The Wisconsin Sportscast

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Mike Lucas and Tom Oates recap the Milwaukee Bucks’ messy season. Oates says the Bucks’ defensive game got better once Doc Rivers became head coach in the middle of the season. But he didn’t think the combination of Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo was ever going to work. 

“Giannis dominated the ball for years in Milwaukee’s offense. Damian dominated Portland’s offense. Could they have worked that out and gotten along? Probably. But both are at their best when they monopolize the ball,” says Oates, the former Wisconsin State Journal sports columnist. “This was a poorly put together team right from the start. Why do you hire a rookie head coach for a veteran team? That was stupid.” 

Lucas says Milwaukee’s roster is looking long in the tooth. 

“I just went back and looked at their average age and the money that they are spending on three or four players. They have some issues moving forward,” says Lucas, a Cap Times sports freelance writer and former radio color analyst for the Badgers. “It’s an old, old team. Khris Middleton is 32. Lillard is 33. Brook Lopez is 36! Goodness.”

Also the podcast, the veteran sports journalists review the latest portal prospects added by the Wisconsin men’s basketball team. And Lucas has thoughts on your Milwaukee Brewers.

“Christian Yelich got off to a blazing start. I think he’s missed 17 games now. Boy, they need his bat,” says Lucas. “And I have to admit this, too. I had a lot of trouble seeing Craig Counsell in a Cubs uniform. It just didn’t fit. Craig Counsell, a Cubbie? No.”

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Mike Lucas and Tom Oates don’t have many complaints about how Green Bay handled this year’s NFL Draft. Oates says keep an eye on second-round pick, linebacker Edgerrin Cooper. 

“Cooper will be the star of this particular draft.  If they are going to go to four down lineman they need speed at linebacker to run things down. The Packers really appear to have increased their speed at that position,” says Oates, the former Wisconsin State Journal sports columnist. “I thought Green Bay’s first four picks were outstanding. They nailed areas of need with players they liked.”

Also on the podcast, the veteran sports journalists take a look at the basketball players Wisconsin is picking up from the transfer portal. The Badgers have a commitment from Northern Illinois forward Xavier Amos. 

“What really caught my eye is that [University of Virginia] coach Tony Bennett was actively recruiting Amos,” says Lucas, a Cap Times sports freelance writer and former radio color analyst for the Badgers. “He’s from Chicago. Howard Moore will be pleased with that. As a sophomore, he started 25 games. Averaged 14 points and 6 rebounds.”

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Mike Lucas and Tom Oates assess how the transfer portal and name, image, likeness (NIL) money are impacting the Badgers men’s basketball team. Since the season ended, stars Connor Essegian, AJ Storr, and Chucky Hepburn have all sought greener pastures. 

“You know what the most sobering thing is for Wisconsin? They aren’t in the top-tier in terms of NIL money…. Now all of a sudden, Wisconsin is a feeder program,”says Oates, the former Wisconsin State Journal sports columnist. “The system is broken. It’s complete chaos. College basketball coaches are pulling their hair out waiting for the next shoe to drop.”

Also on the podcast, the veteran journalists sum up what the Green Bay Packers need heading into the NFL draft. Lucas hopes Green Bay can snag Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean. 

“He’s an impact player. He can play corner or safety,” says Lucas. “I’m not sure DeJean will be available. But the Packers are in a pretty good strategic position. They have five picks that should be premium picks and picks of value.”

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Mike Lucas and Tom Oates review the 2024 Masters Tournament in which Scottie Scheffler won another green jacket. Tiger Woods made the cut at the Augusta Nationals for a record-setting 24th consecutive time but finished with one of the worst scores of his long career. 

“Watching Tiger play was kind of painful. He finished, like, 16 over. 16 over!” says Lucas, a Cap Times sports freelance writer and former radio color analyst for the Badgers. “He looked in rough shape. He was pained. It was like he was struggling just to get up to the green. It reminded me of Willie Mays playing for the Mets or Johnny Unitas throwing passes for the Rams. It was just so out of character.” 

Oates says this year’s Masters showed a new generation emerging in professional golf. 

“There were a lot of guys, 30 and under, all over that leaderboard. Man, they really crush the ball,“ says Oates, the former Wisconsin State Journal sports columnist. “How demoralizing would it be to play golf with Scottie Scheffler? He hits it 330, straight down the middle, off every tee.” 

Also on the show, the veteran journalists are pleased with how the Milwaukee Brewers have played in the first few weeks of the season. 

“They’ve been hitting the cover off the baseball,” says Lucas. “It’s like the Bambi’s Bombers revisited.”

Lucas and Oates are loving the recent rule changes enacted by Major League Baseball, especially the pitch clock. 

“It’s outstanding…it’s restored some of the game. It restored the stolen base. Offensive baseball had become too one-dimensional,” says Oates. “The Brewers have taken advantage of that so far this year. They’re running. They’re aggressive on the bases. Nice job by [manager] Pat Murphy to recognize that and go with it.”

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Mike Lucas and Tom Oates debrief the men’s and women’s NCAA championship games. Purdue and Iowa both lost to UConn and South Carolina respectively, but at least the Big Ten was represented in the finals of both tournaments. 

“I think what happened — if you want to draw parallels between the two —  is they both ran into a really good team,” says Oates, the former Wisconsin State Journal sports columnist. “South Carolina is deep and they are good. And the UConn men’s team is a complete team. They waltzed through this tournament two years in a row and that just doesn’t happen.”

Lucas notes that you can’t blame Big Ten stars Zach Edey and Caitlin Clark. They both scored 30 points (or more) in the finals.

“The Boilermakers had eight assists on 24 makes. All eight assists belong to one player, Brandon Smith. Nobody else had an assist in the game!” says Lucas, a Cap Times sports freelance writer and former radio color analyst for the Badgers. “I wish Clark would have had a little help in that title game. The South Carolina bench outscored Iowa by 37 points.”

Also on the podcast, the veteran journalists examine why the Milwaukee Bucks aren’t clicking this season. Finally, Lucas and Oates discuss the solar eclipse.

“I never heard that phrase before, the path of totality,” says Oates. “I’ve also heard it called the zone of totality.” 

“The zone of totality?” responds Lucas. “There’s no way that’s played in Wisconsin basketball.” 

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Mike Lucas and Tom Oates analyze the men’s NCAA Final Four. Oates thinks UConn is still the team to beat. 

“To some extent, the pressure is off Purdue and Alabama for getting to the Final Four. And even if there were pressure on NC State, they’d be oblivious to it. They don’t look like a team that was on the NCAA tournament bubble,” says Oates, the former Wisconsin State Journal sports columnist. “UConn has just dominated teams in this tournament for two consecutive years. There’s a lot of pressure to repeat.” 

So far in the tournament, the Huskies’ average margin of victory has been nearly 28 points. The veteran sports journalist thinks Purdue — assuming they overcome No. 11 seed NC State — may be able to stop UConn’s impressive streak.

“What I’m not sure about UConn is their outside shooting. It’s been hit or miss,” says Oates. “So if Purdue’s umbrella of outside shooters are hitting three-pointers, Purdue will win the game.”

Lucas thinks the Boilermakers’ star center Zach Edey will continue to keep frustrating players. 

“We’ve seen Edey play really high-level basketball throughout his career. But I’ve never seen him better,” says Lucas, a Cap Times sports freelance writer and former radio color analyst for the Badgers. “And Edey is getting the benefit of the doubt on foul calls. He drew 16 fouls against Tennessee. 16!”

Also on the podcast, Lucas and Oates can’t wait for the Milwaukee Brewers’ home opener. 

“It’s a fan’s delight, opening day, because everyone is thinking about the future,” says Lucas. “Optimism covers the entire game itself.” 

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Mike Lucas and Tom Oates react to the news that the Badgers are losing sophomore guard Connor Essegian to the transfer portal. Last season, Essegian made the Big Ten’s All-Freshman team and played in every game. It was a different story this year. 

“When Essegian had chances, he didn’t make the most of it. But the coaching staff didn't do him any favors,” says Oates, the former Wisconsin State Journal sports columnist. “There were multiple points this season when they could have used his scoring ability — or even the threat of him scoring Essegian was capable of averaging 11 or 12 points in the Big Ten and they essentially wasted his year.” 

Lucas says Essegian remained an upbeat, team player despite averaging 20 fewer minutes per game compared to his first year with the Badgers. 

“When he did enter the game, he seemed to rush himself knowing that he might not be out there for very long. So he took shots he wouldn’t have taken otherwise,” says Lucas, a Cap Times sports freelance writer and former radio color analyst for the Badgers. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes to Indiana. He’s a Hoosier. They could use some players, too.” 

Essegian didn’t see any playing time during Wisconsin’s loss to James Madison in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. After a pretty good run in the Big Ten tourney, the veteran journalists say the Badgers lost their composure in Brooklyn. 

“That was one of the worst first halves maybe ever,” says Lucas. “They picked it up in the second half but where was the fight in the first half?”

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Mike Lucas coaxes Tom Oates into divulging his tips for filling out a bracket in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

“Take your Final Four and work backward. .... Remember the first weekend is always chaos,” advises Oates, the former Wisconsin State Journal sports columnist. But he says look out for the teams that may be better than they appear on paper. “Auburn is absolutely the most underseeded in the tournament.”

The veteran journalists are also thrilled that the Badgers played up to their full potential in the Big Ten Tournament. Wisconsin defeated No. 3-ranked Purdue to make it to the championship game but fell to offensively strong Illinois.

“I thought we saw the best of point guard Chucky Hepburn against Purdue and Illinois,” says Lucas, a Cap Times sports freelance writer and former radio color analyst for the Badgers. “And a different player —  almost each game — is the leading scorer. Which is balanced. But I worry a little about how the Badgers are physically.”

No. 5 seed Wisconsin faces No. 12 seed James Madison in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday night. It has the makings of a classic upset, but Oates thinks Wisconsin has the tools to make it through to the next round.

“What James Madison does well is shoot the three with multiple three-pointers and they defend the three well. Wisconsin just has to crush it in the lane,” says Oates. “I think this game comes down to Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl and how much damage they can do. That or someone like AJ Storr or John Blackwell getting in there and taking it to the rim.”

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Mike Lucas and Tom Oates discuss Green Bay adding top-notch running back Josh Jacobs to its roster while releasing longtime Packer Aaron Jones.

“I thought Jones would have been a perfect match with Josh Jacobs,” says Oates, the former Wisconsin State Journal sports columnist. “However, the Packers have a lot of picks in the draft and they can go find themselves another running back. But I can guarantee you one thing, whoever they draft won’t be as good as Aaron Jones.”

The veteran sports journalists also preview the Wisconsin men’s basketball team’s postseason prospects. The Badgers had some discouraging losses in February but delivered an admirable showing during their last regular season game against no. 3 Purdue. Lucas says all eyes are on Wisconsin center Steven Crowl.

“How do you explain Crowl disappearing in some of these games?” asks Lucas, a Cap Times sports freelance writer and former radio color analyst for the Badgers. “He was invisible in the Purdue game except for the foul problems. The Badgers can’t win key games without Crowl.” 

In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Mike Lucas and Tom Oates continue to wait for the Wisconsin men’s basketball team to shore up its defensive game. The Badgers scored 83 points against the Fighting Illini and still lost by eight points. 

“Wisconsin has to play defense for 40 minutes like they play for about 20 minutes every game,” says Oates, the former Wisconsin State Journal sports columnist. “Sometimes, the Badgers just can’t get a stop and it’s been at critical times in games. 

Lucas thinks the Badgers have had lackluster ball pressure all season.  

“In what’s been the case a lot this year, Wisconsin didn’t have finishing power. They couldn’t close out Illinois when they needed to and they went down in another defeat,” says Lucas, a Cap Times sports freelance writer and former radio color analyst for the Badgers. “And that bench has really shortened up, hasn’t it?” 

Also on the podcast, the veteran sports journalists — like basketball fans across the country — have caught Caitlin Clark Fever. Lucas notes the Iowa’s star point guard has broken more than the NCAA’s all-time scoring record.  

“She's putting people in the seats and not just at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena, but around the league,” says Lucas. “What a boost for women’s basketball.”

Oates says Clark has earned all the attention. 

“Caitlin Clark doesn’t take a backseat to anyone,” adds Oates. “She’s a sensation and fun to watch.”