Michigan
Wisconsin’s bench delivers in win vs Central Michigan, other takeaways
Journal Sentinel beat writer discusses Badgers’ win vs Central Michigan
Journal Sentinel reporter John Steppe shares some quick thoughts on Wisconsin’s 88-61 win over Central Michigan.
MADISON – Wisconsin frequently displayed a warm, inviting fireplace graphic on the Kohl Center video board, complete with brick around the fireplace, stacks of firewood on each side and “staying warm with Wisconsin basketball” text.
The play on the court was even more picturesque for much of the second half as the Badgers used a big run in the second half to blow past Central Michigan, 88-61, on Dec. 22 at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin outscored Central Michigan in the second half, 48-33, and many of CMU’s second-half points came when the game was already well out of reach. The Badgers had a 25-3 scoring run, which quickly turned a 13-point lead into a 35-point lead.
The Badgers won with their bench players taking on bigger roles.
Austin Rapp had 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting along with seven rebounds. Braeden Carrington, three days after missing the Villanova game with an injury, had nine points off the bench.
The only two bench players who did not score were Isaac Gard and Riccardo Greppi, and they only played one minute and 23 seconds. UW’s 44 bench points were its most in a game since at least the 2006-07 season, according to UW sports information.
“This group needs to continue to do it by committee, and it was good to see a lot of guys step up,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said.
Here are three other takeaways from the Badgers’ 27-point win over the Chippewas:
Ball movement was strength again for Wisconsin offensively
Wisconsin’s ball movement has been quite the harbinger for success in 2025-26.
It has appeared to be a major strength for the Badgers at times, like when they had 15 assists on 17 field goals in the first half against Northwestern. But at the same time, Wisconsin had more turnovers than assists in three of its four losses this season. (Most recently, UW had 15 assists versus 16 turnovers in its Dec. 19 loss to Villanova in Milwaukee.)
The Badgers were back in sync against Central Michigan, racking up 25 assists on 29 field goals. It was Wisconsin’s first time since at least 2004-05 with 25-plus assists on fewer than 30 made field goals, and it was UW’s first game with 25-plus assists in general since its Jan. 3 win against Iowa.
“When we move the ball, we’re hard to guard, as probably anybody in the country is,” Gard said. “And when we don’t, we become much easier (to guard).”
UW guard Jack Janicki had nine assists off the bench, obliterating his previous career-high of three assists. He previously had seven in Wisconsin’s first 11 games combined.
“He got back to playing how he can play and we need him to play,” Gard said of Janicki, who also had four points, one rebound and one steal in 23 minutes.
Austin Rapp, Nolan Winter shine before Winter’s injury, but Winter will be ‘fine’
Wisconsin forward Austin Rapp had, as Gard put it, a “non-aggressive mindset” against Villanova as he finished with no rebounds and missed his two shots in 16 minutes.
Rapp bounced back in a big way against Central Michigan. His 18 points topped what he totaled in his previous three games combined, as did his seven rebounds. After shooting 1 of 10 from 3-point range in his previous three games, he was 4 of 7 from deep against Central Michigan.
“Obviously a few rough games,” Rapp said. “It happens. Obviously don’t want those games. But to bounce back tonight and see a few shots go down and kind of get a good win and see other guys contribute too was really cool.”
The Portland transfer also was a key part of the 25-3 run that removed any doubt, as he scored 13 of those 25 points.
Forward Nolan Winter also was productive against the Chippewas, totaling 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting and a team-high eight rebounds in 26 minutes. That was until he exited the game with an injury as he appeared to be grabbing toward his ankle.
He limped to the locker room and later could be seen standing in the tunnel. Gard said Winter was “walking around” after the game as well.
“I haven’t seen the film, if he stepped on somebody,” Gard said. “But he said he’d be fine. We’ll get some time off here where he can get himself feeling good again and fine. But he was about ready to be done anyway. I was ready to pull him. But you got to keep playing because things happen. He could tweak an ankle in the first five minutes or in the last five. So he’ll be fine.”
What to make of Hayden Jones’ first start, John Blackwell’s injury
Gard has talked a good talk about playing Hayden Jones more. Now, the freshman guard from New Zealand finally got his chance, making his first start against Central Michigan in place of the injured John Blackwell.
Jones said he found out about his start about 40 minutes beforehand.
“Kind of knew JB was going to be so-so,” Jones said. “But I was ready. Obviously had a bit of nerves going into it, but once I got in there, it was just another game of basketball.”
Jones had six points on 2-of-4 shooting, four rebounds and two turnovers in 24 minutes on the court. He had highlight-worthy moments, including a dunk in the first half. He also showed some areas where more improvement is needed, as evident by a turnover on a bad inbound pass that led to a CMU fastbreak opportunity.
“He has a really good feel for the game,” Gard said. “I got to get him to stop dribbling to the right wing and picking the ball up the first possession of every game, but I think he just has a really good feel and size. … He rebounds well for his size. He was going to play a lot tonight, regardless of where JB was at.”
As for Wisconsin’s preseason all-Big Ten guard, Gard said that Blackwell “will be fine.” UW did not disclose any details about the nature of the injury – including whether it was upper- or lower-body – but Blackwell was seen on the sideline in street clothes without any noticeable impediments.
“He tried to warm up a little bit with our pregame stuff and didn’t feel he wanted to or was able to go,” Gard said. “So we move on, and it was a good opportunity for Hayden.”
Porter Martone becomes first teenager to score game-winning goals in his first two NHL playoff games.
Porter Martone becomes first teenager to score game-winning goals in his first two NHL playoff games.
Three Michigan State recruits will represent Team USA at the world U18 hockey championships in Bratislava and Trencin, Slovakia.
The U.S. opens against Czechia on Wednesday (10 a.m., The Hockey Network).
The future Spartans are: defenseman Nick Bogas (Royal Oak), defenseman Tyler Martyniuk (Washington Township) and forward Brooks Rogowski (Brighton).
Other local commits include: defenseman Abe Barnett (University of Michigan) and goalie Luke Carrithers (Western Michigan).
Team USA’s head coach is Nick Fohr (Dexter) with Kevin Porter (Northville) and Dan Darrow (Livonia) among the assistant coaches.
The tournament features 10 countries with the final scheduled for May 2.
Bruins tie series with Sabres
The visiting Boston Bruins scored three second-period goals and held off a late Buffalo Sabres rally to post a 4-2 win on Tuesday and even their Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff series at one victory apiece.
Viktor Arvidsson scored in the last two periods, giving the Bruins 1-0 and 4-0 leads. Morgan Geekie and Pavel Zacha also lit the lamp for Boston, which heads home for Game 3 of the best-of-seven series on Thursday.
Jonathan Aspirot, Casey Mittelstadt and David Pastrnak each dished out two assists for the Bruins, and Jeremy Swayman made 34 saves.
Bowen Byram and Peyton Krebs scored as Buffalo climbed within 4-2 in the closing minutes.
Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen allowed four goals on 19 shots before Alex Lyon entered in relief following Arvidsson’s second marker, which came just 16 seconds into the third period.
Buffalo had a 36-26 shot advantage, including 20-8 in the third period, but its power play went 0-for-5. Boston finished 1-for-6 on the man advantage.
The physical contest featured 47 penalty minutes for each team.
Following a scoreless opening period, the Bruins took over in the second, scoring on three of their 11 shots against Luukkonen.
Arvidsson broke the deadlock 4:54 into the middle frame, taking Aspirot’s lob pass in ahead of the defense and beating Luukkonen five-hole with a backhander from the left circle.
A gaffe by Luukkonen helped Boston double its lead with 3:31 left in the period, as Geekie’s high backhanded dump from the far side of center ice eluded him over the glove.
The Bruins’ power play got in on the action 1:41 later. After Geekie’s one- handed keep-in at the blue line extended the play, Zacha tipped in Pastrnak’s shot from the top of the right circle while stationed in the bumper position.
Arvidsson made it 4-0 early in the third, prompting Sabres coach Lindy Ruff to change goaltenders. Aspirot banked a long feed off the boards to set up the play, leading Arvidsson down the left wing to score on a 2-on-1 rush with Zacha.
The Sabres struck twice in a 1:14 span to make things interesting. Byram accepted Beck Malenstyn’s back pass for a wrister from the top of the right circle to break Swayman’s shutout bid with 6:06 left.
Krebs soon made it 4-2, batting down and scoring the rebound of a Rasmus Dahlin point shot that caromed off the post and back into the crease.
Detroit Red Wings received six A’s in The Detroit News’ final grades for the 2025-2026 season.
Grades and key takeaways for Finnie, Gibson, Seider, Larkin, Raymond and DeBrincat after the Wings’ late collapse.
Michigan mother of three talks about how she broke her kratom addiction
Melanie Clark, 35, of Kincheloe in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, has fought a four-year-long addiction to kratom, the so-called “gas station heroin.”
Michigan lawmakers are debating a complete ban on the sale of kratom products in the state, citing cases of addiction and instances of death from people consuming the herbal supplement known as the “gas station heroin.”
Here is what to know about this unregulated herbal substance commonly sold in convenience stores, gas stations and tobacco shops across Michigan:
What is kratom?
Kratom is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia whose leaves contain compounds that can produce stimulant effects at low doses and opioid-like effects at higher doses. It is manufactured and sold in different forms: liquid tonics, tablets, gummies, powders and capsules.
What is kratom used for?
Kratom is marketed as a herbal supplement for energy, mood, pain relief or opioid withdrawal, though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved any of those uses. Some kratom users take it to get off heroin or fentanyl, according to University of Michigan researchers.
How is kratom pronounced?
Kratom is pronounced KRA-tum. The letter “a” takes a short “a” sound, as in crab or crack.
What is 7-OH?
7-hydroxymitragynin, or 7-OH, is an alkaloid found in kratom leaves. It is manufactured in a synthetic form to produce an opioid-like sensation of pain relief or sedation. It is more potent than pure leaf kratom and sometimes referred to as the hard liquor version of kratom (if pure leaf kratom were considered beer, which typically has a much lower percentage of alcohol by volume compared with distilled liquor).
Is kratom an opioid or addictive?
Kratom users, substance abuse counselors and doctors report symptoms of dependence and withdrawal from the substance, particularly when users exceed the recommended serving size.
The Drug Enforcement Agency has warned that kratom has “sedative effects” that “can lead to addiction.”
On July 29, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration moved to declare certain 7-hydroxymitragynine synthetic kratom products a Schedule I controlled substance, the same class of drugs as heroin, ecstasy and peyote. As of April 9, the substance had not yet been formally added to the list of Schedule I drugs, which would effectively ban 7-OH nationwide.
Does kratom have side effects?
The FDA has warned that kratom use can lead to liver toxicity, seizures or substance use disorder.
Withdrawal from the substance can lead to increased anxiety, insomnia and psychiatric episodes, according to University of Michigan researchers.
Dr. Eliza Hutchinson, a family physician based in Ann Arbor who is a clinical instructor at UM, said her substance abuse patients describe withdrawal from kratom as “the worst influenza of your life — times 10.”
CARE Southeastern Michigan, a recovery advocacy group, has reported some individuals experiencing psychotic episodes after taking 7-OH, the synthetic form of kratom.
The FDA has also said kratom is “not appropriate for use as a dietary supplement” and unsafe as an additive to food. The powder and liquid forms of kratom are sometimes marketed as an additive to shakes and smoothies.
Does kratom show up on a drug test?
Yes, if it’s part of a specialized screening of narcotics and other substances that looks for active ingredients in kratom products.
Some substance abuse clinics in Michigan are starting to test for it, said Madison Lauder, a counselor at The Guidance Center in Southgate.
“We see you so often, we have added into our (drug test) panel,” Lauder said.
Is there any age restriction on buying kratom in Michigan?
No, Michigan has no laws governing the sale of kratom and related synthetics, such as 7-OH.
But retailers set their own rules. Some stores won’t sell to anyone under age 21.
Some of the 7-OH kratom products on the shelves of stores are labeled “21+.”
But there’s no law on the books in Michigan requiring buyers to show a photo ID when buying kratom, as is required to purchase alcohol, tobacco or marijuana.
Which states have bans on selling kratom?
Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin have outright bans on the sale of kratom.
In December, Ohio’s Board of Pharmacy used the state’s controlled substance laws to ban the retail sale, distribution and possession of 7-OH and other synthetic forms of kratom, board spokesman Cameron McNamee said.
The Ohio Board of Pharmacy has a separate proposal to ban natural kratom products that remains in the rulemaking process, McNamee said.
Some cities and counties across the country have imposed varying local sales bans, including Anaheim, Calif., Spokane, Wash., and the New York City suburbs of Nassau County on Long Island, according to published reports.
What’s the status of legislation to ban kratom in Michigan?
On March 18, the Republican-controlled Michigan House voted 56-48 on legislation that would completely ban the sale of kratom products in Michigan. All 46 Democrats and two Republicans opposed the legislation.
Democrats cited a lack of any committee hearings on the legislation.
“There is no question of the growing concern around this product, and no one is saying, with this vote or otherwise, that the concern isn’t justified,” the House Democratic caucus said in a statement. “What we are saying is an outright ban, without any testimony or dialogue, is not the solution.”
The bill moved to the Democratic-controlled Senate, where Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, assigned it to her Government Operations Committee.
Some kratom industry interests and individual users have advocated for a ban on just the 7-OH synthetic form of kratom.
Sen. Kevin Hertel, the St. Clair Shores Democrat who chairs the Senate Health Policy Committee, said the House’s passage of a total ban on kratom has changed the debate toward prohibition, which he favors until the FDA can further study the substance and its impact on the human body.
clivengood@detroitnews.com
Staff Writers Anne Snabes and Beth LeBlanc contributed.
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