B5Q Blogopean Union: the Badgers are back on the ice this weekend

Good morning! This is going to be a daily(ish) post that discusses the goings on of the rest of the Big Ten Conference, and the country as needed. Much like the European Union, the Big Ten is a loosely confederated group of entities that sometimes have the same goals (like free movement of people between countries or not winning national titles in football or basketball) and sometimes accept new members that they later regret (Estonia or Rutgers).

We hope that you will use this post to comment on things happening around the conference and also as a sort of daily open thread to discuss breaking news or argue about Spotted Cow.

• After what seems like months off, the men’s hockey team is back in action this weekend at the Kohl Center. The first game of the series will be televised nationally on ESPNU for all of you out market hockey fans.

• The Badgers are going to have to play some pretty flawless hockey if they want to make the NCAA Tournament, which seemed like a very baseline goal at the beginning of the season.

• This guy has spent much of the past few days getting roasted online for saying that Jonathan Taylor isn’t fast which is obscuring a potentially interesting point about college workload.

• I wish Taylor was going out with a Rose Bowl victory but it is nice to look back on all of his other accomplishments.

• BTN has been doing an excellent job of focusing on the non-revenue sports this year and giving them some national exposure. Here is a story on Seth Gross and how he ended up at Wisconsin.

• Speaking of BTN and the wrestling team! The Badgers are on TV tonight taking on the Gophers in Minneapolis. Also, uh, Brock freaking Lesnar will be in attendance as an “honorary coach.” Somewhere Jake’s head is exploding.

• The Badgers are way up north to take on Bemidji State this weekend. I’ve only ever been to Bemidji in the summer time, but I hope the team is able to go see the world’s largest Paul Bunyan statue there.

Here is our profile on Badgers star Daryl Watts to get you prepared for the games.

• Winning on the road in the B1G is tough.

• This new confident and aggressive Kobe King is exactly what Wisconsin fans wanted to see out of him this year.

• The top-four moments of Iowa’s football season.
• Ohio State and Penn State made Bruce Feldman’s “way too early” top-10. Marquee non-conference opponent for Wisconsin, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, made the cut at No. 10.
• Here’s a recap of the Badgers loss in women’s hoops to the Huskers.
• Purdue got a grad transfer OT from Colorado State.
• How can Ohio State’s basketball team get back on the right track?
• The Gophers lost some talent on both sides of the ball. Who will step up in 2020 for Minnesota?
• Indiana basketball is in the end times.
• How did Illinois finally win a game in Madison?

• Rutgers basketball is back, baby and it’s time to get on board this runaway train.
• Michigan RB Tru Wilson is leaving the program.

B1G basketball scoreboard from the past few nights (losses in bold because we are here to laugh at misfortune):

Northwestern 62 - Indiana 66
Purdue 78 - No. 19 Michigan 84 (2OT)
Minnesota 58 - No. 8 Michigan State 74