(Lincoln, NE) — The Wisconsin men’s basketball team fell 90-60 to No. 23 Nebraska on Wednesday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nick Boyd led the Badgers with 20 points and 4 assists, converting on 7-of-16 shots from the field. Nolan Winter had 10 points, True freshman Aleksas Bieliauskas had 8 points and 4 rebounds in his third-career start and Andrew Rhode added 6 points for the Badgers. Up next is a non-conference tilt against Villanova on Friday at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Braden Smith had 15 points, 12 assists and six rebounds, and Trey Kaufman-Renn added 14 points and 10 rebounds before departing early as No. 6 Purdue blew out Minnesota 85-57. The Boilermakers sent a resounding statement in their first game since tying the record for the largest home loss by a No. 1 ranked team. Purdue lost by 23 points to then No. 10 Iowa State on Saturday. There was no repeat this time, thanks largely to a suffocating defense that spurred a 31-4 run to open the second half. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson led Minnesota with 17 points.
(Milwaukee, WI) — Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo reportedly has discussions with his teammates about the trade rumors currently swirling about him. Chris Haynes reported on NBA TV on Tuesday night that Giannis spoke to his teammates to “stress the importance of focusing on basketball and not to allow outside distractions to interfere with the process at hand”. Giannis reportedly made it clear that he is still with the Bucks and focused on working his way back from the strained calf injury that has him out for at least the next month.
(Green Bay, WI) — The Green Bay Packer defensive front could be getting a little help this week as Lukas Van Ness returned to the practice field Wednesday. Van Ness has only played six snaps since injuring his foot in a game against the Bengals on October 12th. Van Ness, now in his third year, had five quarterback hits and four multi-pressure games during the Packers’ first five games of the season. Thursday’s practice report will shed more light on if the defensive end will be good to go against the Broncos on Sunday.
(Milwaukee, WI) — The Brewers are losing a pitching prospect with some upside to the Boston Red Sox as a result of the Rule 5 Draft. 22-year-old Caden Vire was selected from the Brewers Double A team in the Triple-A portion of the Rule 5 Draft. The Rule 5 Draft is an opportunity for clubs to poach prospects out of other teams’ farm systems, but with stipulations. Vire was selected in the 12th round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Brewers and had been working his way through the farm system. He missed the 2023 season with an injury.
A’ja Wilson stood atop the WNBA again, winning an unprecedented fourth MVP as her Las Vegas Aces earned a third championship in four seasons. For that, she earned The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year for the first time. It’s the second consecutive year a basketball player won the award after Caitlin Clark was honored in 2024. A group of 47 sports journalists from the AP and its members voted. Wilson received 17 votes, tennis star Aryna Sabalenka was second with nine and Paige Bueckers was third with five.
WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE
>>College Basketball
–Division I Men
Wisconsin 60 @ Nebraska 90
–Division I Women
San Diego 46 @ Wisconsin 74
UW-Green Bay 74 @ IU-Indianapolis 47
UW-Milwaukee 60 @ Purdue-Fort Wayne 70
–Division III Men
UW-Whitewater 88 @ Lawrence 58
Wisconsin Lutheran 58 @ Marian 81
North Central (MN) 64 @ UW-Stout 75
Northwestern (MN) 63 @ UW-Eau Claire 79
UW-Superior 64 @ St. Scholastica 56