Saturday, November 29, 2008

Live Blog: WBB @ Northern Illinois

The Panthers are in DeKalb, Ill., this afternoon taking on the Northern Illinois Huskies. I will be doing a live blog from courtside. Usual rules apply.

To see the live blog, click here

If you would like to listen to Scott Warras live with the call, click here

Live stats are available via gametracker here

Live Blog: MBB at Wisconsin

I am courtside at the Kohl Center and I'll have a live blog for this morning's game between UWM and Wisconsin.

Tipoff is set for 11 a.m.

You can follow the live blog here.

You can watch the game here.

You can listen to the game here.

You can follow live stats for the game here.

There is pregame coverage in the Journal Sentinel here.

And pregame coverage in the Wisconsin State Journal here and in the Capital Times here.

Finally, as reported in the Journal Sentinel this morning, Ricky Franklin has been suspended and will not play in today's game.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Live Blog: WBB vs. SIU Edwardsville

I will be doing a live blog from courtside at the Klotsche Center for our women's basketball game with SIU Edwardsville (no hyphen).

You can find the Live Blog here

Gametracker is available here for live stats

To listen to the game live, click here

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Live Blog: MBB vs. Ball State

I'll have a live blog tonight from the U.S. Cellular Arena as the Panther men return home to take on Ball State.

You can view the live blog here.

UWM claimed a thrilling comeback win in Muncie last season, but Ball State looks like a formidable foe this season. In addition to wins over Eastern Illinois and SIU-Edwardsville, the Cardinals lost by just nine at Butler a week ago.

Some links to check out ...
Read about the game, and UWM's plans for redshirts, in the Journal Sentinel here.
Read about Ball State's hopes for revenge in the Muncie paper here.
UWM game notes are here.
Ball State game notes are here.
Gametracker is here.
Audio with Bill Johnson is here.
HLN live video (still with Bill Johnson) is here.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Live Blog: Volleyball Championship At Cleveland State

I'll have a live blog from today's Horizon League Volleyball Championship match as the Panthers take on Cleveland State in Cleveland.

You can follow the blog here.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Live Blog: MBB at Marquette

I'll have a live blog from courtside at the Bradley Center tonight as the Panthers take on crosstown rival Marquette.

You can follow the live blog here.

I posted a few links yesterday and have collected up a few more interesting things today. So here is a complete list of some online content to check out.

The game is live on Sports 32 in Milwaukee, as well as on ESPN360. You can also hear Bill Johnson's radio call here and follow gametracker here.

Some basic game-preview info …

UWM's game notes are here.
Marquette’s game notes are here
CBS preview is here
Journal Sentinel feature on Wesley Matthews is here

Meanwhile, as was mentioned yesterday, one of the main storylines of this game has become the passing of Rob Jeter’s dad, former Packer Bob Jeter.

The Journal Sentinel article on Bob is here and the Green Bay Press Gazette article is here.

Then there is some addition reaction on Bob’s passing.

Charles Gardner’s nice story on Rob’s reaction is here.
Some perspective from Drew Olson is here.
And, reaction from Bo Ryan is here.

Finally, check out the audio from Friday’s post-practice media gathering. There are even more extended thoughts from Rob and the guys on his dad, as well as some additional stuff about tonight’s matchup.

Pregame audio from Rob Jeter is here.
Pregame audio from Ricky Franklin is here.
Pregame audio from Avery Smith is here.

It Will Be Cleveland State In Title Match

UWM will face Cleveland State in the title match of the 2008 Horizon League Volleyball Tournament.

The Vikings just advanced with a five-set win over Valparaiso, winning 15-11 in the fifth set. Of course earlier today, UWM claimed a five-set win over Butler.

On one hand, seeing the sixth-seeded Vikings advance to the title match is an upset, as they leave third-seeded Wright State and now second-seeded Valpo in their wake. But, CSU is playing at home. And, don't forget, the Vikings were the league preseason favorite before struggling much of the year. They are also the defending league tournament champions and have now ended Valpo's year for the second-straight time.

UWM did sweep the regular season series from Cleveland State. The Panthers had to battle for a four-set win in Cleveland in October before claiming an easier three-set win in Milwaukee earlier this month.

I would expect quite the contest Sunday as the Panthers look for their seventh NCAA Tournament berth while the Vikings look for their second-straight postseason appearance. UWM is certainly playing some of its best volleyball of the season right now, especially on offense. Maddie Sueppel has been tremendous and Kerri Schuh has not looked like a freshman in the two league tournament matches so far. It's hard to believe UWM's two best offensive performers in the tournament thus far are a freshman and a sophomore.

As long as Continental Airlines cooperates, I'll have a live blog from Cleveland tomorrow. The flight is scheduled to get in at 10:30 am ET with the match at noon. Here's hoping the airline industry comes through!

Live Blog: WBB @ Air Force

I will be doing a live blog from courtside at Clune Arena in Colorado Springs. The Panthers take on Air Force at 1 p.m. central time. Milwaukee is in search of its first win of the season.

The live blog can be seen here

Just a reminder, you may need to refresh to see new posts.

The link to live stats via gametracker are here

Listen to Scott Warras live here

Friday, November 21, 2008

Marquette Pregame

We're now less the 24 hours from tipoff between the Milwaukee Panthers and the Marquette Golden Eagles in a men's basketball game at the Bradley Center.
First, some of the basics ...

UWM's game notes are here.
Pregame audio from Rob Jeter is here.
Pregame audio from Ricky Franklin is here.
Pregame audio from Avery Smith is here.

Meanwhile, much of the pregame discussion - including in the above audio files - has surrounded the passing of Rob's father, Bob, a former Packer standout who played on two Super Bowl teams and is in the franchise's hall of fame. So, I thought it was appropriate to link to the articles on Bob from the Journal Sentinel and the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

I can tell you first-hand the outpouring of support for Rob and his family over the last 24 hours has been amazing. Many have inquired about sending flowers and cards, as well as when services would be held. As soon as I have any of that information, I will pass it along here.

As for the game itself, Jim Barbar and Dave Kaplan will have the broadcast on Sports 32, while Bill Johnson's radio call will be on WISN (AM 1130), as always. We will also do a live blog from courtside at the Bradley Center, and then have full postgame coverage on the main site.

Panthers Will Face Butler In Semifinals

Butler has beaten Loyola, 3-1, in the second quarterfinal of the day Friday in Cleveland, meaning UWM will now face the Bulldogs in a semifinal Saturday.

Butler actually dropped the first set to Loyola, 25-7. But the Bulldogs bounced back to win the next three sets - 25-23, 25-15, 25-23.

UWM and Butler split their two regular season meetings, with each team winning on its homecourt. The loss to the Bulldogs in Indianapolis is actually the last time the Panthers suffered a loss.

As always, there is full coverage of the Panthers on the main site.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Volleyball To Play UIC In Quarterfinals

UWM now knows it will face UIC in its quarterfinal match Friday morning at the Horizon League Volleyball Tournament in Cleveland.

The Flames, seeded eighth in the tournament, beat ninth-seeded Youngstown State Thursday night in Cleveland in a first-round contest.

The match begins at 10:30 am central. You can pick up the links for gametracker as well as for live video from the Horizon League Network here.

UWM did beat UIC in both meetings this season, including a three-set sweep in Chicago this past weekend. But, in the matchup in Milwaukee in October, the Flames pushed the Panthers to five sets before UWM came out with the win. The last time the two teams met in the league tournament came in 2006, when the Panthers beat the Flames in the title match.

Meanwhile, there a couple of articles online about the Panthers to check out. You can check Mark Stewart's story from the Journal Sentinel about Becky Peters and the Panthers here. And, you can read about Lauren Hintze and her sister, Nikki, in an article from Menomonee Falls Now here.

We will of course have complete coverage of all of UWM's matches on the main website throughout the weekend. And, if the Panthers advance to the championship match Sunday, I will be in Cleveland for the contest and will do a live blog during the match in addition to the video and stats you can watch all weekend.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Live Blog: MBB Home Opener vs. Upper Iowa

We'll have a live blog during tonight's men's basketball home opener, as the Panthers take on Upper Iowa at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

You can follow the live blog here.

Not much new beyond what was in the regular game notes here. I have added a podcast with Rob Jeter as of last night, so depending on when you checked out the notes you may or may not have heard it. You can also find that podcast here.

Tony Meier seems to be getting back to good health and will play tonight. And, as far as I know for now, the bug hasn't hit anyone else on the team. It did, though, hit Arena event manager Shawn Kison, who reports he's operating at about 70 percent after a bout with the flu over the last few days.

There are a couple of other Horizon League games going on tonight, including an interesting matchup between UIC and Northern Iowa in Chicago.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Live Blog: MBB at Iowa State

We will again have a live blog from courtside at Hilton Coliseum as UWM and Iowa State square off in what amounts to the championship game of the World Vision Classic here in Ames.

You can view the live blog here.

You can also view the live stats for tonight's matchup here and listen to Bill Johnson's game call here. His call is also available on WISN (AM 1130).

A few notes on tonight's opponent. Milwaukee native Diante Garrett runs the offense, collecting 16 assists in the first two games. His main interior weapon is Craig Brackens, who has averaged 16.5 points in his first two outings. The Cyclones have also added a freshman sharpshooter in Wes Eikmeier, who has made 8-of-16 from long range in two games.

The most interesting note, though, is that Iowa State has been outrebounded in the first two games. In fact, Cal Davis and Loyola Marymount have combined for 27 offensive rebounds in two games, with Iowa State at a minus-5 in the rebounding column overall.

On the other hand, the Cyclones have certainly guarded Friday and Saturday, as LMU and Cal Davis combined to shoot just 33.3 percent from the field.

For UWM, Avery Smith will return to the active roster tonight, and will likely come off the bench for his first regular season action in about 20 months. It is safe to say he is VERY excited.

As always, please remember to refresh the screen as you follow along.

Live Blog: Women's Basketball vs. USC

We will be doing a live blog from the consolation championship here at the Wolfpack Invitational. The team has just taken the court and game time is just over 70 minutes away...

Jody Crumble is here, but on crutches and in an immobilizer. Sorry, but I haven't heard the exact diagnosis yet. She was at the hospital until late last night.

The blog is available here.

The Panthers are coming off a loss in the season opener, falling to a hot-shooting NC State team that hit at nearly a 60% clip in yesterday's opener...

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Live Blog: MBB vs. Cal Davis

We'll again have a live blog from courtside at Hilton Coliseum as the Panthers try to make it two in a row at the World Vision Classic in Ames.

Today's opponent is Cal Davis, which by all rights should have beaten Iowa State last night. The Aggies had a double-digit lead in the second half but saw the remainder of that lead slip away in the closing seconds.

The live blog is here.

You can also view today's live stats here and listen to Bill Johnson's radio call here. The game is also on WISN (AM 1130).

The Aggies are clearly a solid team, though, and the addition of Notre Dame transfer Joe Harden should make a big difference for them this season. They'll run the Princeton offense, so look for them to be patient and execute well on offense.

As for the Panthers, it will be interesting to see how they are guarded as teams get more chances to see the makeup of this year's squad. LMU definitely lost the three-point shooter numerous times last night, and UWM now has the personnel to make the opponent pay when that happens.

Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m., though it will be the second game of the day as Iowa State and Loyola Marymount play at 12:30.

Live Blog: Women's Basektball Season Opener

We will be doing a live blog from the women's basketball season opener here at the Wolfpack Invitational. The team has just taken the court and game time is just over an hour away...

The blog is available here.

The Panthers are coming off a 17-14 season in 2007-08 and enter the regular season with a pair of exhibition wins under their belt. They have never played North Carolina State or a team from the state of North Carolina. Today's winner advances to play the winner of USC/Charlotte Sunday.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Live Blog: NCAA Tournament

The Panthers are taking on Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this evening in South Bend, Ind. I will be doing a live blog throughout the game. A couple notes: There will be more posts than last weekend, as I am in a press box that is warm. For viewing purposes, refresh between posts and you can catch the latest information.

The live blog can be found here

The gametracker is here

Live Blog: MBB vs. Loyola Marymount

We'll have a live blog for today's season opener for the Panther men against Loyola Marymount. Tipoff is set for just after 4:30 p.m.

The live blog is here.

In addition to the blog, you can follow the live stats for today's game here and listen to Bill Johnson's call online here. The game call is also on WISN (AM 1130).

I posted a bunch of links yesterday, but here are a couple more of note.

Today's preview from the Journal Sentinel is here.

A preview of Cal Davis from the Sacramento Bee is here.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Ames, Iowa ... Hello!



The Panthers are on the ground in Ames and are just getting started with practice at State Gym. Actually, we’ve been here since about 12:15 after a flight of a little over an hour.

The first flight of the year is always interesting, as there are typically more than a few who are not thrilled by the thought of flying – especially on our puddle-jumper planes. No stories have yet circulated, but I am sure they will eventually. But, the flight is certainly much better than a seven-hour bus ride, at least from this vantage point. And it was a smooth one today, despite the heavy overcast and rain in Iowa.

Practice is at State Gym because the Iowa State wrestling team has a home meet with Utah Valley this evening. The Panthers will get a shootaround in at Hilton Coliseum Friday morning.

Speaking of State Gym (pictured above ... kind of dark for an amateur photographer), it was built in 1913 and actually became a dining hall for army recruits on campus in 1918 and 1919. A fire in 1962 caused some damage and a loss of equipment, but the gym was then renovated in 1967 and still stands today.

Fifteen players traveled to Ames, with Jerard Ajami (transfer), James Dean (freshman walk-on) and Patrick Souter (freshman walk-on) staying back home in Milwaukee.

In other news, Ja’Rob McCallum did officially return his signed national letter of intent today, so he is in the fold. As many know, we can’t comment on recruits until that letter is signed and returned. Usually we’ll stick to doing just one official release once all letters have been returned, so hopefully we’ll have that for you right after this busy weekend.

Also, Charles Gardner from the Journal Sentinel will be joining us for the weekend in Ames. He’ll have a preview of the weekend’s action in Friday’s paper and then game coverage the next three days.

Finally, in advance of our trip here, everyone who we have had contact with in Ames has talked up Hickory Park as a must-visit restaurant. We’ll find out tonight, as director of operations Chip MacKenzie has reservations for our large group. He is definitely banking on it being good, though, as he has the pregame meals for the weekend scheduled there, as well. You can read more about it online here, and perhaps I can try my hand at restaurant reviews afterward.

And now, a variety of links below to check out in preparation for this weekend’s World Vision Classic.

On the UWM front, our notes are here and the podcast with Rob Jeter is here.

For Iowa State, notes are here. There is also coverage of the Cyclones in the Des Moines Register here and the Ames Tribune here.

On the Loyola Marymount front, notes have been posted here and a local newspaper season preview is here. There is also a preview of the West Coast Conference from The Sports Network here.

And then for Cal Davis, notes are here and a Big West preview from TSN is here.

I do plan a live blog during each game this weekend. Hopefully we will have one for each regular season game, though there are a few spots we go where computer space at the scorers’ table is a little tight. In those cases, I’ll at least post pregame, halftime and postgame updates.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Milwaukee vs. Michigan State

If you've been following the Milwaukee Women's Soccer team, you already know about the matchup within a matchup in its first round NCAA game. If you haven't been following the team and their NCAA Tournament trip, you really should.

ESPN.com's look at the bracket pegs the UWM/MSU showdown as the best first round game in the Notre Dame regional. The reason? Sarah Hagen vs. Laura Heyboer. Milwaukee's freshman Hagen leads the nation with 24 goals. Michigan State's freshman Heyboer is up there with 19 goals.

One of the two rookie scorers has led the nation in goals for much of the season.

Oh, and Hagen's picture accompanies the story.

Here is a link to Graham Hays' look at the brackets.

There is a second Hays' story on the tourney that was posted. I'll just post this sentence from the story and you can decide if you want to head over there:

"No unseeded team had a stronger case for inclusion in the 16 seeds than Milwaukee."

See that story here

Sunday, November 9, 2008

More Air Times For Haidet On The Dennis Krause Show

Dennis Krause sent over a list of the airtimes for his show with Bud Haidet for this week. The shows airs on Time Warner Sports Channel 32.


Mon. Nov. 10 - 5 pm, 9 pm and 11 pm

Tues. Nov. 11 - 7 am and 10 pm

Wed. Nov. 12 - 6:30 am, 6:30 pm and 11:00 pm

Thurs. Nov. 13 - 2:30 pm

Fri. Nov. 14 - 5:00 pm

Sat. Nov. 15 - 9:30 am, 1:30 pm and 10:00 pm

Sun. Nov. 16 - 10:30 am and 9:30 pm

Live Blog: W-Soccer Title Game vs. Loyola

I will at Loyola Soccer Park again today, seeing if the Panthers can close out their first league tournament title since 2005 against the host Ramblers. I will start posting around kick-off, which is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Follow the game via the Live Blog here

I should have said this Friday, if you don't already know, you need to refresh the page to see new posts.

Watch the game here

There should be live stats for the game via gametracker. As of 10:48 this morning there is no link. But, when a link becomes available, it will be here

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Parkside Pregame

It's about 45 until tipoff for the Panther men against UW-Parkside. This is the second exhibition game for UWM, which will open the regular season Friday against Loyola Marymount.

As most Panther fans already know, matchups with Parkside have not amounted to typical exhibition blowouts each of the last two seasons. In 2006-07, UWP shot 70 percent in the second half and beat the Panthers, 77-71. Then last season, UWM built a double-digit second-half lead but had to hang for an 86-83 victory.

So, it should be another good test for the Panthers tonight. With the regular season opener just six days away, it appears likely UWM will tighten its rotation - at least somewhat - with a "real" game right around the corner. What exactly that means for who will and won't play more or less remains to be seen, but it is something to keep an eye on tonight.

Also, with a game under their belt, a lot of people will be keeping an eye on the large group of new players for the Panthers. But, it really isn't just the truly new players who are still either kicking off some rust or looking to make large jumps with their first big chance to play in Division I. Anthony Hill only played limited minutes last season and is now in the starting lineup, while Jason Averkamp didn't truly get regular minutes until late in the season. And, Avery Smith hadn't played in a real college game in front of fans in about 20 months when he took the court Wednesday night.

There is also a strong UW-Platteville connection in this matchup, as both Rob Jeter and Luke Reigel are Platteville grads. That is one reason this matchup has become an annual date in the preseason.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Women's Soccer Live Blog

Tonight beginning at 7 p.m., I will be posting a live blog from the 2008 Horizon League Championship. The Panthers are taking on Wright State in the second semifinal match of the day.

The live blog can be found here

Gametracker is also available here

Live Video is available here from the Horizon League Network

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

MSOE Pregame

We're about an hour from the start of the men's basketball season at UWM, as the Panthers will face MSOE in an exhibition game tonight at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

There aren't a ton of notes to pass along that weren't already in the game notes, which you can find on the main site here.

You can list to a pregame podcast with UWM head coach Rob Jeter here. We'll be doing these regularly and posting them on the main site throughout the season. We'll actually do pre and postgame audio and other interviews for both the men and the women.

I did include a little info in the notes but it bears repeating here, because it seems the most popular preseason question always revolves around who will redshirt. True freshman can play in exhibition games and still redshirt. But, anyone else cannot play in an exhibition game if they intend to redshirt. So, that generally means you wind up seeing just about everyone make an appearance in an exhibition game. In UWM's case, there will likely be a few players redshirt this season. Some of those decisions could become more obvious tonight, and some will undoubtedly take another week to come to.

One thing that didn't make the notes involves the number of connections there are between MSOE and UWM. MSOE AD Dan Harris is actually in the UWM Athletics Hall of Fame, while MSOE Head Athletic Trainer Dave Beine just left UWM this summer to take the job with the Raiders. Also, MSOE head coach Brian Miller is a UWM grad, as is head soccer coach Jimmy Banks. Plus, the baseball staff includes former UWM standouts Troy Doering (head coach), Steve Sanfilippo (ass't coach) and Rick Caviani (ass't coach). And I am sure that is not even a complete list.

Finally, I did get word from Iowa State just a little bit ago that the UWM game next Saturday against Cal Davis has been set for 3 p.m. That game has been listed as a TBA because of Iowa State's football game that day with Missouri. Well, everything has now been set and the Panthers will play right after Iowa State and Loyola Marymount play at 12:30.

We won't do a live in-game blog tonight, but we do plan to do them throughout the course of the season, and may give it a test run during this weekend's women's soccer championship down in Chicago.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Season Preview Time

Season previews for the UWM men's basketball team are rolling out this week.

Charles Gardner has his season preview in the Journal Sentinel Wednesday. It is online here.

The UWM Post has its special basketball preview issue out this week. The content of the section is online here.

The Associated Press rolled out its season preview this week, as well. It will be in newspapers across the state at different times this week, but it is online here and undoubtedly in other places, too.