Game #138 of 364 37% complete
First a shoutout to David Nunes. David is the Senior Associate Athletic Director who was my host for the game. We started at his favorite restaurant the BlueStone where I was introduced to a local dish called cheese curds which I loved shown below. I highly recommend this restaraunt.
David and I had an interesting conversation about his career, his family and the current and future atmosphere of college basketball. He gave me a behind the scenes tour of the practice facilities. He also provided me with a excellent ticket and a parking pass. David, I thank you for making this a special day for me. I will follow your career. One can tell that he is passionate about his work and will be climbing the rungs of college administration.
The practice facilities here provide a clear example of the differences between a major and a mid major program. The major power schools have resources far beyond the smaller schools resulting in more athletic and skilled players.
Northwestern is in the midst of building a football stadium next to the basketball arena. Northwestern is considered one of the “Ivy” league schools in the Big Ten sometimes losing better athletes due to academics. Northwestern and USC are the only league members who are considered private schools.
As I was driving down from Milwaukee, I was a little shocked to see the “Welcome to Illinois” sign. I rarely cross state lines on a trip visiting multiple schools. I concentrate more on the distances between schools when planning a trip not so much on what state they are in.
The schools are about an hour apart plus it is a league game. The rivalry was apparent as both clubs battled throughout the game.
I was very impressed with Wisconsin guard John Tonje who transferred over from Missouri. He basically controlled the game down the stretch, hitting all types of shots. He had 27 points on 8-18 shooting (5-11 from three). When I got back to Connecticut, I saw that one analyst on TV picked him to the be the top transfer in the country. Northwestern was missing a key starter Brooks Barhnizer. Wisconsin fell behind 8-0 to start the game with the Northwestern crowd going crazy but the Badgers stingy defense brought them back.
Jalen Leach had 23 point for the Badgers. I knew that I heard that name before. A google search reminded me that he was a transfer from Fairfield in my home state. Northwestern is firmly on the bubble after this loss and will have some work to do to make March Madness.
Back to Milwaukee for an hour drive to see Marquette tonight!
journey to 351 