Welcome to Saturday Scorecard, a brief but necessary reprieve from turkey sandwiches and shopping malls.

With the Badgers and Packers taking the weekend off, we're trying to keep busy so we will keep the pace brisk. On to the notes.

Thud: The Bucks were flying high a week ago, but have crashed back to earth a bit by losing three of four games on the road. Friday night's nationally-televised (ESPN) game at Oklahoma City featured some embarrassing stretches, particularly as the Thunder rolled out a 17-0 run to start the third quarter.

The Bucks, who bring a 8-6 record into a tough game against Orlando tonight at the Bradley Center, clearly miss center Andrew Bogut (Happy birthday, mate), whose help defense and offensive prowess are tough to replace, and forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who may have helped impede Kevin Durant's 33-point evening.

Brandon Jennings, whose early play attracted the ESPN spotlight, scuffled a bit and so did Michael Redd, still getting into the flow after a knee injury.

People who were getting ready to jump on the Bucks' bandwagon are now questioning whether it's worth the investment. Diehards knew to enjoy the 8-3 start, because even with a healthy roster this team will need a few breaks to get to the .500 mark over the long season.

Fun in the sun: Marquette coach Buzz Williams, who always tries to be honest, called his team the worst squad in the Old Spice Classic.

Now, the Golden Eagles have a chance to win it.

Impressive victories over Xavier and Michigan will put MU in the national rankings and help build momentum and confidence for upcoming games against Wisconsin and Big East foes.

Marquette faces Florida State in the championship game at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

By the tail... or is it tale? You had to think that the Tiger Woods story smelled a bit fishy from the beginning. He backed out of his driveway, hit a fire hydrant, the air bag didn't deploy and his wife had to smash a window with a golf club to get him out? Okaaaaay... TMZ.com was the first to arch an eyebrow and Woods and his army of PR flacks are going to have to do some damage control.

Call of the Hall: The official Hall of Fame ballot hasn't graced the mailbox at Saturday Scorecard headquarters, but it's never too early to start thinking about it.

This year's class of nominees includes newcomers Roberto Alomar and Barry Larkin -- two dominant infielders of the 1990s -- as well as designated hitter Edgar Martinez and holdovers like Bert Blyleven, Andre Dawson, Mark McGwire, Jack Morris, Lee Smith, Tim Raines, Dale Murphy and Alan Trammell.

You wonder if Alomar (10 Gold Gloves, .300 average, 2,724 hits) will be hurt by his infamous spitting incident. More likely, it will be the steep decline in his ability late in his career. Larkin was a 12-time all-star, but his 2,340 hits and 198 homers might not be enough.

Larry King Lounge: Marquette High School defensive end/linebacker Cameron Botticelli is headed to Wisconsin as a walk-on. After watching the kid perform in the state tournament, it's not hard to imagine him winning a scholarship at some point.... Denver's Carmelo Anthony, who scored 50 points in a victory over the Knicks on Friday, finally seems to have figured things out. He's creating early MVP buzz.... It looks like the New Jersey Nets are going to match the NBA's futility record by losing 17 straight to open the season. Loss No. 17 awaits Sunday in Los Angeles. The record-setter could come at home next week.... The Wave dropped a close game, 9-8, Friday night in Rockford when sixth-attacker Jamar Beasley scored for the Rampage in the final minute. Milwaukee opens its home season Dec. 6 against La Raza de Monterrey. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. and the team is offering Family 4-packs that feature four tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas for $59.... Tough times continue in Detroit, where the Lions lost another Thanksgiving Day game and the Red Wings haven't scored a goal in 153 minutes, 22 seconds... In case you were wondering, Las Vegas beat Florida in overtime to win the first United Football League championship. Jim Fassel coached Vegas. Former UW star Brooks Bollinger was Florida's quarterback.