The Bucks, Badgers, Golden Eagles and Panthers all start their seasons in November.
With two games already under their belt on the road, the Bucks open at home Saturday night against the Miami Heat. The trade last week of Desmond Mason for Jamaal Magloire makes the Bucks even more of an unknown commodity.
GM Larry Harris might have a vision of where the Bucks are going, but it isn't easy for the rest of us to share it. Harris' moves in the last couple years have seemed erratic -- giving coach Terry Porter a vote of confidence and then firing him, apparently giving Mason mixed messages, praising Zaza Pachulia and then not re-signing him, etc.
But, Magloire will provide more inside muscle than Mason, who although athletic was not that big. "If it's physical labor, tossing people around, throwing them down or what have you I take pride in getting the job done by any means necessary," the 6-11, 259-pound Magliore was quoted as saying recently.
Magloire should be able to help center Andrew Bogut adapt to the NBA version of high altitude wrestling down deep. The Bucks would like to bring Bogut in off the bench, at least in the early weeks of the season, but the rookie might have to start if Joe Smith is still ailing from a knee injury.
By the way, general managers in the NBA think Bogut will have a fine rookie season. In NBA.com, GMs picked Bogut as the Rookie of the Year. Magliore also thinks he and the rookie could become a good frontline combo.
"He's willing to learn from veteran players," Magliore said of Bogut in a press conference last Saturday. "I think that we can complement each other. Again, I'm not selfish. I'll pass the ball. After watching him in just one day of practice, I see that he's a passer as well. So I think that we can complement each other's game and take this program to another level."
Michael Redd and T.J. Ford could be an explosive backcourt, if Ford has recovered from his season-long neck injury.
Dan Gadzuric and veteran Ervin Johnson will add some additional size off the bench. Toni Kukoc and Bobby Simmons have some offensive abilities. Mo Williams and Reece Gaines will provide backup in the backcourt.
Coach Terry Stotts is familiar to Milwaukee fans, as an assistant under George Karl. He has set the goal of getting the Bucks back into the playoffs. That might not be all that easy, unless Harris proves to have vision beyond those of us who wonder just what the Bucks are trying to do.
Bo Ryan's Badgers start with exhibition games against River Falls this Saturday and Lawrence on Nov. 14 before starting their Division I schedule at Norfolk State on Nov. 18.
The Badgers will be relatively inexperienced this season. Forwards Alando Tucker and Ray Nixon are returning lettermen with experience, as is Kamron Taylor in the backcourt. Otherwise, the Badgers will be learning on the job. Sportswriters who cover the Big Ten picked them for fifth last week.
Marquette enters the Big East Conference this season. The Golden Eagles play their first four games at the Bradley Center, starting with exhibition games against Michigan Tech on Nov. 10 and Whitewater on Nov. 14. The Pepsi Blue & Gold Classic will be held at the BC Nov. 18-19.
Steve Novak and Joe Chapman are the only returning players with much experience. Freshman Wesley Matthews, the son of the former UW guard by the same name, has created some excitement. Coach Tom Crean has his work cut out for him bringing in a relatively inexperienced team into a powerhouse conference. The Golden Eagles were picked to finish 12th in the 16-team conference this week.
Rob Jeter, the former UW assistant coach, takes over from Bruce Pearl at UWM. He has a tough act to follow, but many pre-season polls and publications are picking the Panthers to win the Horizon League title.
Joah Tucker has been projected as the conference Player of the Year by some publications. Boo Davis and Adrian Tigert also will provide the Panthers with experience.
The Panthers opened Wednesday night with an exhibition game against Parkside. They play Platteville on Nov. 8 at the U.S. Cellular Arena and travel Nov. 15 to Memphis.
Game of the Month
A new feature in Sports Buzz will be the selection of the Game of the Month. October's pick is the UW Badgers amazing come-from-behind win over Minnesota on Oct. 15. The Badgers pulled out a 38-34 win after looking dead at halftime.
Special mention goes to the Packers' 52-3 win over New Orleans on Oct. 9. Any Packers' win deserves special mention this season.
The Name Game
Nick Anker of Wausau West gets the Sports Buzz Athlete of the Month honor for October after passing for 519 yards and seven touchdowns in a 49-20 win over Merrill on Oct. 14. The seven TDs tied a state record ... Congrats to former Brewer Jim Gantner, former MU athletic director and basketball coach Hank Raymonds, Olympic speedskater Beth Heiden-Reid, the late Packers' great Reggie White and the late UW boxing coach John Walsh, who were inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame on Oct. 27 ... The Milwaukee Brave Historical Association will honor former Braves pitcher Phil Niekro on Nov. 9.
Hot Tix
In addition to the basketball action mentioned earlier, November will feature some fine games in other sports.
The UW Badgers travel to Penn State this Saturday for a 2:30 p.m. showdown that could determine the Big Ten championship. The Badgers finish their conference schedule Nov. 12 against Iowa in another potentially big game and say Aloha to the regular season Nov. 27 at Hawaii.
The Packers play the Steelers this Sunday, Falcons on Nov. 13, Vikings on Nov. 21 and Eagles on Nov. 27. Kickoff for the Steelers' game at Lambeau this Sunday is 3:15 p.m.
In small college football, Lakeland has already clinched at least a tie for its conference title and a NCAA Division III berth. Whitewater looks headed for the WIAC title and a post-season appearance.
The Admirals play 12 hockey games in November. They host the Chicago Wolves this Friday at 7 p.m. at the Bradley Center. The Ads will wear a patch the rest of this season in memory of announcer Kyle Schultz, who was killed recently in a car accident.
In indoor soccer, the Wave plays four games in November. Their opener is Sunday at Chicago. They host the Storm on Nov. 12.
State prep sports tournaments and playoffs are set for the next couple weeks in November.
Remember, the Sports Buzz now runs monthly on OnMilwaukee.com. You can keep up with breaking news during the month via Sports Buzz Updates that will be periodically posted at the end of this column, through the Scoops section of OMC and in the other sports columns run on this site.
