I Love Mondays-Episode 13, March 18, 2026

On an "OG Wednesday" ... I Love Mondays-Podcast welcomed the voice of the Badgers Matt LePay.  Reminiscing about the NCAA Tournament History of Wisconsin Basketball...and what is in store in Portland.  We also talked Brewers and WBC with Jeff Levering.  What a great hour!!!

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:13

I love Mondays with Mike Heller.

SPEAKER_02 0:22

Broadcasting live from an undisclosed bunker in the Badgers State. This is I Love Mondays with Mike Heller. Powered by determination and a little bit of duct tape. Here's your host, Mike Heller.

SPEAKER_03 0:35

Okay, so here we go on an OG Wednesday. I do uh I love Mondays, but every day gets a little bit better as we creep through this week and get closer to the true start of the NCAA tournament. Don't tell that to Texas or North Carolina State and uh others taking part in Dayton on Tuesday night and Wednesday night. But we begin today talking about the WBC because I couldn't take my eyes off it last night. I don't know if you were wired the same way. If you're not deeper into the baseball world, maybe not. But last night was, I think, bring all comers. And if you're a fan of sport, uh, the WBC Championship game in Miami with Team USA and Venezuela was fantastic. It was a showcase. It wasn't filled with a ton of offense, but it was filled with a ton of drama. And I'm gonna go to the end of this one because I couldn't take my eyes off the celebration. You know what it felt? It felt in a certain way to me, being of a certain age, probably, and it's not the exact same thing, but I think you'll get the reference of how the Soviets watched Team USA celebrate in 1980 with the miracle. Like the way Venezuela celebrated last night was childlike joy in a good way. I couldn't remove my eyes from watching their championship celebration. I would have loved to have seen Team USA celebrate because uh obviously very patriotic and in our country and with our players to see Bryce Tarang get a world baseball classic gold medal and a championship, and team USA winning would have been my preferred choice going in. Out of it, man, I I had joy watching Venezuela's team joy last night and knowing what that country has kind of gone through in a geopolitical sense and the USA's involvement in some of it in the last six months or so. And it's not my world, I don't get into that. However, Jackson Churio and William Contreras and all of the celebration last night from the Venezuelans on the field in Miami was pure joy. It was sports at its greatest. It is so often it transcends what's going on in the world. And it certainly did last night. I loved it, which is hard for me. You know, I mean, I'm wearing a U.S. Ryder Cup uh three-quarters. Last night was one of those unique scenarios that you're watching a different country celebrate its achievement, and I feel just as much joy, I think, as it as if it would have been the USA, because their joy was incredibly contagious. It was a special moment. I listen, I watched it until it signed off. I couldn't take my eyes off of Salvador Perez, his postgame. All of it, all of it was so good. And you know, it and it's also baseball at its core, right? This team USA lineup, which is just so loaded with great bats, had three hits last night, two singles and a home run. Bryce Harper's home run could have been memorable, and in the moment it certainly was. But a half an inning later, a leadoff walk, a stolen base, and a double by A. Eugenio Suarez, and you kind of felt like it was over, and it was. It was uh baseball at its core, but it was human emotion. Watching Venezuela celebrate was spectacular. It was special, something that I won't soon forget. All right, let me set up uh today's show for you. Matt LePay is in Portland with the Wisconsin Patriots, the West region. They'll tip off tomorrow at uh 1250 Central Time. That is 10:50 local time. We'll get into a little bit of that. But it is what I call an OG Wednesday. Matt LePay is today's OG. Last week he was Tom Oates. Today it's Matt LePay's been calling Wisconsin basketball since 1988. So we're gonna go through some of the moments over the course of time, at least that's that stand out to me and get Matt's recollection on some of those. Jeff Levering will join us after the bottom of the hour. And I sent Levitt a text uh last night when uh he said, Yeah, that was good. I said, So LePay is opening for you as it should be. And he he chuckled. I I don't know. I'm I get a chance to visit with two great broadcasters today on the show. Let me set the page as to where we are. It is uh the world baseball classic is now done. There are only six games remaining in Arizona for the Brewers. So Bryce Tarang and uh Angel Zerpa and William Contreras and Jackson Churio, all of those will rejoin the Brewers for a little bit and to kind of regroup and get ready to start the Major League Baseball season in eight days in Milwaukee when the Brewers will entertain the White Sox. They do play exhibition games on Monday and Tuesday at American Family Field against Cincinnati next week. The Bucs lost at home last night. If you've stopped paying attention, I understand why. They got beat 123-116 to Cleveland without Giannis. Uh, all of our injury report reports brought to you by Habish Habish and Rotier, and Giannis didn't play and it'd be a question as to how much he plays going down the stretch. They're 28-40. The magic number for the Bucks on the elimination line is now eight. They trail Charlotte by six and a half games. They have a four-game West Coast swing coming up, Utah Phoenix, the Clippers, and Portland. Uh the Brewers, by the way, are 10-12 right now with the six Arizona games remaining. Bryce Harper had that home run last night. Bryce Tarang was the only other USA player that had a hit. There were only three of them. Harper had a single and a home run. Tarang had a single, no runner past first base, other than Harper rounding the bases on his home run in the eighth. Uh Badger basketball taking on uh their first challenge in High Point tomorrow in Portland, round one of the NCAA tournament. And as we mentioned, uh that game will tip at 12.50 Central Time. High Point is out of the Big South, High Point, North Carolina, 30 and 4. Haven't lost since the middle of January. They've won 14 straight games. January 14th is the last loss. We'll break some of that down with our guest, Matt LePay, uh, coming up. Let me tell you about our sponsors because that's important to us. And it should be. Uh, this show is presented by M3 Insurance. We help businesses and individuals manage risk, purchase insurance, and provide the right benefits to their employees. M3 leveraging digital product and program solutions to protect and serve clients across the country with M3 You Get It All. Go to M3INS.com. If you are part of a business and help in the idea of securing insurance or benefits for your employees, m3INS.com is where you go to find out more. I love Mondays. It's presented by Neuroscience Group, excellence in brain, spine, and pain care. Choose Neuroscience Group in Northeast Wisconsin, neurosciencegroup.com. If back pain is holding you back at Neuroscience Group, their spine specialists offer personalized care from therapy to advanced surgical options. So you can get back doing what you love. Neuroscience Group.com. We've got your back. It is also brought to you in part by Pottawatomy Sportsbook and Casino. What a big week it is there. This goes out to all you sports betters. If you've got the itch to bet on sports, the best place to do it is Pottawatomy Sportsbook, your place to bet above the rest. And as I mentioned, all injury updates, including mine, presented by Habish, Habish, and Rotier. 13 locations to ensure you get a hometown attorney who understands your life and the impacts of your injury and is personally committed to your recovery. So we get back into the mix here, and I will bring in Matt LePay. This is where it gets tricky for me because I've got to add him in just kind of like that and make sure he can hear me. Hi, Matt. How are you?

SPEAKER_00 9:20

I'm well. I hear you. Do you hear me?

SPEAKER_03 9:22

Yeah, look at that. It worked. It worked again. How about that? Yeah, when when when one of us, you I would include in this, has to do these things, like push the proper buttons, it's uh it can be a mystery. That's why you have Dave McCann and you know, he pushes the buttons. You you talk.

SPEAKER_00 9:44

They they know their job. I sort of know mine, and uh, we keep our fingers crossed the rest of the way.

SPEAKER_03 9:50

You know, I call this uh OG Wednesdays. Uh the original OG when I did this last week was Tom Oates. Uh so you're next, you you came to Madison. We've talked about this a lot on the air over the course of time, but you started with Badger Basketball calling games in 1988. And I was going through some of that, Matt. I mean, you're you're in a time they added some players. I mean, that's the Tracy Webster, Michael Finlay, Rashad Griffith were soon to come or already there. But I I go back to certain tournaments. You got to the NCA tournament, uh, you did NIT games for a couple of years because they got back into the postseason. But 1994 is one that jumps out when that was the return trip from 1947 to 1994 and beat Cincinnati. That was in Ogden, Utah. What are your memories of going back to the first return to the NCAA tournament after all of those years?

SPEAKER_00 10:48

It was so cool to be there. I was jealous of some of my colleagues who went all the time, like Don Fisher at Indiana, you know, the heyday of the Bob Knight era, um, and other programs. And it was just pretty it was cool to be. We're in Ogden, Utah. Weber State was the host of pretty a fairly small venue. Yeah, but just being in that atmosphere for the first time. And that first game against Cincinnati, that was one of those eight-nine games. Bob Huggins was a coach of the Bearcats, and and one of the keys to that game, Rashad Griffith did many things extremely well. Free throw shooting wasn't necessarily one of them that year, but he was really good that night. He got to the foul line a lot, and uh, I don't remember the exact stat, maybe 11 for 13, something like that. Uh, but Wisconsin getting there was cool. Watching them win a game, it all it almost felt like, at least for me, it almost felt like a championship. And then, you know, the second game, it's a 100-something, 90-something against Missouri. But just seeing these guys break through, and there were some good teams between then. Um, you know, maybe not a ton, but there were some. By today's standards, Mike would have been NCAA worthy. But that team with Tracy Webster and Richard and Finn and Andy Kilbride, uh, Darnell Hoskins coming off the bench that year. Uh, they had some dudes in a league that was really, really good.

SPEAKER_03 12:05

And they gave that number one Missouri, a number one seed. They gave him a run. It was 109.96 was the final, but that game was it wasn't decided until late. And it was a Wisconsin team. That's kind of the last time they were this level of offensive good, right? I mean, they could score it, they could score it.

SPEAKER_00 12:26

Yeah, that Missouri team, by the way, had a guy named Melvin Booker who went off for Missouri. His son, Devin Booker, Wisconsin, was able to beat with Kentucky in 2015. But yeah, that team with uh and Tracy Webster is is always gonna be like if I had to pick one favorite guy, it's probably him to this day, just as a dude. We stay in touch, we we talk to each other several times a year, but he was an electric as a point guard. He he still has the career assist record at Wisconsin. Um, and he could score it, I mean, he could shoot it, he could drive it, he could draw. Uh, he brought a flare. And when you have guys like Michael Finlay and others around you, that certainly helps immensely. But uh, they were a they were a fun team to watch and credit Steve Yoder for you know getting some of those guys together. And Stu Jackson when he came in, um, you know, closing the deal with Rashard, um, Ray McCallum had been recruiting Rashard extensively prior to that. But that was a a really good roster. And as I said, that that league that that year with you know with Indiana and Purdue and Michigan, Michigan State, all those programs, uh the conference, especially that top half, was really, really good.

SPEAKER_03 13:40

And those three guys that you mentioned, they they flipped the fortunes of the program, Tracy Webster, Rashad Griffith, Michael Finley. I mean, they they flipped it. We talk about Stu Jackson and the hire of him uh and and where they went from there. And yeah, that's kind of where it starts. But those three dudes, and Ray McCallum was heavily involved in that. Yodes was was they were there when when he got there, but that was kind of the changeover of the program uh to where it's been pretty much ever since.

SPEAKER_00 14:08

Yeah, that was the breakthrough. Uh I mean you mentioned that first year, Mike. That's still one of my favorite teams, the 88-89 season, because I was learning. I was new to town and learning about Wisconsin basketball, and that wasn't too far removed from the faithful 5,000 days. But that team with Trent Jackson, Tom Alaski, uh Kurt Portman, Darren Schubring, those guys, uh, you know, they won big games that year. They beat a Michigan team that went on to win the national championship. They curb-stomped Illinois, which was the Final Four team. And I got a feel for what Wisconsin basketball could be. And, you know, there were court storms at the field house. And I think that 88-89 team is a little underappreciated. They got to the NIT, so just breaking through to get into the postseason was a big deal. But yeah, uh you're right. I think with that finally busting through, and what a magical year that was for Wisconsin sports. The Rose Bowl, first Rose Bowl winning team. Yeah, you know, the 93 season, the 94 Rose Bowl, and a few months later, Stu Jackson and Tracy and Finn and all those guys get into the NCAA tournament. That was pretty heady stuff for a Badger fan that season.

SPEAKER_03 15:16

Let me, I'm gonna bring up one that a lot of people uh want to forget, but I think it helped to set the table for what was to come in 1999 in Charlotte, losing to Southwest Missouri State 43-32. By the way, when Tony Bennett and Virginia lost to Maryland, Baltimore County as a one seed, first time it had ever happened. The next year they win a national title. It's not exactly the same, but when Wisconsin got beat by scoring 32 points a year later, Dick Bennett brought many of those same players all the way to a Final Four. But the recollection of that day in Charlotte was painful. Maybe it helped set up what was to come a year later.

SPEAKER_00 15:59

Boy, that was yeah, that was a rough day. It was one of those games. I was talking to somebody the other day about this at the Big Ten tournament because Wisconsin lost a Big Ten tournament game 36-33 in 2011 at Penn State, but went on to the sweet 16. So they they got off the canvas. But that game in Charlotte, it was 21 to 12 and a half. I mean, you're looking up at the scoreboard, like, what you know, it was just it was a a surreal, it was just a rough, rough day. You know, there's no other way to spin that, but it is similar, you know. I mean, not cutting down the nets in April, but the fact that the thing that always struck me about that 2000 team when they got into the postseason, because those guys were smart, they knew the narrative, Mike Kelly and Andy Kowski and Vershaw, John Bryant. Um, but they were so relaxed going into that first game. They're playing Fresno State, Jerry Tarkanian's coaching the team, and they were they were having fun with everything. They're back in the NCAA tournament, and then John Bryant went off. Um, you know, uh they did Fresno State couldn't guard him, and they were trying to play a zone, and and JB's hitting three from the same spot on the floor, time and again. Uh, he was Austin Rapp before Austin Rap. You know, JB averaged eight a game that season. He doubled that in the run to the final four, but they were a team that just had they had a jovial sense about them. And let's face it, that team that year, Mike, you can look it up, they scored 59 points something per game. Yeah, not quite 60 points per game. So if they got into the 60s, they were probably gonna win it, and that's what they did in those four games to get them to Indianapolis. You know, it's they're scoring 63, 64, 66 points. And when they but when they broke through that year to beat Fresno State, then you know, maybe you're kind of playing with house money because the second round is against Arizona, a top seed with Luke Walton, Richard Jefferson, Gilbert Arenas, yeah, and Wisconsin beat him. And from there, man, they just they went out and had they had the time of their lives, uh, frustrating the daylights out of LSU, beating Purdue for a third time that season in the Elite Eight. That was just a the t-shirts that were making the rounds in that run, is our defense is offensive. And their defense was very offensive to the opponents they faced in route to the final four.

SPEAKER_03 18:16

There was a heartbreak the following year that uh, again, a lot of people forget against uh Georgia State lefty Drizzell. And it was Mark Vershaw, who was one of he was perhaps Wisconsin's best player. And he had a pair of free throws with essentially no time left. I don't know, maybe there was no time left, and they were down by one. He missed both of them, and that knocked him out in the first round a year later.

SPEAKER_00 18:38

Yeah, they were a few seconds left, and it was, you know, they had they had played well most of the game, and then lefty put a triangle of two on Wisconsin and the Badgers didn't have an answer. And that was one of those lessons for me as a broadcaster because I I remember the day before they practiced, they have their private practice. Um, you know, you do the open practice in front of everybody at the at the game site, and then you go to some high school gym or wherever, you know, whatever facility you go to. And they had one of the most crisp practices I had seen that year. And sometimes that translates and sometimes it doesn't. Um, but that was that's what March gives you the elation of of 2000, sandwiched in between, really being humbled in '99 and and the heartbreak of 2001, which led to Bo Ryan um coming in to take over as head coach. But you just uh I just remember how gutted I felt for that team. And and and Versh was a really good player here, so fundamentally sound, Mark Vershaw and a good free throw shooter. Um, he's not the first, and he's not gonna be the last good free throw shooter to miss a couple in that setting, but a lot of other things had to happen. It was one of those deals where you know six or seven things went wrong, and if just one fewer thing went wrong, the Badgers would have advanced to the second round.

SPEAKER_03 19:54

Matt, let me let me take you to another one that I think uh, in talking to you over the years, I think is one of your favorites, and that's the Freddie Owens game in Spokane. It's a second round game in Spokane, which by the way is home to Gonzaga University, and they were playing simultaneous, but not in Spokane. But Freddie Owens hit a three to beat Tulsa at the end when Wisconsin trailed, and it was off of an assist from Devin Harris, who Tulsa's defense, by the way, I rewatched it again last night. I mean, they were all over Devin. They didn't give him, he wanted to get to the glass. Uh, and he went top, he went right. They brought three defenders to him on the right. He came back to the top of the key and clipped to the left wing, and Freddie Owens standing there all alone. I think as we've talked, it's one of your favorite memories.

SPEAKER_00 20:43

It is, and I thought that was one of that was maybe the biggest play Devin had was an assist. You know, hit a big free throw to to win a Big Ten championship um the following year. Uh yeah, I think it was the following year against Illinois. But that was a big comeback for Wisconsin, too. The Badgers were down like 13 points, getting late in the game, and they were able to rally. And you know, that they have the ball with 10 seconds or whatever left down two. And I still think I love the Bronson Canning shot. You know, talk to him, he's actually getting himself in shape, wants to wants to try to restart his uh professional basketball career and the buzzer beater to be Xavier. That that's awesome. And I think that's the first shot that comes to mind to a lot of Badger fans. But for me, the first shot that comes to mind is Freddie's three because he misses season's over. Yes, he makes it, they turn a two-point deficit into a one-point win. And that was uh, you know, that was such a great comeback against a a pretty feisty Tulsa team, and that allowed Wisconsin to get to the sweet 16 where they gave Kentucky a pretty good run in Minneapolis. But that Freddie Owen shot is one that that I still think is underrated by many. Maybe is is more than 20 years ago. Is that too deep now for the uh you know? That's why I'm glad you get OT on there. You you know, get some of us older dudes on there. We we've got maybe you know, all of us, you two. We have a little bit more perspective with this program than some.

SPEAKER_03 22:04

I was lucky enough to be in the arena just covering the tournament with a different radio group. And then my recollection of it is in the moment how amazing it was. Because I had never been in the arena for a tournament game that was a buzzer beater. Like that was my first real tournament experience. And it was special, spectacular. And then getting out of there and waiting for the post-game press conferences and listening to the arena, still cheer and because they turned on the Gonzaga game. Right. Because I think that was a double overtime game. They were playing some, I don't even know who they were playing, doesn't matter. But that arena was electric watching Gonzaga after Wisconsin beat Tulsa because the session was done, but they wouldn't leave because it was on the big screen of their hometown team.

SPEAKER_00 22:55

Yeah, that's what that's what the Thursday Friday gives you in the NCAA tournament. We'll see if the upsets are still in play. Um, a lot of people think no, but I still think you're gonna get some. Hopefully, not one here, uh, the first game tomorrow. But that's what makes March March. We've talked about that many times, Mike. I I think um, you know, a lot of people you want to see those surprises in the first round, but you still want the big boys playing toward toward the end of the tournament. But that is that that is the fun of this. You're tracking, you know, you're watching your team play, and then there's two or three other games that are going right down to the wire. That's that is the that is the beauty of this. One other thing, too, Mike. When we got when we landed back, um, and people didn't know this at the time, it wasn't public knowledge, but Dick Bennett was at that game in Spokane to see the Badgers. Well, he was there for a couple of reasons because Tony was on the staff, but Dick was interviewing for the Washington State job. He was gonna come out of retirement. And I remember when we got back, I'm asking Tony, said, Your dad gonna do this? And he goes, I don't know. I want him to, I want him to. So which would have obviously all the all the dominoes fell into place. He did. Tony went out there, Tony took over. But there was a little side story that was going on that wasn't public yet, that uh that Dick Bennett was gonna come out of retirement. But that game in Spokane, the comeback was special, and the shot was, you know, they've been on the other side of that, as we know. Um, but when you are your team, and most importantly, when those players are in the moment of a of a comeback like that and winning in dramatic fashion in the tournament, that's pretty special.

SPEAKER_03 24:30

Two other quick thoughts before we talk about what's going on uh starting tomorrow in Portland. Um Detroit in the Sweet 16 against Davidson and Steph Curry. I think the country was enamored, obviously, by what Steph Curry was doing because he was new onto the scene. Not a whole lot of their games were televised during the regular season. So much of the country had not seen him. They had read about him, heard about him, and saw highlights. But that game uh in Ford Field, because it was the precursor of the Final Four there the next year, and Davidson and Steph Curry were special, and Wisconsin had an injury at Trayvon Hughes, right? Uh early in the game. And that kind of changed the per uh the perspective of the game and the complexion of the game. But that's also an unforgettable. And that wasn't a win, but I think much of that is unforgettable.

SPEAKER_00 25:21

Yeah, LeBron James was there as a fan. He wanted he wanted to see the Steph Curry guy. Um has gotten to know him fairly well since then. But yeah, the name was getting bigger. There was a more by the time you get to that second weekend, you get more national media involved, and there were uh the Steph Curry um parade was growing. Yeah, you know, more of the national media uh was there to talk to him, to see him play. But that game, it was tied at the half, I believe. Uh and then Trey Trayvon went down with the injury, and and then they had a really good uh Davison had a really good guard from the Chicago area who had a big assist night, but when you got Steph hitting those threes, um that has a little something to do with that assist total being good. But that was and I always think that it I think they had beaten Georgetown to get to the sweet 16. And I always thought if Georgetown had knocked out Davison in retrospect, yeah, Wisconsin might have it just would have been a better matchup, probably for the Badgers that year because Wisconsin was, you know, they had the size and all of that stuff. But sometimes when you get excited because a Cinderella wins, maybe the Cinderella isn't such a Cinderella. Davidson was really good. And the other thing I remember, Mike, was the the open practice. Most of those are you know are fairly loosey-goosey. You know, you do some stuff. The badgers, they have their same routine for you know 20 some years, you know, going back to Bo's days. But um, Coach McKillop at Davidson at the time, that was practice. I mean, they were drilling dudes. I mean, in you know, it was not, it was if you're looking for the dunk drill and all of that, you weren't getting that out of Davidson. This guy, Bobby Kill, this was all about business, and you know, I took it for what it's worth, but 20 some years low, or coming up on 20 years later, I still remember that open practice as being a little bit different than most of what you see at tournament sites.

SPEAKER_03 27:07

Yeah, there were two other games that come to mind before we talk about tomorrow in Portland. And those were the two games after the Final Four runs. The the Sweet 16 loss to Notre Dame, in which a couple of turnovers late uh sealed the fate when Wisconsin looked like they might have control and getting to the Elite Eight under Greg Guard. And the year later at MSG on the overtime Teoza three runner at the buzzer. The again, they're not positive memories, but they're all part of what shapes Wisconsin. And people talk about Greg not getting uh into the second weekend. Well, those were the back-to-back teams that again, off of Final Fours, they had shots at it, and those were heartbreaking moments the Notre Dame and the Florida lost back-to-back years.

SPEAKER_00 27:54

Yeah, and I think too with Greg, because you know, a lot of the you know, people kind of create their own narratives like, well, Bose guys like Greg actually were you know had a hand in recruiting a lot of these guys, and and and that 15-16 season, when Greg took over, that team wasn't very good.

SPEAKER_03 28:12

They were a mess.

SPEAKER_00 28:13

You know, they were they were seven and five when he took over in non-conference. They had they had lost to Marquette, they had lost to Milwaukee, they had lost to Western Illinois in the opening game of the season, and they started Big Ten play one and four. So Greg and his staff, and most importantly the players, they were able to get it fixed, they were able to make their tweaks uh with what they were doing structurally. Um, and they ended up having a really good year, and they they they didn't play particularly well uh against Notre Dame. That was kind of a grinder, wasn't a real um visually pleasing game where if you didn't have a dog in the fight, you were really riveted with Wisconsin, Florida, and that was one of those, you know, Zach Schilwalder had the great shot, and he does the old, you know, the state farm deal. I mean, Aaron Rodgers is sitting like right behind us with Andy North to our to our right, and it it it would have been one of the most iconic shots, it still kind of is, uh, for Wisconsin basketball fans. Um, but you with the result with Chioza, and now it turned it was a bit of a defensive fluke because Wisconsin did not get Chioza off course, very good, very fast with the dribble kind of player. And I remember Dimitri Trice kind of kind of picked off Nigel Hayes, they kind of picked each other out of the play. Yeah, and Chioza got a pretty clear path for a shot. I mean, in the moment I said it was a prayer, but when I looked back at it, it wasn't. The guy was in he was in complete control, and it was it was a great game, but just a just a gut-wrenching loss for Wisconsin.

SPEAKER_03 29:46

Yeah, no doubt. All right, let's let's jump into where we are now. Wisconsin in the second half of the season really found themselves, Matt, and especially with what they did with the the games that everybody's well chronicled. The the win at Michigan, the win at Illinois, end of the season win at Purdue, what they did in Chicago last week. Um, hopes are high. This team is a much better team than the ones who had some lopsided losses uh at or before the new year. What changed and what's in store for them in Portland uh tomorrow, hopefully tomorrow and Saturday. What do you see? What have they done and what's in front of them?

SPEAKER_00 30:26

Well, in talking with Greg, um, I mean, we see what we see, but in talking with Greg Guard, um, he he just thinks his team's gotten a lot tougher during the course of the season. Because in these early games, if it was BYU or Nebraska, you get behind eight or ten, that becomes eighteen or twenty. And then twenty-eight to thirty in those kind of games. When when the calendar flipped to January, they would get behind double digits. Now, you know, a couple of those cases, they were early in the game. It's like 16 to 6. But later in the game, and in particular the second half, you get behind by 12, 15 points. These guys didn't panic. And it was they they always talk about as cliche as it sounds, next play, just next possession. Let's chip away. And they were able to do that. Um, you know, they fell behind early at Michigan, but they knew they had plenty of time to come back, and they shot lights out in that game. Uh, in in both of their wins against Illinois, they're down double digits in the second half, but they're able to make shots. And and while this is not by any means a great defensive team, they're able to get some key stops in in critical moments. But another game, Mike, that doesn't get talked about uh a whole lot was the home game against Minnesota. I mean, you could argue both games against Minnesota, but the home game, they're down 35 to 17 at the half. I mean, they couldn't get out of their own way, and Minnesota was short-handed much of the year. Its best player didn't even play that game in Madison. But again, they they there was no panic. They I'm sure Greg lit them up a little bit at halftime, those adjustments, you know, as we talk about. But they they came out, they chipped away, and I think there's a there's a confidence level, Mike, that these guys they know they can shoot it, and they know there are a variety of guys who can. If it's rap, sometimes Beliowskis, Braden Carrington's really come into his own. And oh, by the way, you got a guard tandem that is as maybe as good as any in the country in Nick Boyd and John Blackwell. That's huge.

SPEAKER_03 32:22

What is uh what have you seen? So I had to settle some people down on the podcast about high point, and people, you know, Clark Kellogg didn't help when he picked him right out of the gate on the selection. Um so I just reminded people, yeah, they did High Point has earned this, they haven't lost since January 14th. They haven't seen uh a power four conference team. I think their highest rated net ranked win is against Winthrop, who's 131. All that being said, this is a team that can score. They play at a faster pace than Wisconsin. How have you viewed the matchup that we're gonna see tomorrow?

SPEAKER_00 33:00

Yeah, well, clearly for with high point, Wisconsin will be by far the best team it has faced. But one thing with high point, there's many things, but they're really good at turning you over. You know, they'll get 10 to 12 steals a game, they'll turn you over 16, 17 times a game. So, you know, you just simple math, they're gonna get a lot of offense off of their defense. They like Wisconsin. We know how fast Nick Boyd is. Rob Barton, uh a senior guard, one of it, you know it's a teamful to transfers. This guy can really move with the basketball in his hands as well. So he he can be a problem. Terry Anderson brings them versatility, versatility. He's 6'6, but he can do a lot of different things. Um, I would imagine there's a part of them, you know, that of that program. You're playing with some house money here. Um, and you know how it works in these tournament sites. Um, a lot of people who are going to be in the in the arena tomorrow, do they maybe don't care? And if it's closed, yeah, guess what the home team is? It'll be high point. So um, but to their credit, to they have been a dominant team in the big south. Uh, a couple times they have been victim of being a one-bid league and you lose in the conference tournament, but they've been the regular season and and conference tournament champs now each of the last two years. And and Flynn Klayman, their their head coach, uh, has taken over and he's carried on the success rate over there. So they they become a pretty dominant team in the big south. I would like to think though, if Wisconsin plays to its standard, it'll be fine. Uh but as we've seen with this team, and Greg has talked about it, we all know how good their best is.

SPEAKER_03 34:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:32

But when they're not good, they're just not good. And they can be very vulnerable to any opponent on the schedule. So let's hope for the former that they're really good and see if they can't stay in this tournament for a little while.

SPEAKER_03 34:46

Well, let's have some fun. We appreciate uh you spending some time with me on an OG Wednesday. You're the OG. Uh Jeff Levering, I told him you that you were opening for him, and and as it as it should be. But I mean, Lev gets and you got to see him in Chicago last week. He had some good games on his goals, uh, the tight. He did.

SPEAKER_00 35:07

Yeah, and I text, I I texted him a couple of days ago as he was wrapping up a four-hour spring training broadcast when the Brewers got those late touchdowns to beat the Dodgers. So nothing beats a four-hour spring training game, but he and Josh Mauer made it sing, so they entertained me while I was packing for Portland. So I tell Jeff I'm always happy to be the junior varsity game before the varsity act and Jeff Levering comes on the pod.

SPEAKER_03 35:32

Well, that's what we get today. Hey, uh, Matt, thank you. I appreciate you jumping in here with me. I know that it's a it's a busy time. Uh go enjoy the shoot around and what today is, and we'll look forward to the broadcast tomorrow.

SPEAKER_00 35:43

All right. All right, Mike, take care. Good seeing you.

SPEAKER_03 35:45

Thank you, Matt. Matt LePay joining us on the program. And then I take him out of the screen there and put up our sponsors because that's part of what we uh are here for, is to tell you about the group that uh presents this show. In part, it's brought to you by Pottawatomy Sportsbook and Casino. So, to all of you sports betters, if you've got the itch, this is a big week to have it. The best place to do that is at Pottawatomi Sportsbook. It is your place to bet above the rest. All of our injury updates, and there really aren't any other than this on Wisconsin, that Nolan Winter is going to go. So Nolan Winter is deemed healthy. He'll go tomorrow in the NCA tournament opener for the Badgers as a five versus 12 high point. Our injury updates brought to you by Habish, Habish, and Rotier, 13 locations to ensure you get a hometown attorney who understands your life and the impacts of your injury and is personally committed to your recovery. And I love Mondays, even on a Wednesdays, presented by M3 Insurance, M3 leveraging digital product and program solutions to protect and serve clients across the country. They equip you with the tools and the guidance you need to confidently navigate the insurance and risk management decisions. Go to M3INS.com and also presented by Neuroscience Group, Excellence in Brain, Spine, and Pain Care. From diagnosis to recovery, neuroscience group brings together neurology, neurosurgery, pain management, and therapy all under one roof, Advanced Care Close to Home, Neuroscience Group. Go to neurosciencegroup.com. That is where we go. We bring in Jeff Levering to the program. And uh Jeff, I see you. You look great. Can you hear me? And can I hear you?

SPEAKER_01 37:34

Well, hopefully you can hear me. I am here. Is everything okay? We're all kosher.

SPEAKER_03 37:38

Yeah. Well, you know, technically just working through, you know, a guy that doesn't do technical very well. Um, hey, it's good. You're doing it beautifully, Mike. Nice job. It's good to see you. Thanks for um uh coming in here a little bit early today. Um, I'm gonna begin with the world baseball classic, Lev, because I couldn't take my eyes off it. It it was uh a brilliant game, low scoring, not a whole lot of activity on the base paths in the game. But I I opened the show today by talking about how I not just the game, I watched for the full hour plus afterwards, not able to take my eyes off the joy that Venezuela brought to the stage. And I smiled, uh, Kari, my wife and I were talking as we were watching it. We couldn't turn it off, and we both had smiles on our face. Watching their joy, childlike joy in that moment was spectacular.

SPEAKER_01 38:34

How happy they were for themselves, for their country, what they represent, um, what that country has been dealing with for a long time. And to have that type of performance on that stage was remarkable. Um you could you could tell the joy that they play with, right? I think I and I think that's what's great about this tournament is that that that gets put on display for everybody to see. And and there's a lot of I would say a lot of people, the old baseball traditionalists who are looking up at the clouds and kind of shaking their fists at it, going, Well, that's not that's not baseball. Act like you've been there before. It's a kid's game. Have fun, have fun. Boy, these the Venezuelan team, the Dominican Republic team, they played with a joy. And I and I really in the semifinal game with Venezuela against Japan is is when I really saw it. I mean, Venezuela took the lead, and and you could tell that there the genuine enthusiasm, and yeah, the Japanese team was losing at the time, but you could tell how stiff they were, yeah, and how rigid they were. And and that's part of the culture. But that at the same time, there's there's something to be said about playing loose and free, and that's exactly what Venezuela did. You could tell that they were playing with house money, they they punched their ticket into the Olympics, then they go and they win the World Baseball Classic. I thought it was awesome, and they deserved it.

SPEAKER_03 40:00

Yeah, and it is it's interesting because there were uh puzzle pieces to be moved around on both sides because Major League Baseball clubs were reaching out to both managers after Monday and Tuesday saying, hey, there are restrictions on Mason Miller. Although he was cleared to go last night, he didn't go. Um, the the the closer Palencia for Venezuela, the rule was there from the Cubs, he can only go in a save situation in the bottom of the ninth or maybe an extra inning. So both managers had to deal with, and that's the part of the the issue of doing this when they do it. But no matter when they do it, uh major league baseball clubs that have a lot invested into these arms and these contracts, they're gonna say, hey, and they did last night, and that's why we only got to see Tarek Scuble pitch one game and Paul Steens pitched two, but there were restrictions on both managers.

SPEAKER_01 41:00

Yeah, and and Logan Webb did the same thing from the San Francisco Giants. You had to have clearance from your major league club, and and you can understand that. The same goes for the NBA players when they go play in the Olympics. Don't don't think that the Lakers aren't paying attention to LeBron's minutes or or or Kawhi Leonard his minutes. I mean, he's already on minutes restrictions anyway. It's the same deal. You have so much money invested in these players, and you have a whole season to go. You have 162 games plus maybe the playoffs for a lot of these teams. You want to make sure that the health and safety of the players, first and foremost, you don't want that player getting caught up in the moment. You know, you don't want that guy going, no man, I feel good. No, put me, keep me out there, coach. No, I got this. No, dude, no, don't. It's not worth it. It's not worth it. We need you for the rest of the season. Your teammates need you for the rest of the season. That is the only caveat to having this tournament at this time of year. I saw something the other day about, I think it was DeRosa after the game talking about maybe potentially putting this game at the all-star break. I I still think you couldn't do it at the all-star break and have it mean what it means and have as many countries represented in it. You couldn't have the tournament at the all-star break.

SPEAKER_02 42:12

Sure.

SPEAKER_01 42:13

Um, but I I I thought overall the tournament was great. I I think baseball is in such a great position right now with the popularity with the World Series the way that it was against the the Blue Jays and the Dodgers. I think the World Baseball Classic brings everything else to a great stage. Uh, I I think that baseball is as popular now uh as it has been in decades.

SPEAKER_03 42:33

Yeah, and and I won't bring up what the end of the season yields, but it isn't it isn't it crazy that we talk about all that momentum, all of the great will that is out there right now towards Major League Baseball and what may be at stake at the end of the season. But I'll leave that alone for now because I want to talk about uh baseball and not about uh a boardroom and negotiations. Anel Zerpa is was one of the stars for Venezuela, and he's a brewer that we're not familiar with yet. So he's somebody that is part of their plans as they roll into 2026.

SPEAKER_01 43:04

I'd say he's a major part of their plans. I mean, what a weapon he became. And he's gonna be a multiple inning guy for the Brewers. He's a guy who could go two innings, he could go an inning in two thirds, you know, get a tough lefty, pick out a spot in the lineup, and go, all right, go dominate. Um, you know, the Brewers, as you know, Mike, they don't make moves just to make moves. Um, they saw something with with Serpa and said, all right, this guy, he's got a lot of skills, and I think there's more in the tank there. And we saw the more in the tank. He had a phenomenal season last year at Kansas City. I think he's just he's just scratching the surface of how good he can be in that brewer's bullpen.

SPEAKER_03 43:41

And then Bryce Tarang, which we know obviously, but Bryce Tarang was uh was an all WBC tournament. Uh the you know, he makes the that first team there. He had a fantastic tournament, hit just below 400. Um, and there's another there are more steps for him to take. I was talking to Vinny, uh, who will Join me tomorrow on the show. Vinny's on I Love Mondays every Thursday. So I was talking to him a couple of weeks ago. I said, I don't, I'm not in the casino, but if I were in a sports book, I'd put some future money on Bryce Tarang as an MVP. Um even this year. I just think there's something in his game that is special. And uh and it's gonna, for those of a certain age, I think it brings you back to talking about Robin Young and Paul Molleter in their younger portions of their career, because I think Bryce Tarang can be that good.

SPEAKER_01 44:31

I think you're right. Uh and I he he definitely proved that last year. We we know how good he is defensively. I mean, you win a platinum glove, you deserve it. Uh, he should have won the gold glove the year prior to that, could have won a gold glove again last year, even though he quote unquote regressed defensively last season. Um, but the bat plays now. I mean, he looks like a he looks like a grown-up in the batter's box. And and when we would see him early on in spring training, was an 18-year-old kid and he was lean. And you know, is the bat ever gonna play? Well, we can see we see what the bat does now. And I think that that he's gonna be hitting in the top of the brewers lineup. Think about the the one and two spots in the brewers order right now. If it ends up going Churio or Tarang or Tarang and Churio, if that's how it goes, um my goodness, how fun is that? How fun is that? And young and controllable, and just man, you're looking at the future right there, and they've been here for a few years, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 45:31

And you you got to see a fair amount of the future all spring with Made and Pinha, and then we got to see Fisher uh playing for Team Italy. Um and and then I mean the we we talk about what's in store for this team right now, but there is so much talent that is just off the tip of the horizon that uh you got here in 2015. Right now, this might be as bullish as I've been on the Brewers, like talking about a three-year, four-year window, the one that's kind of started last year with 97 wins. They're in the middle of it. This team can go.

SPEAKER_01 46:12

Oh, yeah, it's been going for the last few years. And and I know it was really unpopular when when David Stearns was the general manager and he said bites at the apple, right? You just want to give yourself an opportunity and get it. But at the same at the same time, you're looking at the best stretch of Brewers baseball in franchise history over the last decade, the last 10 years. Yeah, they've played two games that haven't had playoff implications, two games since the 2017 season. So I mean, as a fan, you're you're soaking this thing up. And then the fact that the future is as bright as it is with the young talent, it's the number one farm system in Major League Baseball for a reason. You have assets if you want to move on from some of those players um to get something that's gonna help you this year if you really wanted to. But man, it it is so special. At the start of this wave, it was all the pitching. Now you're starting to see the offense and the guys that are developing on the offensive side. I mean, this is this is almost the the JJ Hardy's and the Ryan Braun's and the Princefields, maybe not to that level of of offensive power clout, but but dudes who can straight hit. I mean, you're looking at another one of those waves that's coming through for the Brewers. It's a fun time to be a Brewers fan. I know that.

SPEAKER_03 47:28

I I remember a couple of years ago when when Churio was invited to camp, but you didn't think he was gonna stick. But there was something like when you were around the cage and it sounded different, it looked different. Do you get some of the same sense with Made and Pinha and maybe even Cooper Pratt? As they are, they also attract that level of attention because there's something different about them.

SPEAKER_01 47:51

Yeah, Made does not look like uh an 18-year-old kid. I mean, he he looks like he's 25, the way that he's built. Um, and he's gonna play a lot of third base, he's gonna play a lot of second base in the minor leagues this year. They know what he can do defensively. I I think that his future is at one of those positions, second more than likely third. Um, and they love Cooper Pratt. I mean, he's another one of those guys like Tarang. If you watch him play defense in the spring, he he could be in the big leagues right now, defensively, very easily. But does the bat play? So I think that he needs he needs a year of dominating down in the minor leagues, and then maybe he's your shortstop of the future as early as next year. He could be defensively, right? Um, but they're they are bullish on him, and then you've got Luis Payne, too. I mean, you those the list goes on and on. Oh, and oh oh, by the way, Brady Ebel was a first-round pick last year. He hit a homer the other day, he's a 6'4 kid with a can for an arm. Like, what okay, cool? It's like we're in Vegas and we just hit blackjack on all of these all these kids. It's it's fun.

SPEAKER_03 48:55

I asked Vinny this last week, and and I'll ask you today. Uh, over a 10-game stretch, middle of May, what do you do in center field? If all things are equal, if Garrett Mitchell is healthy, in a 10-day stretch, who what's your center field rotation look like uh as you see it today?

SPEAKER_01 49:13

For me, it is it's a combination of Garrett Mitchell and Blake Perkins in a in a rotation. Yeah. Um, but the way that Brandon Lockridge is swinging the bat, you know what he can do defensively, too. He's certainly making a case. I I think that there's a legitimate case for the Brewers to make that you could have Brandon Lockridge and Blake Perkins in center field every single day, and you put Garrett Mitchell in triple A, he has options to prove that he can stay on the field. Sure. And get consistent and and take some of the strikeouts out of the bat. Prove that you can stay on the field down there before you come up at the big league level. There, there is a legitimate case for that to be to be made. If you're the Brewer's front office, will they do it? I'm not sure. Well, but man, the skills are there.

SPEAKER_03 50:00

Yeah, one of the things we forget about is with it's not just the injuries with Mitchell, it's the missed plate appearances. I mean, you're not playing baseball when you're doing that shoulder recovery essentially for two straight years. So he's been, you know, if you looked at it differently, he's been pretty much out of baseball and at bats for two years. So there is a because he hadn't had a great spring, he's had a couple of moments, but you kind of see maybe some of that missing baseball for all that time.

SPEAKER_01 50:28

For sure. I mean, he's maxed out at 69 games. That that's his most games he's played in single season. I think he's still at 142 career games. He's not even at a full season yet, and he's been in the big league since 2021, yeah, right? Into 22, maybe. So, I mean, he's been in the big leagues, he's been in the big leagues for four years. He he's got one more year until he goes to arbitration. But what does that case look like because he's not on the field? Those are those are conversations that you have to have. Again, that's why there's a case to be made. Go ahead, start your year in Nashville, yeah. Prove that you can stay on the field, be productive, and then we'll bring you back up when it's a when it's the right time.

SPEAKER_03 51:07

Last couple of thoughts for you before we let you go. You got a home game at American Family Fields in Phoenix, I believe, today. Um, how fun was that last week in Chicago? Uh, Big Ten tournament, and you got the luck of the draw because your games were all snug and fantastic. Well, what a what a whirlwind and what a fun week that was for you.

SPEAKER_01 51:25

Oh, it was a blast. I was honored to be a part of it. Um and every game that I had was down to the wire. I mean, we just got some numbers. Big Ten Network just announced some numbers that over the course of their 10 games that they produced Wednesday through Friday, they averaged over 700,000 viewers. And then in the Friday quarterfinal games, we averaged over a million um per game, per game. So that's a lot of that's a lot of eyeballs. And I had so much fun. Me and Don McClain worked together. We it was it was a lot of fun to do that. We had LePay and Butchie behind us. So I was asking for Butchie for pretzels every commercial break, and he'd throw some at me. And we were having it, we were having a great time, but it was an honor to be a part of it, and man, were we blessed to have some great games. And and I just hope that we we made them entertaining for everybody.

SPEAKER_03 52:14

Yeah, really cool. Um, hey, thanks for jumping in here and doing this. Uh, you know how much I respect what you do, and I appreciate you giving the time uh with us today as we kind of are launching what we're doing here over the last few weeks. I look forward to seeing it at the ballpark next week. I didn't make it to Arizona this spring, but I will see you at the ballpark next week. We've got a couple exhibition games, which we haven't done. Uh I don't know. Have they done that before at American Family Field?

SPEAKER_01 52:41

I don't recall. It's been a long time if they've done it. I think they were talking about it during the COVID year, but it ended up not happening. It's been a long time. We've played some exhibition games, but I don't think in my time at American Family Theater. They've always been on the road.

SPEAKER_03 52:55

Very much looking forward to it. I'll see you at the ballpark. Thanks for spending time with us today and enjoy your uh final couple of days in Phoenix. My pleasure, Mike. Keep crushing it, bud. Thanks, Lev. Appreciate you. Um, all right. We uh we continue as we roll through our final moments here. What a good day this is. I was looking forward to this on an OG Wednesday, and Matt LePay was the OG, not Lev. Lev's Lev can't be an OG, he's not old enough. Uh, but LePay can. He's been doing Badger games since 1988. Uh what a great day this is for me to be able to visit with both Matt LePay and Jeff Levering, two of the two of the best who do what they do. And we are so blessed and fortunate in Wisconsin that we have had the run of play-by-play announcers calling the games that we care about, from Jim and Max with the Packers to uh Wayne and Larry in Green Bay, and then to Bob Euchre for all of those years. And how lucky are we as we transition out of an incredible, unforgettable career from Bob Euchre to the broadcasters we have there now, and Brian Anderson and Rock and Vinny, who will join us tomorrow on Tim Dillard, but then with Jeff Levering and Lane Grindel on the radio side and TV. I mean, Lev does more TV than he does radio, but we are very fortunate. And then Matt LePay with all of his years with Wisconsin Sports and Brian Posick on the hockey side, Paul Brown on the hockey side prior to that. John Oddius with volleyball and women's basketball. We are very fortunate. Um, Aaron Sims with the Milwaukee Admirals. Yeah, very, very lucky with who we get. My my tops of the day, no, no bottoms today. My tops of the day, the top thing I had and and that I saw was simple, and that was Venezuela. And it shouldn't be this way because I wanted USA to win. And I'm not talking about my want to from who won. But the best thing I saw, the tops of yesterday, was Venezuela and their joy and what they had on the field and how they soaked in those moments, and they soaked in all of them. I mean, from A. Eugenio Suarez and and his faith, his walk with faith showed. I mean, he in the interview, he he would not gonna let you forget about uh why he believes he's in that position and that's about his faith. But from that to Perez to watching and knowing that Contreras and I mean the Contreras brothers got to share that together. And Jackson Churio and Angel Zerpa for he's a brewer, all of that. So cool. Uh I I couldn't take my eyes off it. That was the best thing I saw, and I thought it was uh fantastic. So here we sit the day before Wisconsin opens the NCAA tournament, couple of more games in Dayton tonight. And I will remind you if you follow me on my uh Twitter account at Hellersports, we linked out our I Love Monday's bracket challenge. So you got until tomorrow, about this time, to get that filled out and turned in. Now, the winner, among other things, we haven't figured out all the prizing, but the winner's gonna get a spot if you want it on our super fan Tuesday. Wouldn't that be kind of fun? Put you right on screen here and and let you have um your sports talk comments uh played out. Maybe you don't have them, maybe you want to gift it to somebody else. It's all good. We'll figure that part out. But go to my ex account uh at Heller Sports. I tweeted out the link. It's a CBS sports link. I tweeted out our I Love Mondays bracket challenge on Sunday night. So go find that, enter into that, and we would appreciate it. As always, uh I thank our sponsors for their role in what we do here tomorrow. We uh Pottawatomie Sportsbook welcomes in Vinny Rettino. So Vinny will join us. Um we get back-to-back Brewers Days with Levering today and Vinny Rettino tomorrow, and we'll have plenty to talk about just hours before Wisconsin will take the court in Portland against high point of five versus 12 opening round matchup in the NCAA tournament. So much good stuff. I appreciate uh you being here again today. We'll do this again tomorrow. Please tell your friends and those that you know about this podcast. If you are not watching it live, if you're getting it wherever you get your podcast, please hit the subscribe button. Uh we hope that we continue to fulfill what you're looking for in a sports talk program, but also in adding to our following and our listenership and those people that are watching, we appreciate you being here. Uh, we get things wrapped up on this Wednesday, and we will talk to you tomorrow on our Thursday edition of I Love Mondays with Mike Heller, the podcast.

SPEAKER_04 58:02

I love Mondays with Mike Heller.