Wisconsin
Wisconsin Sees A Big Ten Title In Its Sights
MADISON, Wis. – Mathematically, the University of Wisconsin does not control its path to winning a regular-season Big Ten title. Mentally, however, senior Steven Crowl believes the Badgers have a conference championship within their control.
“We’re all confident about the opportunities we’ve been given at the end of the season,” Crowl said Thursday. “Purdue, Illinois, Michigan State, those are all big games for us. I think we control our own destiny, so it’s worrying about one game at a time, trying to get the wins, and everything else will take care of itself in the end.
No.16 Wisconsin’s championship viability will be determined on Saturday afternoon at Mackey Arena, when it plays No. 7 Purdue, one of the league’s powerhouse programs.
The Badgers (19-5, 9-4 Big Ten) have yet to beat a team with a winning conference record and haven’t beaten a Big Ten team inside the NET top 25, but knocking off Purdue would boost them in multiple ways, from tournament seeding to conference standings.
The Boilermakers (19-6, 11-3) are the top-ranked team in the conference by the Associated Press, KenPom (eighth) and the NCAA NET Rankings (eighth).
“(Saturday) is a prelim of what’s to come in the future,” Crowl said.
With the conference expanding to 18 teams, limiting the home-and-home matchups to three per school, and downsizing the number of games between the top prospects, the league’s top half will have plenty of movement over the final three weeks of the season.
The shifting started on Tuesday when Michigan moved a half-game ahead of Purdue for first place in the league after a 75-73 home victory over the Boilermakers. Michigan State is now a full game back, with Wisconsin two behind.
Maryland (2.5), UCLA (2.5), and Illinois (3) also remain in the hunt for a top-four finish in the conference, earning a double bye in next month’s Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis (all three schools currently hold the tiebreaker over the Badgers).
Wisconsin has the easiest remaining schedule of the teams in the top four of the league in terms of Big Ten opponent’s combined winning percentage (.479). KenPom predicted UW to finish 5-2, with its two losses coming tomorrow (by five) and at Michigan State (by one).
“I think we have a great opportunity to finish in the top of the Big Ten,” guard John Blackwell said. “We just have to stay locked in and stay focused. It’s a great way to get ready for March and what that presents going forward.”
A look at the remaining schedules of the Big Ten’s top four teams.
Michigan (11-2): at Ohio State, vs. Michigan State, at Nebraska, vs. Rutgers, vs. Illinois, vs. Maryland, at Michigan State. Combined Big Ten winning percentage: 56-41 (.577).
Purdue (11-3): vs. Wisconsin, at Michigan State, at Indiana, vs. UCLA, vs. Rutgers, at Illinois. Combined Big Ten winning percentage: 48-35 (.578).
Michigan State (10-3): at Illinois, vs. Purdue, at Michigan, vs. Maryland, vs. Wisconsin, at Iowa, vs. Michigan. Combined Big Ten winning percentage: 65-30 (.684).
Wisconsin (9-4): at Purdue, vs Illinois, vs. Oregon, vs. Washington, at Michigan State, at Minnesota, vs. Penn State: Combined Big Ten winning percentage: 46-50 (.479).
(WLUK) — Snow remains deep across parts of the Northwoods and the Upper Peninsula, even though much of Northeast Wisconsin has seen notable snow-melting heading toward spring.
It’s connected to a shift in Pacific climate patterns.
As of Thursday, 75.1% of the Northern Great Lakes area was covered by snow. Snow depth across the Northwoods and the U.P. ranges from 20 to 30 inches, with areas along and north of Highway 8 in Wisconsin at about 20 inches.
But farther south, significant snowmelt has occurred over the last few weeks across Northeast Wisconsin and the southern half of the state.
Looking ahead, an ENSO-neutral spring is looking likely, meaning Pacific Ocean temperatures are not notably above or below average. Conditions tend to be more normal and seasonal, though that does not guarantee typical weather.
La Niña occurs when the Pacific Ocean has below-average temperatures across the central and east-central portions of the equatorial region. El Niño is the opposite, with warmer ocean temperatures in those regions. Those shifts influence weather across the United States and globally.
In Wisconsin, a La Niña spring is usually colder and wetter, while an El Niño spring brings warmer and drier conditions. During a neutral period, neither El Niño nor La Niña is in control and weather can swing either direction.
Despite the snowpack up north, the 2026 spring outlook from Green Bay’s National Weather Service leans toward a low flood risk, because ongoing drought in parts of the state is helping to absorb snowmelt.
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Dry conditions are also raising fire concerns in several parts of the country. Low snowfall in states out west is increasing wildfire concerns, and those areas are already experiencing drought. Wildfire activity can increase quickly if above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation continue into spring. About half of the lower 48 states are in drought this week — an increase of 16% since January.
The winning numbers in Wednesday’s drawing of the “Wisconsin All or Nothing” game were:
2, 4, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22
(two, four, ten, twelve, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two)
For more lottery results, go to Jackpot.com | Order Lottery Tickets
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