Would you look at that? I'm shaking it up a bit today, as we're talking some basketball first.
The Wisconsin men's basketball season is getting ready to tip-off, and what a better way to start the season than with the pre-season polls? The Badgers will enter the season unranked by the AP for the second time in a row, which has drawn the ire of many Badger fans.
This isn't exactly news, though. The Badgers have been unranked in the pre-season 4 out of the last 6 years, but Adam Mertz says that this adds to the argument that Bo Ryan's Badgers do not get a lot of respect nationally:
Insult to that perceived injury arrived Thursday morning, when the Associated Press preseason Top 25 was released and the Badgers were found only in the small print under "others receiving votes."
But the Rodney Dangerfield contingent in the red-sweater crowd will welcome this ammo for their argument that Bo Ryan and the Badgers continue to not receive their due respect from national pundits.
Thankfully, being unranked at the start of the season has not been a death sentence for the Badgers. Wisconsin has ended up ranked in three out of the last five AP Polls, and the Badgers have been in the NCAA tournament for 12 straight years. Ultimately, as Mertz reminds us, the polls do not matter in basketball like they do in football:
Do preseason rankings matter? Clearly, no. There is no BCS to muck up college basketball, fortunately, so polls are for entertainment purposes only.
More Badger Bits after the jump!
Football
Adam Holt writes in the Badger Herald that loosing to Michigan State was a blessing in disguise.
According to Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Wisconsin's wins over both Ohio State and Iowa are so similar they would have the same DNA.
Adam Mertz of Madison.com reports that Wisconsin should not be counted out of the BCS title chase, according to BCS-guru Jerry Palm.
Hockey
The Badgers will open a two game home stand against WCHA foe Michigan Tech on Friday. Sixty Minutes. No Alibis. No Regrets. has both a preview of the series, as well as some things that would be nice to see out of the team this weekend.
Andy Baggot of Madison.com reports that the Badgers' lines against Michigan Tech will have a season-high seven rookies in the rotation.
The winners of the "Design Scott's Mask" competition were announced on UWBadgers.com. Head over there to see the video, where the winning design is shown for the first time.
Basketball
The Big Ten just hosted their Basketball Media Day, and you can see what head coach Bo Ryan said on UWBadgers.com.
Tom Oates of Madison.com writes that the Big Ten is going to be very tough in basketball this year.
In Conclusion
Enjoy the Badgers' bye week everyone. The team will be right back at it next Saturday in West Lafayette, and have a safe and happy Halloween weekend!
8 days until the next chapter in Badger Football!