We're live from the Kohl Center

Greetings from the bowels of the Kohl Center on the campus of the University of Wisconsin for tonight's matchup between the Badgers and UW-Eau Claire.

It's about an hour before tipoff. The Blugolds made a stop at a pre-game gathering of UW-Eau Claire alumni and supporters in one of the suites before heading to the locker room. The squad appeared loose and willing to take in the atmosphere. Coach Terry Gibbons has repeatedly said how this is an experience of a lifetime for his kids, and they are treating it like on.

Here's a few quick hitters from the Blugolds pregame notes:

*The last time Gibbons faced Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan was Feb. 3, 1999. Ryan was in the last of his 15 seasons at UW-Platteville. The Blugolds won the game 68-51, handing the Pioneers their only conference loss of the season. UW-Platteville went on to win the Division III national title. The following season, the Blugolds were the national runner-up.

*The Blugolds made two cuts on their roster this week and only return 11 letterwinners, not 13 as Gibbons originally said on media day. In a somewhat surprising move, Jared Bardon, the second-leading scorer on last year's team, was cut for "performance-related reasons." The Blugolds also graduated third-leading scorer Matt Riley.

*The team's leading scorer from a season ago, Dan Beyer, is back. Beyer led the Blugolds in rebounds as well, and scored a league-high 40 points against UW-Whitewater.

*The average height of this year's team is almost 6-foot-4.

A few quick notes from the Badgers"

*The Badgers are 45-4 all-time in exhibition games and have won the last 30 straight. They have not lost since falling to the Russian National Team 87-81 on Nov. 17, 1992.

*They are coming off a 77-48 victory over Edgewood College on Sunday. Freshman Jon Leuer led all scorers with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting.

*In the four years since the NCAA allowed Division I teams to play Divisions II and III in the exhibition season, UW has outscored its opponents by an average of 33.3 points.

*Aside from Leuer, the Badgers freshman class includes Wisconsin's Mr. Basketball Keaton Nankivil (an award he shared with current Marquette guard Scott Christopherson) and Gatorade Player of the Year Tim Jarmusz. Nankivil, a Madison Memorial product, and Jarmusz, an Oshkosh West grad, won a combined three Division 1 state titles while in high school.

*Redshirt freshman Brett Valentyn's father, Tim, played for the Blugolds from 1974-'77. Brett Valentyn is a 6-foot-4 walk-on guard from Verona.

- John Casper Jr.