Midweek Stock Report: Badgers QB Houston goes out in style
Every Wednesday, FOX Sports Wisconsin takes a look at which athletes' stock is trending up and whose is trending down.
In other words, who is making a meteoric rise, and who is quickly plummeting.
With that in mind, let's "take stock" of the current sports scene in Wisconsin, shall we?
Bart Houston, Badgers quarterback
The senior went out in style, completing 11 of 12 passes (with the only incompletion a drop) for 159 yards in helping lead Wisconsin to a Cotton Bowl win over previously unbeaten Western Michigan. Not a bad finish for a guy who began the season as the Badgers' starting quarterback only to lose his job to a redshirt freshman and then play sporadically in Big Ten season before taking back the reins at the end. In Houston's final two games he was 27-of-33 passing, or 81.8 percent. His last interception came Oct. 29. That's a nice way for the gunslinger to ride off into the sunset.
Troy Fumagalli, Badgers tight end
Fumagalli had a solid season but put himself in the national eye with his performance in the Cotton Bowl, when he had six receptions -- including several highlight-reel grabs -- for 83 yards and a touchdown. Expect Fumagalli to be a Mackey Award candidate in 2017.
Malcolm Brogdon, Bucks guard
Yes, Brogdon averaged a more-than-respectable 11.5 points, 7.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds last week. But he also made a little history when he became the first Milwaukee rookie to post a triple-double after recording 15 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in a win at Chicago on New Year's Eve.
Markus Howard, Marquette guard
Howard scored 23 points in a win over Georgetown, setting a school record for points by a freshman in his Big East debut. He followed that up with 14 points against Seton Hall and is averaging 10.8 points on the season.
Ethan Happ, Badgers forward
Happ made 8 of 11 shots for 19 points, grabbed four rebounds and also had four assists, a block and a steal as Wisconsin went into Indiana and knocked off the Hoosiers on Tuesday night. On the season the sophomore is averaging 13.4 points and 9.8
Rashad Vaughn, Bucks guard
The 2015 first-round pick hasn't played since Dec. 21 -- that's six consecutive DNPs -- and has appeared in only 14 games all season.
Rob Wheelwright, Badgers wide receiver
With Alex Erickson departing, Wheelwright was expected to be Wisconsin's No. 1 receiver this year. Instead, he finished third on the team in catches (with just 34) behind Fumagalli and fellow wide receiver Jazz Peavy, the latter turning out to be the top receiving option in terms of targets. Wheelwright had just one catch in the Cotton Bowl, giving him four straight games with one or two receptions.
Dave Heller is the author of the upcoming book Ken Williams: A Slugger in Ruth's Shadow as well as Facing Ted Williams Players From the Golden Age of Baseball Recall the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived and As Good As It Got: The 1944 St. Louis Browns
