Confirming what I reported earlier this morning for 670 The Score in Chicago, Howard Moore has officially been named UIC's head coach.

Moore will be introduced Monday at a press conference in Chicago.

Here is the release from UIC:

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More photos » Tim Roske - AP

Wisconsin drew Manhattan in the first round of the 2010 Old Spice Classic. (AP Photo/Tim Roske)

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The 2010 Old Spice Classic bracket was revealed Thursday and the Badgers drew MAAC host Manhattan in the first round.

Wisconsin was placed in the top half of the bracket, which also includes Boston College and Texas A&M. Georgia, Notre Dame, Temple and California are in the bottom half.

The draw won't exactly help UW's strength of schedule, but it does give the Badgers a great chance of advancing to the championship game of the underrated tournament.

The game against Manhattan will tip off on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 25) at 1 p.m. on ESPN2.

The bracket below lists all start times and TV listings for the entire tournament.

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When news broke Tuesday that Northwestern forward Kevin Coble was leaving the Northwestern basketball program, I think the entire Big Ten was a little shocked.

Imagine if Jon Leuer suddenly announced he would forgo his senior season to concentrate on his degree.

What?

There's more to this story that just academics, however. Coble hasn't had an easy ride in college. He missed some time early in his career while his mother battled breast cancer and he missed all of last season to a foot injury. The Chicago Tribune's Teddy Greenstein reported Wednesday that "his rehabilitation caused an apparent conflict that led to multiple meetings among Carmody, Coble and Coble's mother, Carlys."

Greenstein also reported that Coble "rarely socialized with teammates or even sat with them for meals."

Still, the decision comes as a shock when you consider he was still one of the best players in the Big Ten and had Northwestern poised for its first NCAA Tournament berth ever. He had the ability to score 20 points per game and make the jump to the next level.

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The UW men's basketball team's 2010 non-conference schedule is shaping up to be another tough one as the team announced Thursday it will play in the 2010 Old Spice Classic Thanksgiving weekend in Orlando.

The tournament is only four years old, but it has quickly developed into one of the better preseason tournaments and 2010 will be no exception. Joining UW in the field is Pac-10 Champion California, Atlantic 10 Champion Temple and NCAA Tournament qualifiers Texas A&M and Notre Dame. Boston College, Georgia and Manhattan round out the 8-team field.

At first glance, Wisconsin might be considered the favorite in the tournament. While there are a lot of respectable teams in the field, Cal and Notre Dame both lost seniors Jerome Randle and Luke Harangody, respectively, while Boston College will have a brand new coaching staff. Wisconsin's toughest competition might come from Temple or Georgia.

In a weird coincidence, the Old Spice Classic bracket could look very familar to Badger fans. Wisconsin would have played Temple in the NCAA Tournament this season had Cornell not upset the Owls in the first round. Steve Donahue, who coached the Cornell team that beat both Temple and Wisconsin, is now the head coach at Boston College.

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UW recruit Ben Brust received some bad news Thursday when his appeal to play for another Big Ten school was denied by the conference.

Brust was released from his scholarship at Iowa last month after Todd Lickliter was fired, but a conference rule preventing players from playing for another Big Ten school after signing a letter of intent with another will apparently keep Brust from becoming a Badger.

It appears Brust will likely appeal the ruling. Meanwhile, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Northwestern and Iowa -- the four Big Ten schools currently offering Brust a scholarship (Iowa is hoping he will recommit) -- will wait and hope.

UW assistant coach Gary Close fell short of getting the Cornell head coaching job after the Big Red hired Virginia Tech assistant Bill Courtney. UW's coaching staff should stay intact for the 2010-11 season now.

Former walk-on Jeremy Glover is transferring to Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C. Glover and former point guard Diamond Taylor were both booted from the UW men's basketball team last fall before even playing a game. Both were arrested Sept. 6 after burglarizing several dorm rooms.

Taylor immediately transferred to Southern Illinois after the incident while Glover tried hard to get back on the team before the Athletic Department denied that effort in a Nov. 4 ruling.

Midway through the fourth round of the NFL Draft, no Badgers have been selected. Both tight end Garrett Graham and O'Brien Schofield are expected to be drafted Saturday and we will have the details when and if that happens.

Update: About 30 minutes after this story's posting, UW Athletic Communications announced that Ian Markolf has withdrawn from the UW men's basketball team. The story has since been updated.

With the 2009-10 college basketball season coming to a close last night in Indianapolis, it's time to look forward to next season, when the UW men's basketball team will make a dramatic switch from a guard-reliant team to a heavy front-court team. Here's a way too early look at your 2010-11 Wisconsin Badgers:

Starting Lineup

G - Jordan Taylor (Jr.) -  No player blossomed more this season than Taylor, who went from a reliable sixth-man to one of the best point guards in the country. Taylor finished the year with a 3.03 assist-to-turnover ratio, which ranked third in the nation. He also happens to be UW's best returning defender. With Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon out of the picture, Taylor will not only have to handle the ball and guard the opposing team's best guard, but he will also have to step up his scoring. Already a great finisher, he will need to improve his three-point shooting because UW loses 58 percent of its three-point production.

G - Rob Wilson (Jr.) -This is Wilson's time to shine. Stuck behind three great guards for two seasons, Wilson showed flashes of brillance during his sophomore campaign, despite only playing 12 minutes per game. He proved he can be a three-point weapon, which will be crucial for the Badgers next season. He can also drive and create his own shot. If he puts in the hard work in the offseason, there's no reason why Wilson can't contribute 10-12 points per game, if not more.

F - Tim Jarmusz (Sr.) -Just like last season, this is really the only position where there is any doubt about who will be starting. It wouldn't be inconceivable to see either Ryan Evans or Mike Bruesewitz pass Jarmusz on the depth chart because both figure to be larger contributors during their career, but both of them are still sophomores and Jarmusz started 27 games as a junior. Either way, Jarmusz has to improve his shooting because the Badgers will desperately need contributions from behind the arc.

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In the wake of Cornell's thrashing of the Badgers in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Sunday, there is a lot of talk about whether or not the 2009-10 UW men's basketball season was a successful one.

It's a great question.

On one hand a team that was predicted to finish in the bottom half of the Big Ten and struggle to make the NCAA Tournament, beat the likes of Duke, Michigan State, Purdue and Ohio State -- all of which are in the Sweet 16 -- en route to a No. 4 seed in its 12th straight NCAA appearance. On the other hand, a team with readjusted expectations to win the Big Ten title, win the Big Ten Tournament and reach the Final Four took major steps backward at key times and failed to accomplish any of those goals.

So are we supposed to praise the Badgers for overachieving or judge them for a disappointing late-season swoon?

Maybe it's time for Badger fans to demand more from Bo Ryan.

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NCAA Tournament Second Round No. 12 Wofford vs No. 4 Wisconsin
	at
26-8 (15-3 SoCon)		23-8 (13-5 Big Ten)
March 21, 2010  Approx. 1:50 PM CT Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Fla.
TV: CBS (Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg) Radio: Badgers Radio Network (Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas) Opponent Blog: Cornell Basketball Blog Coverage: Our Wisconsin-Cornell Game Page
All-time Series: First meeting
Probable starters:
Louis Dale	G	Trevon Hughes
Chris Wroblewski	G	Jordan Taylor
Ryan Wittman	F/G	Jason Bohannon
Jon Jaques	F	Jon Leuer
Jeff Foote	C	Keaton Nankivil

Welcome into our live game thread for Wisconsin's second round game against Cornell. The winner moves on to the Sweet 16.

For complete pre-game reading on today's matchup, make sure you check out our comprehensive scouting report/preview of Cornell, which includes the keys to today's game and our official prediction.

Feel free to leave your comments and predictions below!