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How Luke Fickell landed his first recruit at Wisconsin

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How Luke Fickell landed his first recruit at Wisconsin


Luke Fickell started his time at Wisconsin with a splash final week, touchdown his first set of commitments, which was adopted by a switch commit from former Oklahoma quarterback Nick Evers over the weekend.

Fickell, recognized for his recruiting means and improvement, entered a state of affairs of unrest, as gamers had appeared dedicated to interim head coach Jim Leonhard, however has showcased why he was employed with a collection of recruits to the Wisconsin 2023 class, whereas sustaining the commitments of a number of present Badger recruits.

The primary recruit that sparked the shockwave? Three-star defensive again Jonas Duclona, who had initially dedicated to Cincinnati whereas Fickell was their head coach, earlier than re-opening his recruitment.

Duclona spoke to Bucky’s fifth Quarter on his choice of selecting Wisconsin, in addition to his relationship with Fickell.

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The Florida cornerback acknowledged that his relationships with the previous Cincinnati employees had been vital in his course of, main him to decide to Wisconsin.

“The connection I’ve constructed with the outdated Cincinnati employees, which is the brand new employees [at Wisconsin], is what led me to the decison of choosing Wisconsin,” Duclona mentioned. “Madison is a good place with a number of nice historical past, and lots of greats got here have via right here.”

Duclona now joins a cornerback room that returns high cornerback Alexander Smith, however loses starter Jay Shaw, key reserve Justin Clark, and former four-star Semar Melvin, who transferred to Michigan State.

Moreover, the three-star recruit intends to early enroll, telling Bucky’s fifth Quarter that he plans to reach on campus on January fifteenth, guaranteeing that he’ll be a participant in spring practices.

Whereas there was uncertainty given the change in faculties, Duclona appreciated Fickell and the recruiting employees’s message, which finally led to his choice.

“[Coach Fickell and the staff] simply need me to belief the imaginative and prescient they’ve for Wisconsin and count on me to contribute to that,” Duclona mentioned.

Duclona was adopted by four-star security Braedyn Moore in his recruitment to Wisconsin, resulting in a number of different commits over the previous week, bettering the Badgers’ recruiting class for 2023 after they had been severely depleted following the tip of the common season.

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Within the 2023 class, Duclona joins fellow three-stars Jace Arnold, AJ Tisdell, and Justin Taylor because the incoming cornerbacks for Wisconsin, which ought to insulate their depth to make up for the losses on the place group.



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Former Wisconsin guard leads Louisville to blowout win over No. 14 Indiana

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Former Wisconsin guard leads Louisville to blowout win over No. 14 Indiana


Former Wisconsin basketball guard Chucky Hepburn put together his best performance of the 2024-25 season in the Louisville Cardinals’ blowout win over No. 14 Indiana on Wednesday.

As one of eight teams competing in the Battle 4 Atlantis non-conference tournament, Louisville decimated the No. 14-ranked Hoosiers 89-61 on Wednesday morning.

Hepburn was absolutely electric on both sides of the floor. In 29 minutes of action, the former Badger star registered 16 points, a season-high 10 assists and seven steals. Those numbers came on 7-of-10 shooting and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.

https://twitter.com/jaypo1961/status/1861848001687232796

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Through five games with the Cardinals, Hepburn is responsible for averages of 11.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.8 steals in over 27 minutes per game. As of Nov. 27, his 3.8 swipes per contest are the second-best in the nation behind only UC San Diego’s Hayden Gray (3.86 SPG).

Hepburn, who flashed his defensive brilliance during his tenure in Madison, is morphing into one of college basketball’s most pesky perimeter defenders. He is also proving his worth on the offensive end — the guard is shooting over 51% from the floor for the Cardinals to start the season.

In 103 career appearances with Wisconsin from 2021-24, the point guard averaged 32.1 minutes per game, 9.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals on 42% shooting and 36% from three-point range.

In his absence, the Badgers have leaned on star wing John Tonje and sophomore guard John Blackwell. Wisconsin is off to a red-hot 8-0 start to the season and currently sits at No. 15 in the latest AP Poll.





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Minnesota Opponent First Look: Wisconsin Badgers

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Minnesota Opponent First Look: Wisconsin Badgers


Minnesota Opponent First Look: Wisconsin Badgers

The Minnesota Golden Gophers, losers of two straight will look to finish the 2024 regular season on a high note on Friday afternoon when they travel to Madison to take on the Wisconsin Badgers. The Badgers enter Friday with a 5-6 record and are in danger of missing a bowl game for the first time in 22 years.

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Wisconsin 2024 Schedule & Betting Trends

COV = covered, DNC = Did not cover

WISCONSIN OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE RANKINGS

The second year of Luke Fickell era not going to plan

The Badgers had hoped the second year of the Luke Fickell era would be more fruitful. After a 7-6 season last year, the Badgers went into the transfer portal this offseason and upgraded their quarterback position by nabbing former Miami (FL) starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke.

Van Dyke would play in just two full games before suffering a season-ending injury against Alabama in the third week of the season. Since then, the Huskers have looked towards redshirt freshman Braedyn Locke to lead the offense. As with most young quarterbacks, the results have been mixed. This season, Locke has completed 56.4% of his passes for 1,806 yards and 12 touchdowns while throwing 10 interceptions.

Overall, the Badgers started the season off 2-0 with wins over Western Michigan and South Dakota before falling to Alabama and USC. In October, it appeared that Fickell’s program was finding its stride with four straight wins over Purdue, Rutgers, and Northwestern but have since lost four straight games.

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The Badgers made a change at OC midseason

The Badgers fired their offensive coordinator, Phil Longo, earlier this month following a 16-13 loss to the Oregon Ducks. Longo came to Madison with the hopes of bringing the Air Raid offense to the Big Ten, but the transition to the offense has been largely unsuccessful for the Badgers.

This season, the Badgers are averaging just 24.7 points per game, their lowest mark since 2004. Additionally, their passing attack has only garnered 202.7 yards per game ranking 93rd nationally, their rushing attack is slightly better when it comes to nationally ranked with 164.4 yards per game, ranking 65th.

In their first game without Longo last weekend against Nebraska, the Huskers totaled 25 points and 407 yards from scrimmage including 292 passing yards.

SERIES HISTORY

Friday will be the 134th meeting between the two programs since their first meeting in 1890. Through the first 133 matchups, the series is as tight as possible with Wisconsin holding a 63-8-62 advantage over the Gophers. The Gophers for a long time held the series advantage but a 14-game winning streak from 2004 through 2017, shifted the series in favor of Wisconsin. The Gophers over the P.J. Fleck era have been working to even it back up, doing so in 2022 with a a 23-16 win in Madison before the Badgers reclaimed the lead with a 28-14 win last season.

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– SUBSCRIBE to Gophers Nation





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Obituary for Kathleen "Kay" Lapp James at Picha Funeral Home

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Obituary for Kathleen "Kay" Lapp James at Picha Funeral Home


Kathleen Kay Lapp James, age 74 of Wisconsin Dells, WI passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, November 20, 2024. A memorial service for Kathleen will be held on Saturday, November 30, 2024, at Big Spring Congregational Church 373 Golden Ct, Wisconsin Dells at 1100 AM with Reverend Robert Hetzel presiding. Visitation



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