Badgers Tournament Hopes Slip Away | Ticket King Inc.

The Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball program has been one of the most stable programs in the country for nearly two decades. They produce results and have done so without the scandals that affect many other programs such as Louisville and Syracuse. The Badgers have made the NCAA tournament every year since 1999, and put up good results, making to the “Elite Eight” four times, and three trips to the Final Four during that stretch. However, that run is about to come to a close. The Badgers currently sit at 6-11 in Big Ten Conference play and are 13-17 on the season overall. Basically, they are going to have to make a miracle run in the Big Ten Tournament to keep that streak going. So what has led to their demise? We believe we have an answer, and it may not be what you think.

The first place to check are the stats themselves and the Badgers stats this season have clearly represented their issues. They are averaging just 67 points a game and shooting 45% from the field. Their free throw percentage, usually one of the best in the country every year, sits at just 69% on the season. Their defense, which has been their staple for two decades, has failed them over and over again, in key moments, all season long. Yes, those stats do not represent a good team, but they stem from perhaps a deeper issue. When a collegiate team drops off after a long run of success, the second factor many like to look at their recruiting. Taking a look at the Badgers recruiting classes lately, this is not the problem. In fact, due to their back-to-back Final Fours in 2014 and 2015, the Badgers have had better recruiting classes. So what is the problem?

Bo Ryan Built a Great Program

Back during the 2015-2016 season, legendary Badgers head coach Bo Ryan, the man who built this program, retired. Wisconsin selected his top assistant, Greg Gard to replace him. The transition was smooth, and for a year or two the decision looked good, as the Badgers kept winning. But now, in year three, as this becomes Gard’s team and these are his players, there are signs of a drop off (see stats above.) We’ve seen this rodeo before in college sports. In 2013 Chip Kelly left Oregon for the NFL and his top assistant Mark Helfrich replaced him. For a year or two, Helfrich won games with Kelly’s players. Then, as they became “his” players that he recruited, the results tapered off. This is not to say that it never works the opposite direction. And yes, there are been injuries to key players on the Badgers roster.  This has also forced freshmen into the starting position.The final conclusion here is that Greg Gard is far from finished. If he can steer clear of the injury bug, and get his more experienced players back on the court, the team may turn around. I’m afraid that it’s too late for a tournament run.

Bucks Playoff Chances in 2018 | Ticket King Milwaukee

Now that the NBA’s All-Star weekend is over, the league, and their fans turn their attention towards the final months of the regular season. That means gearing up for the NBA Playoffs. The Bucks, who are 9-3 in their last 12 games, are likely to be one of these playoff teams yet again. Adding to the good news for the Bucks at the moment is that former lottery pick Jabari Parker is back, and has settled in as the first guy off the bench. Following two major ACL injuries, it is unlikely that Parker will ever be the player they thought they were drafting. He can, however, be a dangerous player off the bench for the rest of his career, if he can avoid any more major injuries. So how do the Bucks stack up against other playoff teams?

As it stands at the moment, the Bucks are the 6^th seed in the Eastern Conference, which means they would draw the third seed, the Cleveland Cavaliers. That would be the worst possible draw they could get. In a serious of high profile moves, Cleveland redid their team at the trade deadline which “rejuvenated” Lebron James. They have won four in a row and are looking good. I don’t see any ways these Bucks could beat Cleveland. The good news is the Bucks could climb up to the fourth or fifth seed, where they would take on the Wizards or Pacers team, neither of which are that impressive. That is a series the Bucks could win.

The other scenario that could unfold is the Bucks could drop down to the seventh or eighth seed, which means they would get either Boston or Toronto in round one. Of the two they would have a much better chance of beating the Celtics. Cleveland has been playing great, but this Raptors squad is the team to beat in the East. They have been together for a long time, and are better as the season is going along. Meanwhile, experts question if the Celtics can get it done in the big moment in the playoffs due to their team chemistry and structure. Regardless of what happens, the East could be very entertaining come playoff time.

Bon Iver Tickets | Ticket King Milwaukee

Bon Iver will play in Milwaukee this Saturday night. Looking for tickets? We have you covered.  Bon Iver is a Wisconsin native, and the success of this album created careers and opportunities for Wisconsin creatives in Justin Vernon's orbit. It also helped usher in an ongoing cultural renaissance in his hometown of Eau Claire, which has the second highest population growth in Wisconsin.

Lorde Performs at BMO Harris Bradley Center | Ticket King Inc.

Lorde comes to the BMO Harris Bradley Center on March 1st. Opening the show will be Run The Jewels. This is part of Lorde's "Melodrama World Tour," picking up from her last set of shows that took place this past November. Her tour will finish up in Moscow, this May. Her Grammy nomiated album, titled the same as the tour, already went gold.

The three songs that hit the charts from her 2017 disk are titled Homemade Dynamite, Perfect Places, and Green Light. Prior to that album, she released Pure Heroine in 2013, which went platinum. David Bowie once said that "Listening to Lorde is like listening to the future." Meanwhile, she also collaborated with the producers of the Hunger Games movies.

Run The Jewels is a four year old hip-hop duo, and has won "Best International Band" at NME. Check our selection of Lorde tickets for this great show!

Green Bay Packers 2018 Coaching Staff | Ticket King Inc.

The Green Bay Packers had about as well documented of a 7-9 season of any team who finished a year with that record in recent memory. The broken collarbone of Aaron Rodgers, which exposed the flaws in this organization, and the performance of backup quarterback Brett Hundley, all led to the franchise making massive changes up and down the organization. Here is the rundown of the major personnel changes for 2018.

Brian Gutekunst/General Manager- The highest profile change came first when Mark Murphy relieved longtime general manager Ted Thompson of his duties and replaced him with the Packers best scout, Brian Gutekunst. He has been with the Packers for 20 years as a scout, and then became director of player personnel for the last two years. Most people wanted Eliot Wolf, the prodigal son of Ron Wolf as the new general manager. However, if you look at the whole scope of this, Gutekunst is the better choice. He is 10 years older than Wolf, and unlike Wolf, he has both played and coached football, which he did for his alma mater, Wisconsin-La Crosse. From what we hear, Gutekunst is going to be more aggressive than his predecessor.

John Wojciechowski/Director of Player Personnel- Replacing Gutekunst in his old position is John Wojciechowski, who begins his sixth season with this Packers. Prior to joining the Packers, he spent time with the Cowboys, Jaguars, and Steelers organizations.

Joe Philbin/Offensive Coordinator- Perhaps the favorite hire of them all was Joe Philbin who returns to the Packers after spending three seasons as the Dolphins head coach and two seasons after that with the Colts. Philbin didn’t work out as a head coach so do not expect him to leave so soon this time. This is a great hire. When Philbin was here this offense, and team in general, was at its best.

Frank Cignetti Jr./Quarterbacks Coach- Brett Hundley was Alex Van Pelt’s project, so obviously Van Pelt should have, and did, take the blame for Hundley’s play. Replacing Van Pelt is Frank Cignetti Jr., who comes to the Packers with nearly 30 years of coaching experience, most of it with quarterbacks. He has been all over the place in both college and the NFL, having a proven track record at both levels. This is not a sexy hire, but a great one nevertheless.

Jim Hostler/Pass Game Coordinator- The Packers created new titles on both sides of the ball for run and pass game coordinators. This was to give extra focus on each area of the game on both sides of the ball. Hostler will work with wide receivers coach David Raih as well as Philbin to keep the passing game in sync. Hostler has nearly 30 years of coaching experience, most with tight ends and wide receivers.

Mike Pettine/Defensive Coordinator- Most of the coaching changes came on defense, most notably with the play caller. Pettine comes to the Packers having formerly served as the Browns head coach for two seasons and spent last season with the Seahawks. Pettine has never been in charge of an NFL defense that finished lower than ninth, a stat that should comfort Packers fans for the moment.

Patrick Graham/Run Game Coordinator/Inside Linebackers- Graham comes to the Packers after serving for the last two seasons as the Giants defensive line coach, and before that he spent five seasons in New England mostly as the linebackers coach. The Packers want their inside linebackers to get more aggressive, which is what Graham teaches.

Ryan Downard/Defensive Quality Control- Downard comes to the Packers after spending the last two seasons with Bowling Green coaching their safeties. Prior to that Downard was a defensive assistant for Mike Pettine in Cleveland. Downard is just 29 and is a rising star in the coaching ranks. He will be a head coach in the college game sooner rather than later.