In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, it’s Axe Week in Madison as the Badgers prepare to take on the Minnesota Gophers on Black Friday. But this week, Luke Fickell did not have to defend (or not defend) any axings after the Badger’s big loss against Nebraska this weekend. Maybe he should have had to defend an axing after that performance. Lucas and Oates are at a loss for words at just what happened against the Cornhuskers, in what might be a new low for the team this year. 

Oates has one word for what happened: Effort. How is it that the Badgers can hold Oregon one week and lose to Nebraska the next? A lack of effort. Yes, the defense fell apart and couldn’t stop missing tackles, but that wasn’t the only problem. The issues spanned across the entire team, which means that it all has to trickle up to one person: the head coach Luke Fickell. It’s not like he was making smart calls either, he made some terrible choices. One of which even caused a fumble with only a few seconds left in the half, leading to Nebraska to score a field goal going into halftime. 

While Lucas and Oates disagree on a few nitpicky choices, they don’t disagree on one thing: it was a terrible game. Not that all the players played terribly, Braedyn Locke played his best game all season, Vinny Anthony played great, and Christian Alliegro played with real effort. But when you have great players and a terrible loss, it’s hard to know how to move forward. Maybe a new player in Carter Smith, a gift from Michigan who decided to buy a new quarterback thanks to a billionaire backer, will help them out. 

Smith won’t be able to  help this Friday against the Gophers though, in what is a must win game for the Badgers. Yes, they might be able to get into a bowl game even with a loss, but it won’t feel good and is no way to send out the seniors. 

Moving to a good Badger team, the men’s basketball team is undefeated as of Tuesday night with a 7-0 record. Who expected them to play this well this early in the season? Yes, the schedule has helped them a bit, but it’s still an impressive achievement thanks to an impressive team. John Tonje is playing great, in a way that is hard to even compare to past great Badgers. But there are multiple guys on the team who can pose a real threat at any time. Max Klesmit, meanwhile, is showing himself as a real leader for the team, and if that is what’s driving their success, he can keep being such a leader.

Finally, the Packers take on the Dolphins on Thanksgiving for a night game in Green Bay. What do you call a frozen dolphin? Tua Tagovailoa. Oates says the strategy is easy: hit them hard and hit them early. That way, the Dolphins will want to just go home and get out of the cold. 

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