Badger Bits: Bruesewitz day to day after sprain

Happy Monday, ya'll. If you're looking to get started on some brackets, how about joining B5Q's inaugural March Madness group?

Mike Bruesewitz's status for the NCAA Tournament remains uncertain, according to Rob Schultz of Madison.com. Bruesewitz sprained his knee during the Badgers' loss to Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament, and did not return to the game. He is classified as day to day, and there isn't a timetable for his recovery.

Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan would probably prefer to have all hands on deck for Thursday's Second Round matchup with Belmont. Ryan said his team knows it needs to "man up and play" during the tournament, and try to recover from two tough losses.

If you hadn't heard of Belmont before yesterday, you're not alone. Just in case, here's a bit of background info. Belmont won the Atlantic Sun Conference championship with a record of 30-4. Their nickname is the Bruins, and they're from Belmont, Tennessee. Half of their losses this year came to the Volunteers, with another at the hands of Vanderbilt.

It was a tough weekend for the Wisconsin men's hockey team, as they dropped a best of three series to Colorado College after winning the first game. The Badgers had leads in both of their final two games, but couldn't hold on. Their losses effectively end their season.

Better news from the women's team: the Badgers beat UM-Duluth 2-1 to advance to the Frozen Four. The Badgers will take on Boston College this Friday in Erie, PA.

Ricardo Efrendi of Off Tackle Empire wrote Wisconsin's letter welcoming Nebraska to the Big Ten.

Adam Mertz of Madison.com reports that Wisconsin offensive lineman Josh Oglesby will miss spring practices, and two players have left the program.

Jim Polzin of Madison.com also writes that some former Badgers are facing uncertainty with the NFL labor situation still unresolved.

Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel thinks the NCAA Tournament is wide-open this year.