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Wednesday, March 11, 2015
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Soglin responds to Robinson protests Madison Mayor Paul Soglin responded to continued protests over the shooting of Tony Robinson in a Tuesday morning press conference. “We are very pleased with how the demonstrations have gone to date,” Soglin said. He thanked the Robinson family for focusing on the life of Tony Robinson as opposed to turning the focus to an anti-police effort. He noted the death of Robinson has been especially troubling for young people in Madison. The mayor also addressed accusations of racial bias within police department, saying it is “the wrong question to be asked.” “The problem lies within the entire criminal justice system,” Soglin continued. Denouncing comparisons of Madison’s recent officerinvolved shooting to those experienced in other cities across the country, Soglin mentioned Madison’s involvement in various initiatives to eliminate violent deaths in minority com-
munities, such as City United and the My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge. “[These negative parallels are] not really how we’ve been trying to compare ourselves to other cities in the country,” Soglin said. He praised community policing efforts in the city as a positive reform, saying “it works, it’s successful and we’re not backing off.” The mayor said he is unaware of the status of the current investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice. “I think it’s critical that we don’t pre-judge what may come of the investigation,” Soglin said. Soglin also addressed the recent cyber attack to the city’s website Monday, saying that online payment accounts are frozen as a security measure. An investigation is underway, though the mayor said he is not yet sure who is behind the attack. —Negassi Tesfamichael
BETSY OSTERBERGER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Young, Gifted and Black leader Eric Upchurch condemns institutional disparities in policing.
County incarceration draws protesters’ ire By Irene Burski and Michael Frett THE DAILY CARDINAL
LIBRARY MALL
Here comes the sun
Seniors Dony Gilles (left) and Wesley Scott (right) sit outside during one of the first warm afternoons of the semester. + Photo by Kaitlyn Veto
Four days after Tony Robinson’s death, protesters of all ages congregated on the steps of City-County Building early Tuesday evening, spurred by a proposed Dane County incarceration study. Unfurling a “Black Lives Matter” banner, black and white attendees holding the sign stood in silence as Young, Gifted and Black leaders Eric Upchurch and Matthew Braunginn addressed the gathered crowd, leading it in chanting “no justice, no peace,” and “all power to the people.” “Building the people [and] not the jail is a real human concern,” Upchurch said. “We cannot afford to lose another Tony Robinson.” Protesters then filled the Madison Public Protection and Judiciary Committee’s meeting, decrying a possible expansion of Dane County’s jail system. Armed with signs and, in one case, a banjo, the number of protesters caused county officials to temporarily run
out of registration slips for speakers giving testimony on the resolution, according to Public Protection and Judiciary Committee Chair Paul Rusk. Proposed in Dane County Resolution 556, the study would explore racial disparity and mental health in the county’s jail system, as well as problems with solitary confinement and alternatives to incarceration. Many of the protesters believe expansion of Dane County’s jails would perpetuate racial disparities in the Dane County’s justice system and divert money from programs that could address the roots of Madison’s racial issues. “You have the authority and power to put into place practices and programs and studies that focus on diverting people from police contact,” Upchurch said. “If you do not do that and invest in jail and not community and root causes, then you go from foregoing the problem to perpetuating the problem.” “What we need to do is look at the rest of the resolution and invest in our city, invest in our people [and] invest in
this county. When we invest in people, we always get a return,” Braunginn said. Many of the protesters commented on rumors of a new jail, a rumor that stems from a similar study that inspired a new jail proposal in 2014. Debate over that new jail was halted earlier this year, with officials citing public protests as the reason. “If you build a jail, somebody will fill them,” said Ernestine Moss, a resident of Madison for 43 years. “We don’t need more jails. We need more schools, we need more early childhood education facilities and teachers, and we also need … educators and professionals that can help remedy the problem … not build the problem.” However, according to Rusk, a new jail isn’t in the works. “The proposal that we have … is basically to look at options for how to fix the [Dane County jail],” Rusk said. “I don’t think a new jail is going to happen.” The committee is trying to address the issues protesters
protesters page 3
UWPD confiscates hundreds of stolen bicycles, pursues pressing charges After a 10-month-long investigation, the UW-Madison Police Department is seeking charges against two men for stealing hundreds of bicycles around the Madison area, Chief Susan Riseling said at a news conference Tuesday. UWPD received four search
warrants to recover 600 bicycles in an apartment and storage units in Madison, a bike shop in Muscoda and a farm in the city of Windsor. Riseling said while no arrests have been made yet, UWPD is in the process of charging Duane J. Tessmer of Madison and Michael
“We want more!”
J. Bingen of Muscoda for possession of stolen property. “They’re currently not in custody, and we will continue to work with the Dane County District Attorney’s Office to figure out exactly what the charges will be,” Riseling said.
+ SPORTS, page 8
Dedicated hockey fan Phil Dzick loyal to Crease Creature fanbase
Riseling said UWPD received an inside tip through a letter from an individual that led officers to investigate the two men. Police officers confiscated the bicycles from the locations and started returning the bikes to their original owners by cross-
checking serial numbers with a stolen bike database. UWPD encourages all bicycle owners to record the serial number of their bicycle and contact officers if they believe their bike was stolen. —Ellie Herman
LINE BREAKS FESTIVAL
First Wave’s upcoming festival will showcase vast artistic talent + ARTS, page 5
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”
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tODAY: sunn
hi 54º / lo 30º
hi 59º / lo 35º
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
An independent student newspaper, serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison community since 1892 Volume 124, Issue 77
2142 Vilas Communication Hall 821 University Avenue Madison, Wis., 53706-1497 (608) 262-8000 • fax (608) 262-8100
News and Editorial Editor-in-Chief Jack Casey
the all-important question: “Is my home being reclaimed by nature?”
Managing Editor Jonah Beleckis
News Team News Manager Adelina Yankova Campus Editor Bri Maas College Editor Ellie Herman City Editors Irene Burski and Dana Kampa State Editor Andrew Hahn Associate News Editor Laura Grulke Features Editor Gilly McBride Opinion Editors Max Lenz • Cullen Voss Editorial Board Chair Haley Henschel Arts Editors Allison Garcia • Conor Murphy Sports Editors Jack Baer • Jim Dayton Almanac Editors Dylan Anderson • Andy Holsteen Photo Editors Emily Buck • Thomas Yonash Associate Photo Editor Will Chizek Graphics Editor Cameron Graff Multimedia Editor Ian Zangs Science Editor Danielle Smith Life & Style Editor Claire Satterfield Special Pages Editor Haley Henschel Copy Chiefs Theda Berry • Kara Evenson Jessie Rodgers • Paige Villiard Copy Editor Sam Wagner Social Media Manager Madison Schiller
Business and Advertising business@dailycardinal.com Business Manager Brett Bachman Advertising Manager Corissa Pennow Marketing Director Victoria Fok
The Daily Cardinal is a nonprofit organization run by its staff members and elected editors. It receives no funds from the university. Operating revenue is generated from advertising and subscription sales. The Daily Cardinal is published MondayThursday and distributed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and its surrounding community with a circulation of 10,000. Capital Newspapers, Inc. is the Cardinal’s printer. The Daily Cardinal is printed on recycled paper. The Cardinal is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press and the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. All copy, photographs and graphics appearing in The Daily Cardinal are the sole property of the Cardinal and may not be reproduced without written permission of the editor-in-chief. The Daily Cardinal accepts advertising representing a wide range of views. This acceptance does not imply agreement with the views expressed. The Cardinal reserves the right to reject advertisements judged offensive based on imagery, wording or both. Complaints: News and editorial complaints should be presented to the editor in chief. Business and advertising complaints should be presented to the business manager. Letters Policy: Letters must be word processed and must include contact information. No anonymous letters will be printed. All letters to the editor will be printed at the discretion of The Daily Cardinal. Letters may be sent to opinion@ dailycardinal.com.
Editorial Board Jack Casey • Jonah Beleckis Haley Henschel • Cullen Voss Max Lenz • Michael Penn Kayla Schmidt • Conor Murphy Andy Holsteen
dailycardinal.com
It’s that time of year when nature reclaims your home
edit@dailycardinal.com
Thursday: sunnn
Sean Reichard quip pro quo
U
nless my eyes deceive me (and my ears, and [just for the heck of it] my tongue as well), it’s springtime! And what a lovely time! Spring is a top four season of all time for me; it’s really hard to beat the appeal of warmer weather and the fecund odor of thawing soil after a long (or short) winter. That said, there are some dangers associated with the return of spring, which I want to address here. You may have noticed it too: A certain je ne sais quoi permeating your abode. While it’s common for insects to find their ways into homes, along with small rodents and the like, you may be surprised to find out what sort of things are potentially calling your home home. Are you hearing scratches that you can’t place? Are shoots spiraling out from the corners of your room? Is there a small tree in your kitchen? Have deer colonized your pantry? You may not be entirely sure what’s going on, between the trees and the deer, but most likely, after an arduous winter, nature has decided to set up shop in your home. Still not sure? Then take a look below! What follows is a brief survey that will help you answer
Flowers
Under normal circumstances, plants will grow anywhere it’s hospitable for them to do so. Unlike trees (discussed below) flowers require a lot less time to reach maturity. If, say, you spend the weekend on a Netflix/Girl Scout cookie bender, you may emerge from your saccharine and lachrymose haze to find yourself embedded in a bed of violets!
Trees
Betty Smith once wrote that a tree grows in Brooklyn, but if you’re not careful you could find one growing in your living room! It doesn’t matter how much you’ve vacuumed your carpet; a seed is sure to find enough in the detritus to grow hale and hearty. Scientists are as of yet unsure whether trees feel resentment, but you may want to be extra careful about any wary tree growth if you have wood floors.
Grass
Grass gets its very own category, and I’m not talking about the cute green turf your parents habitually made you shear for the glory of hearth and home. I’m talking about big bluestems, switchgrass, wild ryes and june grasses. You’ll have to call up your great-grandparents and ask for the sodbuster if these babies take root, cause you sure won’t be pull-
courtesy of creative commons
Maybe you’ve seen a mammal, such as this quagga, hanging around your apartment since spring has begun melting the ice. ing them out anytime soon.
Birds
Don’t let their melodious twittering fool you: Birds are crafty creatures and will contrive any means to get their own sweet corner in your home. While they most commonly can enter a house through an open window or a chimney, they have also been known to sneak in under the cover of night, or while the pizza delivery boy distracts you. They are fairly inhospitable roommates, especially when they start leaving worms in the pantry and figure out how to work the stereo system. You’ll never hear the end of “Birds of a Feather” by the Civil Wars.
Mammals
Besides the aforementioned deer and mice, there are a few of our warm-blooded cousins who totally want in on your digs. The American bison for instance! Also known as Bison bison! Yes, you may have thought your home was safe from these relicts of the Midwestern prairie, but these wily ungulates have been pulling the wool over our eyes for years. Despite their size, they
are masters of disguise. That crack in the wall your landlord refuses to fix? Or that extra table your friend from Montana insisted on bringing despite the fact you didn’t need it, so now it just sits in the corner? It could be a bison.
Fish
Remember when Pete Martell found a fish in the percolator on “Twin Peaks?” Turns out that’s not an isolated occurrence. Indeed, if you habitually leave your dishes soaking in the sink, you’re sure to wake up to the sound of minnows and crappies splashing in your drinking glasses soon enough. Muskellunges have been known to live in dishpans, so be cautious and watch your fingers. Same principle with amphibians, except they can cover both land and sea. That about covers the bases. Right about now, you might be asking, “What can I do to prevent nature from reclaiming my home?” And the simple answer is nothing. In due time, as with all things, nature shall take your home back to earth. So happy spring, homeowners! Nature obsolesces your dominion!
14 15 SEASON
courtesy of creative commons
Does your abode’s decor now include grass (and of course a few new pets to keep the lawn under control)?
Renowned. Renewed. Restored.
On this day in history...
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Board of Directors Herman Baumann, President Jack Casey • Jonah Beleckis Jennifer Sereno • Stephen DiTullio Brett Bachman • Janet Larson Don Miner • Phil Brinkman Jason Stein • Nancy Sandy Corissa Pennow • Victoria Fok Tina Zavoral
© 2015, The Daily Cardinal Media Corporation ISSN 0011-5398
For the record Corrections or clarifications? Call The Daily Cardinal office at 608-262-8000 or send an email to edit@dailycardinal.com.
1932—The lone remaining heath hen, a type of wild chicken, is seen for the final time. One day wild chickens will reclaim the countryside—one day. 1971—Johnny Knoxville is born, making today his 44th birthday. Considering how many times he could have died by now, this is no less than a miracle. 2014—Russia annexes the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Yes, history still exists even as recently as 2014.
ALTAN
“THE HOTTEST GROUP IN THE CELTIC REALM THESE DAYS” (BOSTON GLOBE)
KRONOS QUARTET SAT 3/ 1 4 , 8 PM
T HU R 3/ 1 2 , 9 : 30 PM
ISBIN/LEONARD
DAZZLING GUITAR AND VOICE SAT 3/2 1 , 8 PM
UKULELE ORCHESTRA OF GREAT BRITAIN UKES AND SONG IN CHARMING, COMEDIC, VIRTUOSIC CONCERT SAT 4/ 1 1 , 8 PM
UNI ONT HEAT ER.WI SC.EDU | 608 .265 .ARTS
These performances are supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
news dailycardinal.com
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
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Minority scholarships unaffected by state budget By Leo Vartorella The Daily Cardinal
Though the UW System’s proposed autonomy measures would mean removing state mandates for minority scholarship funding, both university and UW System officials said those scholarships will be unaffected. The budget deletes “current law establishing or requiring the Board to establish or fund the following programs for minority and disadvantaged students,” such as the Lawton grant and Advanced Opportunity
Program, according to a nonpartisan government summary of the budget proposal. The UW System authority model proposed in Gov. Scott Walker’s budget would allow the System to operate at its own discretion and allocate the budget as it sees fit, removing much of the state Legislature’s oversight. The operation of this model would resemble a business, governed by the System’s Board of Regents. This does not mean programs for minority students
will cease to exist, only that there are no longer laws that legally require such funding, according to Alex Hummel, the System’s associate vice president for communications. “While the budget proposal to create a UW System Authority strikes statutory language related to many practices, programs and initiatives, they will remain deeply embedded at institutions throughout the state,” Hummel said in an email Monday. Many of UW-Madison’s diversity scholarships, such as
the Chancellor’s and PowersKnapp Scholarship Programs, receive most of their funding through private donations and do not rely on state mandates. First Wave scholarships, given by the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives, are also primarily funded privately. “What I have heard so far from university leadership is that the scholarships for our students are definitely secure,” said Willie Ney, the director of the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives. In recent years, funding for
Lawton grants and the Advanced Opportunity Program have come in the form of block grants to the UW System, according to UW-Madison Director of Financial Aid Susan Fischer. While the allocation of this block grant is not specified for minority scholarships, Hummel said maintaining those funds for scholarships is a System priority. “The chancellor said we are going to have to take cuts in salary and positions,” as opposed to cutting scholarship funds, Fischer said.
Clinton leads Walker in Wisconsin presidential poll A new poll by Public Policy Polling found former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leading Gov. Scott Walker in his home state by nine points in a potential 2016 presidential matchup. The poll also found that Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., topped Walker in Wisconsin, a state that has not gone to a Republican since Ronald Reagan. The results coincide with a sharp drop in Walker’s approval rating from 49 percent prior to his re-election to a current 43 percent. His appeal among Wisconsin
independents has also fallen from 48 to 36 percent over the same period. In September 2013, Walker trailed Clinton by five points. Clinton’s lead on Walker was larger than on other possible Republican contenders, including Rand Paul, over whom Clinton had a six-point lead, and Mike Huckabee, over whom she had a seven-point lead. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie trails with Walker at nine points. While his approval at home sinks, Walker’s appeal among the nation’s Republican base continues to soar. Fresh off a second place finish at the
CPAC straw poll in February, Tuesday’s poll found that 53 percent of Wisconsin Republicans want him to be their presidential nominee. PPP President Dean Debnam said in a statement Walker’s numbers are a result of policies that have alienated independent voters. “Walker’s never been stronger than he is now with Republicans but he’s also antagonized the middle in a way that could make it harder for him to win Wisconsin when he’s running against a politician of Hillary Clinton’s caliber,” Debnam said in the statement. —Lucas Sczygelski
Kaitlyn Veto/the daily cardinal
Brittney Cooper tells the history of respectability politics that made black behavior “ever visible to the white gaze.”
Black feminist professor explores respectability politics, ‘ratchetness’ By Bri Maas The Daily Cardinal
In Tuesday’s installment of the spring Black Lives Matter Speaker Series, black feminist scholar Brittney Cooper challenged the idea of respectability in a talk to UW-Madison students and community members. Cooper, a professor of gender and women’s studies and Africana studies at Rutgers University and co-founder of the Crunk Feminist Collective, presented what she called the “more fun talk” of a two-part series on campus, exploring respectability and the roles of black feminism and “ratchetness” in pop culture. Respectability politics, which Cooper defined as selfregulation of black culture during Reconstruction, was an effort to eliminate racism and present black men and women as worthy of respect after the Civil War. Cooper said this era of respectability began to decline first with the “sag,” a fashion trend that emerged in the early 1990s in which young black men wear their pants below their waists. She said the trend exemplified a failure in respectability politics, because acting “respectable” does not provide
any advantages or protection from injustice. “Whatever your personal view of how high on the waist someone chooses to wear his or her pants,” Cooper said, “I think we can all agree that sagging pants don’t determine one’s access to a college education and would have little bearing on achieving a positive outcome if one should encounter the police.” Another signal of the end of respectability politics was the advent of “ratchet.” Cooper said the idea began as a gender-neutral term meaning the opposite of respectability, and has morphed into a derogatory term meant to regulate black female bodies. Cooper said this regulation stems from a negative view of black women’s bodies because of the history of pain and sexual exploitation associated with them. She added recent protests and social actions, while mostly centered around black men, are the types of cultural movements necessary for changing historical systems of inequality. “Disregarding racial convention and dissing respectability is sometimes the very best way that we can show regard and respect for black [people],” Cooper said.
Betsy Osterberger/the daily cardinal
Dane County Supervisor Shelia Stubbs listens to testimony in favor of community investment.
protesters from page 1 raised, Rusk said, including the mental health of inmates and cutting down on incarceration rates. “We’ve heard you,” Rusk said. “We’re really trying to get it right [and] put processes in place to address all of this.” Simultaneously one floor above, protesters also spoke at Dane County’s Health & Human Needs Committee meeting, voicing condemnation for
“reactionary” measures aimed at fixing a flawed system. “There has to be a way for people, especially policy makers, to think outside the box of a punitive system,” said Nneka Akubeze. “There is another pathway to justice, and it has nothing to do with incarceration.” For community members, it was the context of Robinson’s death that detracted from local promises, as well as a recurring theme of Madison not
being as progressive on racial disparity issues as officials would like to think. “Madison isn’t an exception and we’ve never been an exception,” said activist Cristina Lor. For ReVonda Bowen, who traveled from Atlanta to attend the event, what happened in Madison was felt nationally. “Racism is not hereditary, racism is taught,” Bowen said. Julie Spitzer contributed to this report.
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Look and feel your best every workout By Maddy Heim The Daily Cardinal
We’ve all been there: You’re on the treadmill; sweat is dripping down your face and drenching your back, you’re gulping air into your lungs as fast as you can, and it’s all you can do to move your exhausted legs for a few more seconds. And then it happens. You turn to your left and there she is: the girl who has been there for hours and is still running. Not a hair is out of place in her perfectly styled ponytail, her makeup looks flawless, and except for a slight sheen glistening on her face, she’s completely sweat free. You start to feel a little discouraged — how does she look so great? How does she make it look so effortless? And why can’t you look the same?
It’s difficult to be enthusiastic about exercise when you don’t feel your best. Even though we really only work out to look amazing later, looking and feeling good during your workout can be a huge boost to both your confidence and stamina. Chances are no one will look drop dead gorgeous doing high intensity cardio, but there are some easy tricks to feel a little more beautiful and less like a sweaty mess. If you want to wear makeup, choose a light foundation that won’t clog your pores. When you’re planning on exercising outdoors, picking an SPF-infused foundation will give you coverage and skin protection. Mascara also does wonders for brightening up the face and doesn’t look like overkill for
early mornings at the gym – just make sure to use the waterproof kind so it won’t leave you looking like a raccoon. As far as clothing choices go, picking out a few trendy or vibrant pieces can go a long way in motivating you to get outside or to the gym. I know that nothing motivates me to go workout quite like knowing I have something new to wear. Get rid of a few of those black T-shirts and try something patterned; you’ll be dying to go to the gym so you can show off your style. Choosing appropriate fabrics is also essential to looking and feeling great during exercise. Skip the cotton, which traps sweat, and try polyester or another moisture-wicking blend. Knowing you look awesome
gives you the confidence to get exercising, but feeling good during your workout is even more important. Make sure to drink lots of water throughout the day, not just before and after exercise. This will simultaneously keep you hydrated and reduce the dreaded redness that is inevitable after a particularly intense session. Creating a killer workout playlist can also boost your mood and make you feel energized, so turn your music up loud and use that adrenaline to fuel your workout. Finally, find exercise that you love. Not everyone is a runner or a gym rat, and it’s only going to help you to explore your workout options. Dance, do Pilates, bike, hike, swim, play basketball.
The opportunities are endless, and you’ll feel ten times better exercising when it’s something you enjoy. When you’re having fun it’s also easier to get your friends to come along. The only thing more fun than doing a workout you love is knowing you’re with people you love, too. In the end, you probably won’t look flawless while you exercise, and that is completely okay. The important thing is to work out for yourself and your own personal well-being, not to impress the person on the machine next to you. With these tips find the motivation to get outside tomorrow. Put together a new outfit, make a killer playlist, round up your friends and most importantly, be active.
Find your personal value amid intense stress of midterms By McKenna Gramoll the daily cardinal
With very little indication or forewarning, March has arrived and subsequently brought us to a more imminent prospect of a much-anticipated spring. Given the closer proximity to spring break, the closer we get to high-stake midterms, and because of this, the more mounting stress can become. So, in case no one has told you this week yet, I’d like to kindly remind you that numbers do not equate a human. From that number at the end of your economics midterm, to the one that dispels the amount of calories of your long-gone mac and cheese, a series of infinite digits does not define the person that you have worked so hard to become. Schoolwork is important— unfortunately, I am not here to give you a free pass. But what matters more is how hard you are trying and how much you are learning: both in terms of coursework and yourself. With risk of sounding like your forgettable middle school counselor, this reminder is probably common sense. Maybe you know the dangerously fine line that numbers can produce, and you’ve been walking it for years. But the stakes and the implications during the short years on a college campus as big as the University of WisconsinMadison are so much higher. That downward-spiraling chemistry grade might be a rejection to your top three medical schools. The diminishing numbers in your bank account might feel like the absolute biggest weight on your shoulder. In hard truth, sometimes the events in your life actually might be ruled by numbers. While these tiny figures can find grips of control in your
surrounding life, they have zero hold in your personal self. The number of likes on your last Instagram is nothing compared to the love that your friends and family share. Cliches abound, remember that whatever that slightly disappointing number is, it cannot discount the uncanny ability you have for kindness. Or generosity. Or killer puns. It is limitlessly easy to get caught up in the intricacy of balancing a GPA. On a good note, it can lead you to celebrating with a bottle of hard-earned red wine. On the other spectrum, you end up venting to your roommate for the duration of the night (bottles of red wine probably still involved). Midterms are important and despite the pressure we all put on ourselves to perform to the best of our ability, it’s equally important to remind ourselves that we are not defined by a single test, a single course or even a single semester. Celebrate the good moments and be motivated by the bad ones. But never tie your selfworth to a sequence of numerical figures. In the tough moments remember that college is supposed to be more than the course work. We’re supposed to make mistakes and most importantly, we’re supposed to learn from all of them. Life is weird. College is wonderfully twisted and ridiculous and not going to repeat itself in the same way. So don’t get who you are confused with what you look like on a piece of paper. There isn’t a number that could explain the warmth of your laugh and complexity of your humanity. You are a person first and foremost and will be long after graduation.
Grey satterfield/the daily cardinal
Bassett Streeet Brunch Club has an immense array of modernized dinner and lunch options.
Bassett Street Brunch Club goes above and beyond the typical brunch menu By Aleesha Halbach and Claire Satterfield The Daily Cardinal
Bassett Street Brunch Club, located at 444 W. Johnson St., has earned it’s reputation as a solid choice when students or Madison community members are in need of a classic brunch. With a line out the door almost every weekend, it took no time at all to become a campus favorite. Despite it’s array of traditional, but popular choices such as Eggs Benedicto, American Style eggs and bacon or even the Pastrami Reuben, Bassett Street Brunch Club also knows how to step away from what’s expected. With dishes such as Pork Carnitas Hash and Goat Cheese Gnocchi, this restaurant has proven itself as far more than just an easy brunch stop. This is what makes it so great, though. While they have dishes you cannot find on any other menu on campus, or even in the state of Wisconsin for that matter, they also perfect the classics in order to appeal to any given diner. Specifically in the realm of donuts, Bassett Street Brunch Club has found the perfect bal-
ance. In my opinion, the homemade donuts are the only way to begin any meal here, whether you choose to come in for a classic brunch, or even a late night snack. On my most recent trip the choices included Maple Bacon, Chocolate Hazlenut and the always classic Sprinkled. To get my chocolate fix I decided to pledge my loyalty to the chocolate Hazelnut.
Bassett Street Brunch Club also knows how to step away from what’s expected.
It was incredibly dense, the frosting was fluffy and light with just the right touch of sweetness to satisfy my intense craving. As if this wasn’t enough, the entire donut was topped with coarse chuncks of hazelnuts, giving the pastry the only thing it lacked: texture. After this perfect appetizer, I had high expectations for the main course. Although I was at the restaurant in the evening hours, my fellow diners and I decided
to have a little bit of fun with our meal and have breakfast for dinner. I had the Farmer’s Hash, which includes roasted sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts and onions all topped with two eggs cooked to your liking. I had mine over easy. Additionally, the hash is served with a side of thick-cut toast and sweet jam. The sweet potato aspect of the dish gave it a perfect balance of sweet and salty. My only regret was not saving room for dessert. Because most people eat brunch at Bassett Street Brunch Club, their cakes and pies are a bit of a secret. On a previous trip I tried Nana’s Red Velvet cake topped with buttercream frosting and toasted walnuts. Although it was great, I plan on trying the homemade cheesecake on my next visit. If cake isn’t for you, don’t forget that all donuts are halfprice after 8:30 p.m. If you’re a lover of brunch and breakfast food, go to Bassett Street Brunch Club. If you aren’t, go anyway. You’re sure to find something on their large menu to please any appetite.
dailycardinal.com
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
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Line Breaks to feature variety of media By Denzel Taylor The Daily Cardinal
As the UW-Madison campus steps into March, another semester is well underway. This is especially true for the First Wave Hip Hop and Urban Arts Learning Community. The program of passionate artists has been in full swing with various performances and projects. A portion of the work includes the 8th Cohort’s recent performance for the 2015 Rotary Ethics Symposium, the strong participation in the recent Moonshine showcase and the Womyn’s History Month Celebration/Showcase. The campus has another opportunity to hear the powerful student voices for the program’s annual Line Breaks Festival. For the past nine years, First Wave has showcased the vast artistic talent it nurtures through the Line Breaks Festival, which includes poetry/spoken word, dance, rap, digital media and visual art. Fourteen performances, a mix of ensembles and solos, are in deep preparation. Some hard-hitters include the 8th Cohort’s first total ensemble “Staying Hungry,” T Banks, with a revamped version of her play “Loud and Unchained: Spiritual,” Zhalarina Sanders presenting the well-anticipated finished work Rose Gold and Garrett Pauli giving us interesting perspective with his “Skeletons of Silence.” With such ambiguously deep titles, there’s much to expect. These artists offered a bit of pre-show insight to galvanize our interest. DC: Can you expound on what your title means? Nia Scott (of 8th Co.): We really wanted to delve deeper into
photo courtesy of first wave’s 8th cohort
The 8th Cohort is one of several groups who will perform at this weekend’s Line Breaks Festival. inequality and what that means, whether that is racial, economic or sexism and we expounded on the idea that America is a restaurant. Who would be served and who would be left hungry? Garrett: I think white privilege is like a skeletal structure. A skeleton is made of a bunch of parts, but you don’t see it, but you know it’s there right? So I play on the idea of skeletons and white silence. I’m trying to break those bones, which is kind of like unlearning racism to break my silence. T Banks: It’s about me and my struggles living with Schizophrenia. It’s a continuation of Loud and Unchained of last year. It’s talking about this pull from God back and forth, like ‘Why me?’ It touches on the intersections of my identity, being gay, black, schizophrenic and Christian. And that’s why this time it’s called spiritual. It’s like a sequel.
Zhalarina: “Rose Gold” is a lot simpler than a lot of people think. I love the metal on black skin and that’s really the motivation for the name of the show. DC: Is this an ensemble piece or solo? Nia: Everyone does touch the stage. Garrett: It’s a one man show. [But there are] multiple frames of age. There are different ages of me ranging from 9 or 10 to present day. T Banks: Last year I had a phenomenal cast of six beautiful women. [This show,] it’s a different cast. It’s going to be an ensemble cast like last year, so it’s going to be multiple people playing me and the voice of God. Zhalarina: It’s a one-woman play. DC: What are the key takeaways you want the audience to walk away with? Nia: What is legacy? What is staying hungry? Asking yourself
these questions and answering them for yourself. Garrett: I want people to take away that there are a lot of places where racism and white silence can come from. T Banks: That I’m just a person and even though I have mental wellness challenges, it doesn’t make me any different. Other people around us live with mental wellness challenges as well, and I just want [the audience] to walk away knowing that we need just as much support, love, attention and affection as anyone else. [I want to] break the stigma of, ‘You’re crazy,’ or, ‘You’re bipolar.’ Zhalarina: That there is a reason why black girls are loud, and that love is everything. DC: How often do you rehearse and what is rehearsal like for you? Nia: We really just run the show every single time we are together because there are so many people in the show and we are still college students. We really just try to find two hours every other day making sure everybody is memorized and comfortable in their roles. Garrett: Three to four times a week, two to three hours each. I’m just putting in as much work as I can. And then there’s the out of rehearsal part. I’ll have to create the cues, voice-overs or where the sounds go. T Banks: I’m used to being recorded. That’s how we crafted the show. Rain Wilson just recorded conversations we had. First time it was over six hours of interview that she scribed. This year, I took moments from my psychosis, recorded on my cell phone. So what’s interesting is I have no idea what’s been said because most of the time I’m in a sick space. So when I get the script it’s the first time seeing my words back to me. It’s really magical and really scary at the same time because everything is verbatim. Zhalarina: It’s been exhausting [because of] the energy, emotional [and] physical, having to reserve a part of my mental capacity for 70 minutes worth of show. DC: What anxieties or concerns do you have stepping into the show? Nia: Finishing in the time frame we are given, making sure everything we want to say is said, even though there have been many cuts made to the original pieces. Garrett: Does it communicate exactly what I want to say to the people? As an artist you want to control the intent as much as
possible. But the impact depends on who’s receiving and their perspective and experience. T Banks: I’m pretty attached to the old cast. I’m very nervous about picking people all over again. Zhalarina: My mom is coming. This is her first time ever seeing me do anything like this. And what she doesn’t know is that I’m doing a tribute to her as well at the end of my show. I have to finish the tribute and try not to cry halfway through it. DC: Are you excited? Everyone: Yes It is evident that all of the students in the festival have much to be proud of. As Line Breaks curator and head manager Rain Wilson described, “The students use their art to channel their narrative,” because, “this is their language.” “It’s a huge machine with a lot of moving of parts,” Wilson said, and mentioned that there were struggles with hiring directors, scheduling rehearsals and tending to the specific need of each group. Managing 14 shows is no short feat, but Rain is facing the challenge head on. She said that she’s grateful for the assistance she’s received, including the Arts Institute for promotional assistance, and Forward Theater for recommending writing, directing and choreography coaches. The program has many new additions to its roster this year. For the first time, Line Breaks will include a visual arts gallery in the Education Building that will stay open for the public through the end of the month. Line Breaks will also feature two days of alumni and faculty performances. This is an exciting new addition, with alumni Kelsey Pyro, Camea Davis and si dåko’ta alcantara-camacho returning to the UW-Madison campus. Pyro said that to participate is a great opportunity, as the trip is not just a return to the campus, but also a return to the stage. Pyro will debut her one-woman show, “Break the Cycle,” a story about, “first generation college students’ unique struggles to graduate.” She described her feelings as “positive nervousness,” and continues to explain the “real life after graduating.” Nonetheless, Pyro is amped to share her wisdom in a multimedia experience, seeing as the play is set in a video game and the character must beat the obstacles to reach graduation. The alumna said she expects a successful debut as she makes plans to tour her play to other colleges and universities throughout the country. As aforementioned, First Wave will also feature faculty performances. We received a glimpse of dance professor Chris Walker’s dancing in his performance for Moonshine on Feb. 27, in which he presented a story about Caribbean ancestry and folklore. For Line Breaks, Walker is sure to give us another captivating, culturally enriched experience. UW-Madison has yet to see Wilson’s artistry on the stage, and the campus is certainly in for more empowerment when Rain debuts her new play, “Valley of Vigils.” First Wave’s Line Breaks Festival will run from March 11 to March 17. All events are free, and the Overture Center will host most of the events.
opinion Police killings are indeed a racial issue 6
l
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Elijah Gray Opinion Columnist
I
’m sick to my stomach writing this. I’m sickened by the callousness with which people I grew up with are talking about the death of a human being, and sickened by the fact that Madison is now on the map for the killing of an unarmed black teenager at the hands of a white police officer. I’m in disbelief that my fellow citizens would be so ignorant as to look at the pervasive, disproportionate use of lethal force against blacks and not see that what we are dealing with is an explicitly racial issue with an entrenched historical precedent. Maybe I’m overreacting. Maybe I should take a step back and analyze the situation without letting the fog of emotion cloud my vision of the truth. How might my perspective change if I were to let those white, affluent kids I grew up with tell me exactly why I’m wrong when I say that the killing of Tony Robinson in Madison, Wis., is inextricably related to broader racial ten-
sions still plaguing our country? It’s possible I would walk away thinking that because all lives are equally worth saving it does us no good to single out any one demographic for special treatment—even though blacks are killed by police at a higher rate than any other ethnic group in America. This suggests that some need reminding that black lives do, in fact, matter. It’s also plausible that I would consider Tony Robinson’s history of aggression and criminal activity as justification for his death, despite knowing that if my best friend was killed in an altercation in which he was unarmed, no human soul could pry from my lips the words “he deserved to die.” With these perspectives instilled in me I could finally feel confident absconding to my cocoon of white privilege, ready to shield myself from the reality that American law enforcement visits upon blacks a level of aggression and suspicion foreign to my red-haired, melanindeficient self. As comforting as
this hypothetical is, however, it demands an ignorance so blissfully divorced from the reality of what’s going on and my own intuition that I could never truly subscribe to it. All this talk of who Tony Robinson was as a person and whether or not his behavior warranted the force with which the police officer responded insults his memory and belies how we should actually approach this issue.
The officer who killed Tony Robinson does not have to be racist to have been brought up in a country still struggling to ensure all citizens are treated judiciously. What does positioning ourselves as moral arbiters replete with excuses for his killing do to rectify the greater, underlying problem that is the fundamentally tattered relationship between blacks and police? I am not insinuating that the officer who shot Robinson is
dailycardinal.com
in any way a racist. However, when you look at the broader pattern of law enforcement consistently acting more punitively in its use of force towards blacks than whites, you have to wonder if there isn’t a deeply rooted tenet in our cultural subconscious that tells us blacks are more deserving of lethal aggression than their white brethren. No, the racism of today does not manifest itself in the strange fruit that grew on the southern trees invoked in Billie Holiday’s song on black lynchings. We may not find ourselves drinking from separate water fountains and movie theaters may not be segregated on the basis of skin pigmentation, but we still harbor prejudice in our collective soul. Our perspectives diverge so wildly because, in the absence of overt acts of discrimination, many are reluctant to acknowledge racism is still with us. I don’t necessarily blame the people who fail to see what’s happening in Madison as part of a larger historical problem, because we don’t choose the
circumstances into which we’re born and the assumptions we inherit. The officer who killed Tony Robinson does not have to be racist to have been brought up in a country still struggling to ensure all citizens are treated judiciously. A country whose extreme social stratification contributes to the tumultuous conditions under which blacks and police interact. That reality underlies what’s going on right now across the country and in Madison, and will continue to inform how we interpret the killings of unarmed black Americans in the future. I am convinced that in the aggregate this tragedy and those it directly mirrors are about race, and that we can’t assume otherwise simply because we are not faced with the glaring racism of the past. As Martin Luther King Jr. so eloquently observed, “Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability.” How do you feel about Elijah’s view toward America’s racial landscape? Do you agree or disagree? Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
Stick to the pen and pad for fewer distractions in lecture LaBreea Walsh Letter to the Editor
I
have some feedback in response to Maddie Murphy’s article: Note taking should be brought into the 21st Century... I believe that a large majority of the short days we live
should be spent living in the moment. Living in the moment, squeezing all life has to give out of every second, every minute, every hour of the time. Living in the moment means being present in all circumstances whether sitting on the beach on a warm summer day or sitting
in class on a cool spring day. I believe distractions, especially technological distractions cause people from not fully living in any moment. Sitting in class in the 21st century, it is evident that the reliance on technology is high. Most of the computer usage
The Wisconsin International Law Journal is pleased to announce its annual symposium:
International Law Walks the Line: Border Disputes and Resolution for the 21st Century March 13, 2015 UW Law School
Register and learn more at law.wisc.edu/wilj Rooms 2260, University of Wisconsin Law School 975 Bascom Mall, Madison WI 53706
Panels:
“Legacies of Colonialism and International Law of Borders” “Boundaries, Adjudication, and Peace” “International Borders and the Future”
Keynote Speaker:
Lea Brilmayer, Howard M. Holtzmann Professor of International Law, Yale Law School
Sponsors:
University of Wisconsin Law School Global Legal Studies Center University Lectures Committee Wisconsin Experience Grant Associated Students of Madison Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia East Asian Legal Studies Center
in classes are less skewed towards typing notes and more towards checking emails, social media, sports stats, or doing a little online shopping. Some may call it multitasking however I recently read an article that suggested that multitasking is actually multi switching. Multitasking can result in a 40% loss in productivity. Technological note takers make be hearing the professor and looking at their computer screen doing other things but neither of these tasks will be truly productive because that information is not processing properly in the brain. The best way to learn is without distractions and with our minds focused on the current moment and on the current task. I think for most college students this could only be accomplished through reverting back to the old fashion pen and paper during lectures. In a world where everything is digital and everything is online, I think it is important for us to unplug for some time even if it means for a 50 or 75 minute lecture. Universities have become so accustomed to life being wrapped in technology we can’t even be in class anymore without our computer. Whenever I look around a large lecture hall I would guess 5/10 people are actually taking notes and the rest are doing other things. I honestly think the other 5/10 people will be doing the same thing in a matter of minutes, they are just writing a few notes at the moment. I am also guilty of checking my social media sites whenever I’m bored or I’ve already typed everything the professor is about to say on his current presentation slide. Instead of engaging in the material and in what the professor is teaching, I let myself get
distracted by whatever is more important in that moment on my computer screen. I really think it is disheartening to think our world has become so dependent on technology we can’t imagine our lives without it. Even to the point of unplugging from the world of technology for a class period seems absurd.
In a world where everything is digital and everything is online, I think it is important for us to unplug for some time even if it means for a 50 or 75 minute lecture.
In a perfect world where everyone is only taking notes on their laptops and not succumbing to any distractions, taking notes by hand still is a better option. Taking notes by hand and transferring them on to our trusty laptops is a great way to learn and review the material. To add, when typing notes, it is easy to mindlessly type everything the professor is saying. However, because writing notes take a lot longer than typing, it is important to listen carefully to catch the most important topics and details. Distractions are the cause of missing the warm and cool breezes in life. In short, I believe professors would like the best for their students and in many ways that means enforcing a no screen rule in classrooms. Maybe the best option here is a mixture of the two- using a touch screen tablet and a stylus to write notes. LaBreea Walsh is a junior majoring in community and nonprofit leadership. What is your view on taking notes in class? Do you prefer digital, handwritten or a hybrid? Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
comics
dailycardinal.com Wednesday, March 11, 2015 • 7
Today’s Sudoku
The way you work it
Future Freaks
By Joel Cryer jcryer@wisc.edu
© Puzzles by Pappocom
Solution, tips and computer program available at www.sudoku.com.
Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.
Fact of the Day The South by Southwest music, film and interactive festival began in 1987 in Austin, Texas.
Evil Bird Classic
By Caitlin Kirihara graphics@dailycardinal.com
Today’s Crossword Puzzle
Washington & the Bear Classic
Eatin’ Cake Classic the truth don’t stop
ACROSS 1 Sweet tropical fruit 6 Paradise lost 10 Face-to-face exam 14 Body of salt water 15 Balcony section 16 Arid Asian expanse 17 “Popular” question? (Part one) 20 Life, for one 21 Use one’s reflexes 22 Rat-a-___ (drum sound) 23 Amtrak unit 25 Fleur-de-___ (symbol on Quebec’s flag) 26 Imitates a hot dog 30 Insect stage 31 Eleven digits 32 Au ___ (menu phrase) 34 Australian runner 37 “Popular” question? (Part two) 40 Bass-heavy music genre 41 Lend an ear 42 Underling 43 Andy’s radio partner 44 Absolute 45 Space between teeth 48 Fresh from the factory 49 Ballpoint, e.g. 51 Be bombastic 53 Muse of epic poetry 58 “Popular” question? (Part three)
61 Some astronauts’ insignia 62 Eye part 63 Covers the overhead? 64 Marshal’s badge 65 Film about a lovable pig 66 Be theatrical DOWN 1 Does a landscaping chore 2 Bad end for a tooth 3 Advertising sign 4 Dog show concern 5 Beginnings 6 Bumper sticker word 7 Capitol feature 8 “I” problem 9 After expenses 10 Eye up and down 11 “The ___ Tenenbaums” 12 Old-style counters 13 Catalogs 18 Biochemistry abbr. 19 Off the mark 23 Adorable one 24 Beelike 26 Come down hard 27 Palindromic girl’s name 28 Less than average tide
9 Cooking meas. 2 30 Agreements 32 Cleaning lady’s target 33 Plant new crops 34 Correct a manuscript 35 Earned 36 ___-friendly 38 Krypton, e.g. 39 Absorb, as an expense 44 Loosen, as skates 45 Garb for grads 46 Enlightened one, in Buddhism 47 Coin of Kolkata 49 Hardly current 50 Santa’s helper 52 Ivan the Terrible, e.g. 53 Nursery furnishing 54 Menu selection 55 River or state 56 Bombard with snowballs 57 An old Irish tongue 59 “Ad” add-on 60 Failed Constitutional measure (Abbr.)
Bacon Pig Classic
By Derek Sandberg graphics@dailycardinal.com
By Dylan Moriarty graphics@dailycardinal.com
DC Archives graphics@dailycardinal.com
Sports
wednesday, March 11, 2015 DailyCardinal.com
Men’s Hockey
Longtime UW fan cheers loud and proud By Sam Cusick the daily cardinal
Students and fans alike know just where to look for him: in the same bottom row seats off the corner of the ice. He’ll be there, most likely wearing the same white sweater and red turtleneck that have become almost his trademark. Phil Dzick has become a part of Badger hockey almost as important as the game itself. Best known for leading cheers to celebrate each time the team scores a goal, he’s done his best to engage the crowd and encourage his beloved Badgers to victory. Dzick first started following Badger hockey in the early 1970s, and started actively leading cheers in 1981. He still remembers when it all started, at an away game in Potsdam, N.Y., against Clarkson University. He was sitting among a small group of Badger fans and felt that his team needed some love as they battled it out against the Golden Knights. “I thought our guys needed to know we were there as well so I led a Badgers spell yell from my college days and then from there it’s just kind of taken off,” Dzick said. After that, Dzick has steadily
grown to be a centerpiece of Badger home games at the Kohl Center. Lucas Pillar, a UW-Madison senior and fourth-year season ticket holder, said Phil has become an integral and necessary part of what makes Badger games so extraordinary— the fan experience. “There’s a reason he has his own scoreboard graphic,” Pillar said. “As soon as he rises, it changes what’s going on in the arena.” While Phil may be best known for counting the goals after the Badgers score, he said his favorite cheers are those that encourage the team instead of just reiterating what’s on the scoreboard. Throughout his tenure as one of Badger hockey’s most dedicated fans, one men’s hockey game in particular stands out to Phil as a moment he’ll never forget. It came in 2006 when Phil and his wife Mary Lou were watching the Badgers battle it out against Cornell to advance to the Frozen Four, in a year they ultimately won the championship. Dzick said he vividly remembers then-freshman Jack Skille scoring the winning goal in the third overtime to grab the victory. Games like that, he said, make it all worth it.
In addition to having season hockey tickets, Phil and Mary Lou regularly attend Badger football, basketball, women’s hockey and volleyball games. While the pair have missed a few hockey games over the years, they try their best to be at each one. And usually a missed game occurs when they have tickets to other sports, most likely football in which they haven’t missed a home game at Camp Randall since first getting season tickets in 1962. “So when there is a conflict, we have to decide, well do we go to a football bowl game or to a hockey game, but we try to do both, but sometimes that’s just not possible,” Dzick said. “In other words, when the sports are on, we have no life.” With such high involvement in so many Badger sports, Phil has become somewhat of an expert on the various student section groups that attend each game, and he said the men’s hockey fanbase, dubbed the Crease Creatures, is the best he’s seen. “I think the student section at Badger hockey games, men’s games that is, is about the best of the students sections ... They’re more creative and this year of course our patience has been tested,” Dzick
emily buck/the daily cardinal
A down season hasn’t been enough to dampen Phil Dzick’s fierce Badger fandom, which is now in its fifth decade. said. “While this has been kind of a downer for the hockey guys, it’s not something that we can’t tolerate.” The Crease Creatures definitely reciprocate that love, and most can’t imagine what games would be like without Phil’s cheerful smile and enthusiastic cheers, including UW-Madison senior and fourth year season ticket holder Logan Elandt. “It would be weird, really weird
if he wasn’t there,” Elandt said. “But thankfully I can count on one hand the number of games he’s missed over my four years.” Thankfully students and fans needn’t worry—Phil plans on sitting in the same spot with his signature sweater for many years to come. And after every season finishes, Phil will leave all looking forward to the next time they join him in cheering, “We want more!”
Men’s Basketball
Sizing up threats to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament Wed. March 11
Thurs. March 12
Fri. March 13
Sat. March 14
Sun. March 15
#8 Illinois #9 Michigan #12 Nebraska
No. 4 Purdue
#1 Wisconsin
#13 Penn St. #5 Iowa
#4 Purdue
#7 Indiana #10 Northwestern
#11 Minnesota
#2 Maryland
#14 Rutgers #6 Ohio St. #3 Michigan St. By Jack Baer, Zach Rastall and Brian Weidy the Daily cardinal
Spoiler alert, the Badgers are the odds-on favorite to win their first Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament since 2008. Here are how the rest of the tournament’s top seeds stack up against UW.
No. 2 Maryland
The odds-on favorite to meet Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game are the second-seeded Terrapins, who finished 14-4 in Big Ten play and handed the Badgers one of their two conference losses. Maryland enters the tournament riding a seven-game winning streak, with four of those wins coming by six points or less, and will look to improve its seeding in its first NCAA tournament appearance under fourth-year head coach
them a very tough out in Chicago.
Mark Turgeon. The Terrapins are led by their dynamic backcourt, featuring freshman Melo Trimble and senior Dez Wells, who average a combined 31.4 points per game. The Badgers saw firsthand just how lethal the combo of Trimble and Wells can be, as the duo torched Wisconsin for 42 points on 51.6 percent shooting in the Terrapins’ 59-53 victory. Behind the stellar play of its frontcourt, Maryland has exceeded everyone’s expectations in its first season in the Big Ten, even earning its first Top 10 ranking since 2003, but the Terrapins will enter the Big Ten tournament looking for more.
No. 3 Michigan State
Save a perplexing loss at home to Minnesota, the Spartans have closed the year out strong, going 9-3 in their final 12 games with
losses to Illinois, Minnesota and at Wisconsin, none by more than seven points. Leadership like Travis Trice, Branden Dawson and Denzel Valentine win games in March, but it’s their stingy defense and three-point shooting that makes the Spartans a threat to win the tournament. While Trice (69-of-187) and Valentine (81-of-193) are the longdistance shooters most fans know of, Bryn Forbes is the x-factor for this team. While he has run cold in the team’s last two games, going 3-of16 from the field and 0-of-9 from three, he put on a clinic against the Badgers, singlehandedly keeping the Spartans in the game by shooting 8-of-9 and 5-of-5 from three for 21 points. If they can get hot from three, the Spartans’ tough defense plus Tom Izzo coaching will make
After the Boilermakers finished their non-conference schedule with an 8-5 record, including stunning home losses to North Florida and Gardner-Webb, few expected them to make much noise in the Big Ten this season. However, Matt Painter’s squad found a way to turn it around once the conference season rolled around, finishing 12-6 in Big Ten play and earning a double bye into the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. Purdue is led by junior center A.J. Hammons, who, in addition to averaging 11.5 points and 6.5 rebounds, leads the conference with 2.8 blocks per game. Hammons was a consensus AllBig Ten second-team selection and teammate Rapheal Davis was named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year. Purdue already looks like it will be making its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2012, but a strong showing in the Big Ten tournament will erase any doubt in the selection committee’s mind.
No. 5 Iowa
Iowa has the perfect combination of great wins (at North Carolina, sweeping Ohio State and home against Maryland) and head-scratching losses (back-toback losses against Minnesota at home and at Northwestern), making it the biggest wild card in the field. It’s tough to beat a team three times in a season, which may be the jolt the Hawkeyes need to get over the hump and beat Wisconsin. They have plenty of talent, particularly in the front-court
with first team All-Big Ten selection Aaron White, the eye-gouging Adam Woodbury and the Wisconsin defector in Jarrod Uthoff to win the tournament. Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year Gabriel Olaseni, Peter Jok and many others give Iowa the kind of depth most teams would crave when playing potentially four games in four days and provide at least one advantage over the fairly shallow Badgers.
The Rest
Once you get past the Top 5 seeds in the bracket, the cupboard becomes pretty bare when it comes to real threats to Wisconsin. The next team in the seeding, Ohio State, got totally pantsed by Wisconsin to the tune of a 24-point margin on its home floor. Before that game, the Buckeyes hadn’t lost by double digits their entire season. That said, they could conceivably be a threat, because D’Angelo Russell. The Badgers will face one of Michigan and Illinois to begin their tournament and have defeated both in the past. Michigan put up a substantially better fight, taking UW to its only overtime game of the season, but has continued to be gutted by injuries. The Wolverines will likely go through the conference tournament sans starting point guard Derrick Walton Jr., then try to make some noise in the NIT or CBI. Illinois could get frisky, but it hurts that they don’t have a single player who can effectively match up against one of the Badgers’ big three in crunch time, lest all three of them. There’s a small chance that backcourt-heavy Indiana goes absolutely nuts from 3-point range, but it’s doubtful they could sustain that for four straight games.