B5Q Blogopean Union: Daryl Watts scored a hat trick on Sunday! She’s still good!

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 Nebraska).

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 (which we NO LONGER DO).

• I am going to write in Keeanu Benton for mayor of Madison.

• It is dangerous to be putting your balls on the line, so kudos to Jack Van Dyke on making the play and returning home with his balls.

• Proof that the Wisconsin running backs are competing with each other regardless of where they are.

• After tying the first game of the weekend 0-0 (but getting the extra point with the shootout victory, the Badgers came out on Sunday with something to prove. Mainly that they could still put the puck in the net. Well, led by a Daryl Watts hat trick, Wisconsin poured in eight goals to destroy the Beavers, 8-1.

• After a thrilling overtime victory over No. 5 Minnesota on Friday night, the Badgers came back down to Earth on Saturday, losing 4-1. Roman Achan scored the lone goal for Wisconsin, who travel to Notre Dame for a series starting on Friday night.

• Spicy cheese bread and Badgers tickets? What a combo!

• Some of the Wisconsin wrestling team participated in the Michigan State Open over the weekend and I learned what “wrestling unattached” means! Basically, the 10 guys who are unattached are just wrestling as themselves, not as members of the Badgers. They have to pay their own way to get there and they wear generic singlets. It gives a lot of younger wrestlers, and other guys who aren’t regularly in the starting lineup a chance to get in some live work against dudes who aren’t their teammates too.

Here are the results from the two attached wrestlers:

Kyle Burwick - Open 133 pounds - 6th Place (3-3 overall)
Drew Scharenbrock - Open 157 pounds - 6th Place (4-3 overall)

And the 10 unattached wrestlers:

Cody Anderson - Freshman/Sophomore Division 157 pounds (2-2)
Graham Calhoun - Freshman/Sophomore Division 174 pounds - 4th Place (4-2 overall)
Peter Christensen - Open 285 pounds - 4th Place (2-2 overall)
Tyler Dow - Open 184 pounds (2-2 overall)
Brooks Empey - Freshman/Sophomore Division 197 pounds (1-2 overall)
Aidan Medora - Freshman/Sophomore Division 149 pounds - 4th Place (3-2 overall)
Kevin Meicher - Open 165 pounds - 5th Place (5-2 overall)
Gavin Model - Freshman/Sophomore Division 165 pounds - 5th Place (4-2 overall)
Andrew Sanders - Freshman/Sophomore Division 184 pounds (0-2 overall)
Jack Severin - Freshman/Sophomore Division 141 pounds (1-2 overall)

“I’m proud of this group,” said Wisconsin associate head coach Jon Reader. “It was the first college open for a lot of them. I’m proud of the way they prepared and represented this program and University! We’ve got a lot of film on each of them now. We’ll take the time to make adjustments and prepare for our next event.”

• The men’s soccer team scored first but fell to Michigan, 2-1, in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament. I would wager that UW still has a chance to receive an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament, but a win against the Wolverines would’ve really solidified their resume.

• Former Badger Victoria Pickett is up for NWSL Rookie of the Year and you can help vote for her!

• The Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament ended on Sunday with Michigan emerging victorious. As noted below, Emma Jaskaniec was named to the all-tournament team for Wisconsin. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show airs live on NCAA.com at 3:30 p.m. CT Monday (that’s today). The Badgers are unlikely to make it, but stranger things have happened!

• Penn State WR Jahan Dotson is really good.
• Nebraska got swept by Ohio State in volleyball over the weekend.
• The Spoilermakers are in full effect this year.
• MSU followed up their biggest win in years with...a loss to Purdue.
• There was a student protest during the Northwestern/Iowa game.
• Every time I think Ohio State is turning on the afterburners...they have a game like this against Nebraska.
• Michigan still has all of their goals ahead of them this season.
• Rutgers wrestling is off to a good start.
• Rutgers football on the other hand...is causing the fan base to go through a real existential crisis.
• Class of 2023 4-star guard Amiyah Reynolds committed to Maryland’s women’s hoops team.
• Illinois beat Minnesota.
• And hoooooo boy did Minnesota lose to Illinois.
• The Illini also received a verbal commitment for their men’s hoops 2024 class.