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Patricia Babcock McGraw's Bio: Patricia Babcock McGraw is a women's basketball analyst for the Big Ten Network. Submit your comments below or e-mail her at the right, then come back all season for her views on all Big Ten women's hoops. |
| Feb 5 2009, 9:21 AM | Topic: Women's basketball |
| Wisconsin is the only Big Ten team not playing tonight. And that might be a good thing. It's been a rough few days for the Badgers, who may need some time to regroup. Not only are they riding a four-game losing streak including losses in the past week to Purdue (52-51) and Michigan (70-42), the Badgers are also dealing with the fallout of a much more personal loss. Head coach Lisa Stone announced on Wednesday that junior forward Mariah Dunham has been dismissed from the team, effective immediately, for repeated violations of team rules. Dunham started 13 of 23 games this season and was the second-leading scorer on the team, averaging 9.2 points per game. She also ranked second on the team with 4.6 rebounds per game. Although Stone declined to provide details, Capital Times sportswriter Dennis Punzel reported that sources close to the situation claim that an incident at a karaoke bar led to Dunham's dismissal. According to Punzel's story, Dunham intervened in a dispute between one of her friends and another patron, who grabbed her. Dunham then punched the patron. Punzel went on to quote Dunham's father, who said that his daughter is completely devastated. Of course, I can't imagine that anyone associated with the program is happy about what has happened. Not only is Dunham a gritty, hard-working talented player whom the Badgers need, but she also seemed to be very well-liked and respected by her teammates and coaches. I remember talking to Stone about Dunham at the beginning of the season and she was full of optimism about the 6-foot-1 native of Watertown, Wis. Stone mentioned that after a promising freshman year in which she started 14 games, Dunham struggled last season as a sophomore while dealing with some health and family problems. But Stone said it appeared that the old Dunham was back and she was proud of the work and effort Dunham had put forth in the off-season to regain her confidence. Clearly, though, Stone wasn't Dunham's only fan. As of Wednesday night, there were nearly 70 comments attached to Punzel's story on the Internet, many of them lamenting Dunham's dismissal. In fact, some Badger fans were promising to bring posters and signs in tribute to Dunham to Wisconsin's next home game. ON A ROLL: Ohio State is doing what it always seems to do this time of year: pull away from the rest of the pack. With four victories in a row, the Buckeyes are now 9-1 in Big Ten play - 1.5 games ahead of the three teams (Indiana, Michigan State and Purdue) that are tied for second at 8-3. Purdue gets an opportunity to narrow that gap when it visits Columbus tonight. The Boilermakers are playing well themselves, having won their last two games. And the X-factor might also be in their favor as point guard FahKara Malone returns to the lineup. She's missed the last nine games with a dislocated finger. The game will be streamed live on www.bigtennetwork.com WATCH IT: Illinois puts its two-game winning streak on the line tonight on the Big Ten Network (9 p.m. ET) when it hosts Michigan State. The Illini got their first Big Ten victory slightly more than a week ago when they upset Indiana, which sat atop the conference standings at the time. Illinois then squeezed by Northwestern to get yet another win. Michigan State has a quick turnaround. The Spartans are coming off a 60-44 loss at Minnesota on Monday night in which they really struggled offensively. Michigan State scored only 15 second-half points and shot 28 percent from the field and a mere nine percent from three-point land for the game. Only one starter, Lykendra Johnson (12 points) scored in double figures. |
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