Wisconsin Badgers Hockey Schedule for 2012- 2013

Hello Badgers hockey fans!  Here is the 2012-2013 Wisconsin Badgers hockey schedule. Yes, we have to wait five months for the first puck to drop at the Kohl Center.  Home games are highlighted in bold, and it all starts with the “Under 18 Team” event on 10/6. Badgers tickets for home and away games are on sale now.  Will the team do better than last season?  We would like to think so.  In the meantime, have a great summer, and Go Bucky!

2012-2013 Wisconsin Hockey Schedule

October

-        October 6^th vs. United State Under-18 Team
-        October 12-13 vs. Northern Michigan
-        October 26-27 at Minnesota-Duluth

November
-        November 2-3 vs. Colorado College
-        November 16-17 at Minnesota
-        November 23-24 vs. Minnesota State
-        November 30-December 1 at Denver

December
-        December 7-8 vs. Michigan Tech.

-        December 13-14 vs. Alabama-Huntsville

January

-        January 4-5 at Alaska-Anchorage
-        January 11-12 at Minnesota State
-        January 18-19 vs. Miami (Ohio)
-        January 25-26 vs. Alaska-Anchorage

February
-        February 1-2 at North Dakota

-        February 8-9 vs. Bemidji State
-        February 15 vs. Minnesota
-        February 17 vs. Minnesota
-        February 24-25 vs. Penn State
March
-        March 1-2 at Nebraska-Omaha
-        March 8-9 vs. St. Cloud

Jordan Taylor Prepares for the NBA Draft

Jordan Taylor is preparing for a busy summer. The Wisconsin Badgers point guard played his last game at the school this semester, and is preparing to graduate in a few weeks with a degree from the university’s business school. Taylor’s mind is likely preoccupied with the upcoming NBA draft, in which he is hoping to make the leap to the professionals. Most experts expect Taylor to get drafted late in the second round. The two-time All-American is doing all that he can to make himself more attractive.


He hired B.J. Armstrong to represent him. Armstrong, a sixteen year veteran of the league himself, set up Taylor with prominent trainer Rob McClanaghan. The pair now meets in California on a regular basis to prepare for pre draft workouts.

Taylor Invited to Portsmouth
Taylor’s prospects for success in the upcoming draft increased in early April, when the guard was invited to the Portsmouth Invitational. This prestigious event showcases the best sixty-four college players in the county. They get a chance to play in front of representatives from every NBA team, and a number of international clubs. Taylor scored roughly 11.5 points per game in the tournament, and was responsible for just under five assists per game. He was overjoyed with his performance. Taylor said that he could have played better, but still enjoyed the experience.

Should he be selected in the draft, Taylor will be the fourth former Badger drafted in the past nine years. Most recently, Taylor’s teammate Jon Leuer was picked-up by the Bucks in 2011. Devin Harris was the fifth overall pick in the 2005 draft, and Alando Tucker followed in 2007.

Badgers Coach Bo Ryan Looks for Uthoff's Replacement

Badgers head coach Bo Ryan isn't wasting time recruiting for Jarrod Uthoff's soon-to-be available scholarship. Ryan has been courting a number of players, even though his battle over Uthoff's transfer options continues to grind on.

Since declaring his intention to leave Wisconsin two-weeks ago, the sophomore guard has faced barriers from Ryan. When Uthoff submitted a list of thirty schools to the program, Ryan, who must agree on the terms of the transfer, denied him contact permission with nearly all of them. The coach's restrictions included all of the Big Ten and Atlantic Coast conferences, as well as Florida, Iowa State, and Marquette. Creighton was the only school left open that could offer Uthoff a scholarship.

Uthoff Looks Past Big Ten Schools

On Thursday, however, athletic director Barry Alvarez and his assistant, Justin Doherty, overturned Ryan's decision, allowing Uthoff permission to contact twelve of the sixteen schools that he appealed for. The eased restrictions include permission to contact any school outside of the BigTen basketball program.

Ryan appeared to reporters the same day as the appeals announcement, defending his choice to ban certain programs. The coach claimed his intention was only to discover why the guard wanted to select particular schools. He took his case to the national stage on ESPN, where he accused the media of isolating Wisconsin as the sole practitioner or of the practice, when, if fact, many schools have used the same strategy.

Uthoff is expected to further appeal the ban on three of the four programs he is still barred from contacting. That process will require the chair of the athletic board to become involved.

Jarrod Uthoff Intends to Leave Wisconsin

A controversy is brewing at the Kohl Center this off-season. Red shirt sophomore Jarrod Uthoff announced his intention to transfer to another school last week, and was granted a release by Wisconsin. However, the Badgers head coach, Bo Ryan, decided to put a stick in Uthoff's spokes by severely limiting the number of alternatives available to the forward.


NCAA rules require the permission of the former coach for a player to even discuss a transfer with another school's officials. After submitting a list of about thirty universities that he was interested in talking with, Uthoff was informed twenty-five of them were denied by Ryan. The restrictions include all of the Big-Ten, Marquette, as well as the entire Atlantic Coast Conference. Ryan's decision has left the Iowa native with just Creighton as an option that is willing to offer a scholarship – he will visit the school next week.

To top off his frustrations, Uthoff wasn't even offered an explanation from the coach. It is not uncommon for student athletes to be denied requests for a few schools, but Ryan's black-list is unprecedented in length.

A likely reason for the over-regulation is the ever-increasingly competitive market that is college basketball. The average Division-One team will lose one-and-a-half players to transfers this season. Many are going – or attempting to go – to the newly remodeled ACC, possibly the reason why Ryan would deny the conference one more. As far as the Big-Ten and Marquette go, Ryan is probably afraid of having to face the six-foot-eight talent on an annual basis in conference, and against his team's primary in-state rival.

The head coach's fears are not unfounded, though. Uthoff was named Iowa's “Mr. Basketball” his graduating year, after leading his high school to their first state appearance in a decade. While he did not have any playing time in Wisconsin, he will be a substantial gain for the team that eventually gets him.
Uthoff is appealing the decision to Wisconsin's compliance office. The NCAA could take on the case should it be refused by the school.

Jordan Taylor at the Portsmouth Invitational

Jordan Taylor is the sole Badger representing his alma mater at the historic Portsmouth Invitational later this month. The former senior guard will play on the Cherry, Bekaert & Holland team, along with various other college seniors from schools across the country. His teammates include Eli Holman of Detroit, Greg Mangano of Yale, and Keith Wright of Harvard. Students representing Long Beach State, Georgetown, Oakland, and UNLV will also be joining the squad.

Taylor is the only Badger in recent years to be called up to the prestigious tournament, though Marquette's Jimmy Butler, who went onto play for the Bulls in the NBA, represented the state in 2010's Invitational. Despite his hype in Madison, Taylor enters the four-day tournament with some of the lowest stats on his team. Only three of his teammates have less points per game on average, while none have a lower block per game average. Taylor also claims the worst field goal percentage of the group.

Still, Taylor, and all Wisconsin fans, should consider it an honor for the outgoing senior to be invited to the games. 2012 marks the sixtieth year that the tournament has been held, and during that time it has created quite the buzz.

With the invitation, Taylor will have the opportunity to play with sixty-four of the country's best graduating seniors, in front of over 200 professional scouts. Talent spotters from every team in the NBA make the annual trip to Portsmouth, as well as numerous international league representatives. Rick Barry, Earl Monroe, Dave Cowens, John Stockton, and Scottie Pippen were all spotted first at the tournament, as well as many others who went on to have extremely successful professional careers.

Media presence will also benefit Taylor's path to the pros. More than 150 news organizations flock to the event every year, including ESPN and all four major networks. Also, thanks to continued donations from an ever-growing list of sponsors, Taylor could be the recipient of a sizable scholarship.

Cherry, Bekaert & Holland play their first game on Wednesday April eleventh, against K&D Rounds Landscaping. The winner goes onto play the Portsmouth Sports Club or the Norfolk Sports Club in the second round on Friday. The championship game will be held the day after.