Milwaukee Journal Sentinel beat reporters Mark Stewart and John Steppe join host JR Radcliffe to analyze Wisconsin Badgers football and basketball, plus other UW sports.
The NCAA Tournament is here, plus the women get a postseason spot and hockey hits home stretch (03.16.2026)
Mar 16, 2026
Show notes
Badgers reporters John Steppe and Mark Stewart join host JR Radcliffe to discuss the Wisconsin men drawing a No. 5 seed and facing off with High Point in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. What do they think of the matchup, especially how well the Badgers played in the final stages of the Big Ten season, including at the Big Ten Tournament? What about the second-round matchup against Arkansas and possibly top seed Arizona thereafter? Plus: the Wisconsin women get some surprise news with an invitation to a postseason tourney. The women's hockey team is gearing up for the Frozen Four and a potential clash with a fellow powerhouse, and the men get some big late wins as their NCAA Tournament looms.
Previewing the Big Ten Tournament for the UW men (03.12.2026)
Mar 11, 2026
Show notes
Badgers reporter John Steppe and host JR Radcliffe dig into the men's basketball team's plight in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament and Selection Sunday thereafter. Does this team stand to gain from anything that happens in Chicago, especially after another huge win at Purdue? What's the latest with injuries to Nolan Winter and Jack Janicki? Can this team's 3-point shooting sustain itself in a tourney setting? Should Nick Boyd have been a first-team pick in the Big Ten? How does Greg Gard keep hitting home runs in the transfer portal? What type of matchup really stands to be a problem for Wisconsin?
Where does Nolan Winter's injury leave the Badger men? Plus: Women one-and-done in Big Ten Tourney (03.05.2026)
Mar 05, 2026
Show notes
Badgers reporters Mark Stewart and John Steppe join JR Radcliffe to discuss the state of Badger basketball as March dawns. The women are already out of the Big Ten Tournament after a loss to Illinois, while the men have yet to learn their tourney fate. A win over Maryland on March 4 was convincing enough, but the injury to Nolan Winter could be a problem. What's the prognosis? Plus: How do we evaluate the women's season after 10 losses to close the year (with at least some chance for more postseason basketball)?
Men's basketball is on a tourney trajectory, but can they make noise once they get there? Plus: UW women's hockey players get gold (02.24.2026)
Feb 24, 2026
Show notes
Host JR Radcliffe is joined by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporters John Steppe and Mark Stewart to discuss the men's basketball team after Nick Boyd's virtuoso performance against Iowa. Even after a hiccup against Ohio State, the Badgers are looking like a tournament team, but what are they capable up upon arrival? What does Jack Janicki's injury do to that outlook? Plus, they chat about the rough patch for the women's basketball team, the up-and-down showing by the men's hockey team and the documentary "A Road at Night," chronicling the tragic car crash that befell former UW assistant Howard Moore and his family.
Then, freelance hockey writer Nicole Haase stops by (35:00) to discuss the success of the current UW players in the Olympics, bringing a gold medal back to the Badgers as they prepare for the WCHA postseason and beyond. Is KK Harvey the best Badgers player ever? Is this the best Badgers team ever? How did Lacey Eden and others help keep the team afloat with the Olympians in Italy? And what's next for women's hockey on an international stage?
Wisconsin basketball gets huge win at Illinois, gets hurt by whistle at Indiana (02.12.2026)
Feb 12, 2026
Show notes
Badgers reporters John Steppe and Mark Stewart join host JR Radcliffe to discuss all things Badgers sports, starting with a men's basketball team that has truly found its stride. Austin Rapp is hitting all his shots, John Blackwell is creating magic, Nick Boyd and Nolan Winter have been steady and Wisconsin has two road wins over top-10 teams. And they could have had another win at Indiana were it not for a poor officiating call.
They also discuss Luke Fickell's contract situation, the women's basketball team fighting through it, the things that have plagued the men's hockey team and the women's hockey team's major Olympics contributions, plus important success back home.
The heavy Wisconsin influence on the U.S. women's hockey team in the Olympics (01.29.2026)
Jan 29, 2026
Show notes
Freelance hockey writer Nicole Haase joins the show (12:15) to discuss the University of Wisconsin's women's hockey team, both the five players headed to the Olympics as well as the impact the upcoming games will have on the No. 1 team in the nation. Is the United States truly the favorite to win gold? The difference in philosophy between USA and Canada. The changes that the women's game has seen in the past decade, including in issues of pay equity. What makes Caroline Harvey so great? Is ex-Badger Hilary Knight still one of the best players in the world? And while we're here, why didn't UW alumnus and NHL star Cole Caufield get a spot on Team USA for the men?
Before that, Badgers reporter John Steppe discusses the past two Badgers games, a close loss to USC and a significant rally to defeat Minnesota on Jan. 28. The good and the bad from those outcomes - are the Badgers slipping after the five-game winning streak? What's up with Austin Rapp?
Five football transfers likely to impact Wisconsin in 2026 (01.23.2026)
Jan 23, 2026
Show notes
Wisconsin Badgers reporters John Steppe and Mark Stewart join host JR Radcliffe now that the dust has settled (mostly) in football transfer-portal season. Where did the Badgers get better, where do they still need to improve, and who are five guys likely to impact the football team right out of the gate in 2026? Also, the men's basketball team now finds itself on a five-game winning streak with some convincing play, and the women's team scores a win over ranked Nebraska as the program continues an upward ascent.
John Blackwell's buzzer beater and a reborn men's basketball team (01.15.2026)
Jan 15, 2026
Show notes
John Blackwell's 3-pointer gave the Badgers a big win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers, mere days after Wisconsin landed its biggest win of the year against undefeated Michigan. Badgers reporters John Steppe and Mark Stewart join host JR Radcliffe to discuss a number of Badgers happenings, including the elements that have helped the UW men go from disappointing season to tourney team, at least for now. Mark discusses the latest transfer portal developments for the football team and which players will likely be difference makers. Is this a two-year plan more than a 2026 plan? Does it all just come back to Colton Joseph (and what do they make of a second transfer quarterback joining the program)? Plus, the men's hockey team heads into a huge two-game stretch against Michigan State.
The Badgers have their transfer-portal quarterback and other takeaways (01.05.2026)
Jan 06, 2026
Show notes
The Wisconsin football program has its quarterback for next season, with Old Dominion's Colton Joseph joining the fray. Badgers reporters John Steppe and Mark Stewart discuss what that means for UW, with a look at some of the other players who announced they'd be joining the program, as well as some of the players to leave. Plus: Can the men's basketball team make the NCAA Tournament? It's not looking promising at the start of 2026. The guys discuss the continued strong start for the women's basketball program, the women's hockey players heading to the Olympics in February, the volleyball transfers, both in and out, plus more.
The Badgers volleyball team is headed to the Final Four. Here's what to know about the 2025 squad (12.16.2025)
Dec 16, 2025
Show notes
Badgers reporter John Steppe and host JR Radcliffe discuss the Wisconsin Badgers volleyball team, which just staged back-to-back upsets to reach the Final Four, and it's a wide-open field with No. 1 Nebraska shockingly defeated at the regional final. How did this team come together with so few holdovers? What makes them tick? What makes setter Charlie Fuerbringer so good? What about Oregon transfer Mimi Colyer? What else do you need to know about this team before they face Kentucky in the national semifinal Dec. 18? Plus, they briefly discuss the football transfer of Christian Alliegro.
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