It’s December here in Wisconsin, and for sports fans, that means Badgers football is coming down the stretch, Badgers basketball is in full swing, the young and talented Milwaukee Bucks are off to a solid start. And of course, there are the Milwaukee Admirals, considered to be one of the better minor league sports teams in the country, known for its fan experience and atmosphere. Let’s have a little “water cooler” talk on all of them.
The Wisconsin Badgers football team is having another fine season. To this point they are 12-0, unbeaten, and headed for a showdown with the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big 10 Championship game this weekend. If the Badgers win, they will be in the college football playoffs. If not, they still have an outside chance, but a very slim one. It all comes down to what the committee thinks. The Badgers, as usual, are led by a strong running game. Running back Jonathan Taylor is third in the country with 1,806 rushing yards at the moment. They also have yet another great defense, which has only let Northwestern (with quarterback Clayton Thorson who is considered as a possible top-two round draft choice next May,) score over 20 points on them this season. They will need both Taylor and that stout defense to come out on top Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Badgers basketball team, which has been one of the best in the country the last few years, is not expected to have as good of a season as their last few. They currently sit at 3-4, and have lost to those four games to ranked teams. Their three wins came against South Carolina State, Yale, and Milwaukee. Still, they have plenty of time to prove the doubters wrong.
The Milwaukee Bucks are off to a 10-9 start this season. There have been some ups, some downs, and currently holding the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, although it’s very early. They need to find a way to squeeze out a few more points per game. They currently stand with the fourth lowest scoring offense in the Eastern Conference, at 102.9 points per game. This number puts them as the worst of the current playoff contenders. They can’t ask anything more of the likes of Giannis or Khris Middleton. Maybe someone off that bench, such as Thon Maker or John Henson, can give them a few more points per game.
If you are looking for an outing with some family or friends, but you are on a budget, the Milwaukee Admirals might be just the ticket for you. The team is off to a good start this season. They currently sit at 11-8, good for second place in the AHL’s Central Division. The Admirals haven’t scored a ton of goals, but they haven’t given up a ton either. They are currently tied for the AHL’s seventh-best defense, with just 53 goals allowed. Their roster currently features some promising young talent, such as 20-year-old Russian Yakov Trenin, 20-year-old winger Anthony Richard, and 21-year-old defensemen Jack Dougherty.
