B5Q Blogopean Union: are you telling me people LIKE to watch volleyball?????

Plus: Riley Mahlman is a prick; Michael Finely and Bo Ryan are eligible for the Hall of Fame; and other news from around the Big Ten.

Good morning! This is going to be a daily(ish) post that discusses the goings on of the rest of the Big Ten Conference, and the country as needed. Much like the European Union, the Big Ten is a loosely confederated group of entities that sometimes have the same goals (like free movement of people between countries or not winning national titles in football or basketball) and sometimes accept new members that they later regret (Estonia or Nebraska).

We hope that you will use this post to comment on things happening around the conference and also as a sort of daily open thread to discuss breaking news or argue about Spotted Cow (which we NO LONGER DO).

• I really think networks are going to start investing in their college volleyball coverage. These last couple of years have seen new records broken in TV viewing as well as physical attendance and there is only room for my growth. Our blog can be used as a pretty good example. We’ve been covering volleyball pretty regularly for the past four to five years but over the last three we’ve kicked it up a notch. I don’t have all the numbers plotted out, but the pageviews for our volleyball posts have definitely been going up steadily, so much so that our post from Tuesday about Caroline Crawford transferring to UW was the second most viewed post among ANY college blog in SB Nation’s entire network.

• It’s cool that former Badger Nicole Shanahan was working for NCAA.com during the Final Four and got to interview her old teammates after they won the national title.

• As you probably could have guessed, the Badgers finished the season ranked No. 1 in the final AVCA Coaches Poll. Nebraska, Louisville, Pitt and Texas rounded out the top-five.

• This is the exact mentality you want your offensive linemen to have.

• Two Wisconsin men’s basketball legends are now eligible for the Hall of Fame.

• Aidan McConnell has a bright future on the pitch for the Badgers.

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• The No. 2 prospect in the 2023 men’s basketball class is going to visit Indiana.
• Braggin’ Rights, the annual matchup between Illinois and Mizzou on the basketball court, is a fun rivalry game.
• Iowa RB Tyler Goodson isn’t playing in the bowl game. How will the Hawkeyes offense work in the Citrus Bowl?
• Nebraska’s Bryce McGowens keeps winning Big Ten Freshman of the Week. A handsome genius that writes here picked him to win Big Ten Freshman of the Year during the preseason. I wonder who that was?
• Who will the new Rutgers defensive coordinator be?

Men’s basketball scores from Monday/Tuesday

Incarnate Word 59 – No. 3 Purdue 79
Illinois-Springfield 50 – Northwestern 90
No. 11 Michigan State 90 – Oakland 78
SE Louisiana 62 – Iowa 93
UT-Martin – No. 14 Ohio State, cancelled
Purdue Fort Wayne – Michigan, cancelled

Women’s basketball scores from Monday/Tuesday

Florida Gulf Coast 85 – Michigan State 84 (2OT)
West Virginia 74 – Michigan State 54
North Alabama 53 – Purdue 86
No. 6 Maryland 98 – Coppin State 52
IUPUI 74 – No. 15 Iowa 73
No. 24 Ohio State 66 – San Diego State 54
Wright State – No. 8 Indiana, cancelled
Oregon – Northwestern, cancelled