The Badgers went off to an early lead yesterday knocking down some outside shots on Senior Day at the Kohl Center. But as we have seen so often in the past... a team that relys on three pointers for success is going to have days where nothing goes in. So it was for the Badgers in the second half. It actually started with about 6 minutes left in the first half. Wisconsin missed all 18 of their three point attempts in the final 27 minutes of the game. Everybody was cold...Mike Bruesewitz and Frank Kaminsky were 1-13 from long range. Ben Brust made his first 3 and then missed his last seven. What was even more disappointing wa the play of the defense. They continually let the Purdue guards drive the lane and make any number of tear drop floaters. I was sitting in the upper deck, not far from a small collection of Purdue students who made the drive up. They were having a great time chanting and yelling...and we of course thought that the Badgers would shut them up after awhile. Not on this day.

Wisconsin heads to Michigan State on Thursday.

The Pointer men advanced in the D-3 Tournament on Saturday beating Northwestern (Minnesota). The Pointer women were not as fortunate losing to Simpson College on Saturday night despite 24 points from Sam Barber in her final game.

The Bucks have won three in a row after topping Toronto in overtime on Saturday. They host Utah tonight. You can hear the game on Foxsports AM1390 & FM 93.9 at 6:40. They are just a 1 1/2 games back of Boston for the 7th spot in the East which would avoid a first round playoff series with the red-hot Heat...Miami has won 14 in a row.

The Brewers are a banged up bunch. Aramis Ramirez left saturdays game with a strained knee...Yovanni Gallardo missed a start with a tight groin (he's questionable for the World BAseball Classic)...and Ryan Braun has missed a few games with a bruised knee. They have the day off today and will face Team Canada (which features four Brewers) on Tuesday. You could see Axford and Henderson pitching against their own teammates.

Congrats to the Eau Claire Memorial boys and Hayward/Spooner girls as they took home the State hockey championships over the weekend. Also congrats to Wausau West for winning the team wrestling championship.

And congrats to the Wausau East Lumberjack hockey team which was crowned the 2013 Academic State Champs. The award is presened annually by the Wisconsin Hockey Coaches Association to the team with the highest overall cumulative grade point average. East edged out EC Regis/Chip Falls McDonnell with a GPA of 3.76.

The field is set for the State boys basketball tournament which begins this Thursday at the Kohl Center. The only area teams involved will face each other on Thursday night in a D-4 semifinal. Auburndale will battle Amherst.

Girls sectional play later this week will feature Wausau Newman vs Phelps, Rapids Assumption vs Plum City, Neillsville vs La Crosse Aquinas, Colby vs Marathon, Amherst vs Oconto, Nekoosa vs Richland Center, Owen-Withee vs Eau Calire Immanuel Lutheran.

Songs of the Day   (from my I-pod)

Lola-Kinks (1970) An unlikely radio hit about an unlikely love affair

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVXmMMSo47s

London Homesick Blues-Jerry Jeff Walker (1973) Jerry Jeff does a Gary Nunn song. Nunn was a member of Jerry Jeff's band and this comes from the classic "Viva Terlingua" album recorded live in an old general store in Texas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T49r3IZGC4