LAS VEGAS -- Welcome to Saturday Scorecard, one of the safer bets in sports.

Party time: Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema, whose fifth-ranked Badgers are to take on UNLV tonight at Sam Boyd Stadium, sequestered his team at a hotel about 45 minutes away from the Las Vegas strip.

Tourism officials here aren't fretting too much about that.

Badgers fans and alumni began arriving in droves Thursday, and you can't walk through a casino without seeing red. "I can't believe how many Wisconsin people are here," one cab driver said. "They seem like a fun group, too."

Badgers players won't be having a lot of fun. As wide receivers coach Henry Mason said on his radio show this week, it's all business.

"We have to look at it this way, if they want it to be a memorable trip, they need to graduate college, get a good job and then catch a flight out there and have a good time in Las Vegas," Mason said.

Mason, who is recovering from a spinal cord ailment, is not traveling with the team either. "I'm into some serious rehab," he said. "(The ordeal) was certainly something that we weren't anticipating, but it's been a big learning experience. Hopefully, I'll be good as new when the rehab is over."

Blackout Bowl: It's hard to envision the Badgers playing in Las Vegas without thinking of what happened in 2002. Wisconsin led the game, 27-7, when the lights at Sam Boyd Stadium went out with 7 minutes 41 seconds left in the fourth quarter. After a 20-minute delay, the game was declared over and thousands of Badgers fans headed to the sports books to collect on what they thought would be a winning bet.

One problem...

A little-known Vegas rule requires games to last at least 55 minutes to be considered official. This one lasted 52:19. Bettors got their initial investment back, without their winnings.

Despite howls of protest and cries of sabotage, the incident was never really investigated in Las Vegas. The blackout, initially attributed to a car hitting a transformer, was later chalked up to an equipment failure near the stadium.

Yeah... right.

Opportunity knocks: UNLV football coach Mike Sanford called the game against Wisconsin "a great opportunity."

"It's a tremendous challenge, especially this year with as high as they're ranked," Sanford said on a conference call this week. "They're the highest-ranked opponent coming into our stadium is a big thing. "

Channel surfing: The game tonight will be televised on Versus, which is Time Warner Cable channel 68.

Rubbing shoulders: The members of Badger Nation who made the trip here have plenty of company. The Association of Volleyball Professionals Tour is at Caeser's Palace and the MTV Awards are slated for Sunday night at the Palms.

Yo-Yo: Brewers pitcher Yovanni Gallardo has thrown more than 160 innings between the minors and majors this season, but the Brewers probably won't back him off when he reaches 180.

Pitching coach Mike Maddux said the key to success for Gallardo is elevation.

"He's got a lot of tilt on the ball," Maddux said. "When he's down in the zone, he's as good as anybody. When he gets around belt high, it levels out and it gets on the bat plane. He's got enough stuff that when he pitches across the letters, he can dominate up there.
When he pitches down, he dominates. That in-between (area), everybody is vulnerable there and so is he."

Running wild: The Brewers' recent uptick can be traced to the return of Ben Sheets, the improved play of Rickie Weeks and Gabe Gross and a resurgent running game. The Brewers seem to be adopting the more aggressive running tactics -- stealing and taking extra bases -- that helped them earlier in the year.

"What happened to us for awhile was that Rickie and Corey weren't getting on base," general manager Doug Melvin said. "There was an eight-week period where corey hart's on base percentage was under .250. It's hard to steal when they're not getting on base."

A regal move: Is it just us, or do you also envision Ray King facing Adam Dunn in a key situation this weekend?

Stay tuned: We've said it before and don't mind repeating: the baseball steroids / HGH scandal is going to get messier and more lurid.

Recent developments with Rick Ankiel and Troy Glaus, coupled with the almost forgotten cases of pitcher Jason Grimsley and former Mets clubhouse attendent Kirk Radomski will keep things percolating right through the playoffs.