read more...] about Mitt Romney: Bracket Guru — failed GOP presidential candidate correctly picked Duke, Wisconsin, all ‘Final Four’ teams in NCAA men’s basketball championship tournament
Bo Ryan has Wisconsin Badgers believing they can beat perfect Kentucky
INDIANAPOLIS — Most successful college coaches have led gypsy lifestyles that have taken them all over the country. Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan grew up in the blue-collar city of Chester, Pa., just down the river from Philadelphia, but he has found a home in America’s dairy land in his 31 years as a head coach, winning four Division III national championships at Wisconsin-Platteville before building a Naismith Hall of Fame resume as a head coach at Wisconsin. Ryan has coached the Badgers to 14 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances since he arrived in Madison in 2001 and has taken a 35-3 Big Ten team to a second consecutive Final Four. He may be the only Eagles fan Green Bay fans don’t hate. Ryan is one of the few coaches to escape the coaching-caste system that has limited opportunities for qualified applicants over the years who want to make the leap directly from Division III to Division I jobs because corporate ADs feel they can’t sell these teacher … [Read more...] about Bo Ryan has Wisconsin Badgers believing they can beat perfect Kentucky
Kentucky’s Andrew Harrison mutters ‘F— that n—–‘ when asked about Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky (WARNING: OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE)
Kentucky may still go down as one of the all-time greatest — sore losers, not basketball teams. Shortly after having their bid for a perfect season spoiled by Wisconsin’s 71-64 stunner in the Final Four in Indianapolis, Wildcats sophomore guard Andrew Harrison muttered “F--- that n-----” after a question was asked about Badgers star Frank Kaminsky in the post-game press conference. RELATED: KENTUCKY FANS RIOT, LIGHT FIRES AFTER FINAL FOUR LOSS TO WISCONSIN The question was directed at Wildcats star Karl-Anthony Towns. Harrison delivered the slight while covering his mouth but the remark was caught on a live microphone and quickly made the rounds on social media. Whether it was the overwhelming negative backlash or genuine remorse, Harrison took to Twitter shortly after to acknowledge his mistake. "First i want to apologize for my poor choice of words used in jest towards a player I respect and know," he tweeted. … [Read more...] about Kentucky’s Andrew Harrison mutters ‘F— that n—–‘ when asked about Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky (WARNING: OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE)