Wisconsin
Sunday Big Ten Preview: Wisconsin Set to Host Purdue
There are two games set for the day with the top four teams all set to play today. Let’s take a look at the upcoming action.
Game of the Day
#2 Purdue Boilermakers at #6 Wisconsin Badgers
- Time/TV: 1:00 PM ET CBS
- Line: Purdue -1.5
Earlier in the week the Badgers had a rough second half and blew a massive lead against Nebraska on their way to their second conference loss of the season. The Badgers have struggled on the road, losing to Nebraska and Penn State and barely avoiding a loss at Minnesota. Thankfully for Badgers fans they face the Boilermakers at home this afternoon.
Purdue took care of business and avenged an earlier loss against Northwestern with an overtime win. The Boilermakers need to improve from the free throw line after a 63% shooting performance came close to costing them the game against the Wildcats.
Wisconsin has a well balanced starting five but will have a considerable disadvantage inside against reigning NPOY Zach Edey. It’s more or less a given that Edey will have a day, with Edey posting 17 points (7 of 9 from the field) and 19 rebounds in Madison last year. The question and determining factor will be in the backcourt.
Purdue occasionally gets turnover happy and sometimes can be a bit streaky from three. Against a Wisconsin team that has a highly efficient offense Purdue needs to maximize their offensive possessions and limit mistakes. As for Wisconsin, when Purdue struggles it’s usually because they have issues stopping teams from hitting from three. In their two losses this season both Nebraska and Northwestern shot lights out from beyond the arc. If Max Klesmit can stay hot from beyond the arc the Badgers should be in good shape.
If Purdue can find a way to defend the perimeter and keep their turnovers down they should have enough shooting of their own to pair with Edey and find a way to win on the road.
Pick: Purdue
The Rest
Nebraska Cornhuskers at Illinois Fighting Illini
- Time/TV: 6:30 PM ET BTN
- Line: Illinois -9.5
In the second game today the Illini look to hold pace with Purdue and Wisconsin towards the top of the Big Ten. They enter the day a game back from Wisconsin and a 1.5 games behind Purdue (while also losing the tiebreaker to the Boilermakers) and if they win will gain ground on whoever loses the first game today.
The Illini are 4-1 over the past five games, though the four wins have came against teams towards the bottom of the conference. Nebraska is a better team then the likes of Indiana or Ohio State, but the Cornhuskers are a more difficult out at home and will be at a disadvantage on the road.
Illinois is hoping that Terrence Shannon Jr.’s second half against the Buckeyes can get him up and running. Since his return he’s shot 4 of 21 from three and only 35.6% from the field while posting 10 assists and 10 turnovers. If Illinois wants to compete with the likes of Purdue and Wisconsin they’ll need more than Shannon, who Illini fans are hoping just needs time to get back up and running. Shannon should return to form sooner or later, but don’t forget he struggled heavily in losses to Marquette and Tennessee and outside of FAU, most of his success came against lesser opposition.
Luckily the lack of Shannon for about a month forced Illinois to turn elsewhere and the remaining starters (particularly Coleman Hawkins and Marcus Domask) showed they could still keep the Illini at the top of the conference. With a relatively solid core outside of Shannon the Illini have still been successful and it has made it easier for Illinois to deal with a struggling Shannon.
Nebraska roared back against Wisconsin to win in overtime, but the last time on road they lost to Maryland by 22. Before that the Cornhuskers lost to Rutgers, Iowa and Wisconsin on the road. They haven’t won a road game in the Big Ten yet this season and that isn’t likely to change today.
Pick: Illinois
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
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School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
How Aleksas Bieliauskas has grown in first season with Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard has high praise for Aleksas Bieliauskas about a month into the Lithuania native’s freshman season.
MADISON – One of Wisconsin men’s basketball’s departing transfers is headed to an SEC program with some connections to the Badgers.
Ex-UW forward Aleksas Bieliauskas has committed to South Carolina, he announced on April 17.
Bieliauskas left the Badgers after appearing in all 35 games as a freshman and making 28 starts. He averaged 4.9 points and 4.4 points in 20.2 minutes, and highlights of his freshman year included his five 3-pointers in UW’s upset over eventual national champion Michigan.
He’ll join a program with plenty of Wisconsin ties. South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris was an assistant coach at Wisconsin from 2010-17 on Bo Ryan and Greg Gard’s staffs. South Carolina assistant coach Tanner Bronson and director of video services Roman DiPasquale also are UW alumni.
Bieliauskas is the second of UW’s four departing transfers to commit to a new school. Reserve forward Jack Robison committed to North Dakota State on April 15. Starting guard John Blackwell and reserve forward Riccardo Greppi have not announced their next schools yet.
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