Pressure is on UConn and the Brewers’ Home Opener

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.” 

The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Dylan Brogan. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

A weekly podcast with insights and analysis on the Wisconsin Badgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Bucks from two of Wisconsin’s most experienced sports journalists. Mike Lucas is a veteran sports columnist for the Cap Times and was a Badgers radio color commentator for over 25 years. Tom Oates was a sports reporter and columnist for the Wisconsin State Journal for 40 years.