Wisconsin basketball schedules nonconference game against recent NCAA Tournament opponent
The Wisconsin Badgers will square off against the BYU Cougars on Nov. 21, 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
In a rematch of the epic showdown in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament round of 32, the two teams will tip off at the Delta Center, the home of the NBA's Utah Jazz, in mid-November. The Cougars claimed a 91-89 victory in the March 22 tournament showdown between the two teams in Denver, Colorado.
The matchup is expected to be the first of a home-and-home, with BYU set to travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 2026. The news also arrives on the heels of star guard John Blackwell's decision to return to Wisconsin for the 2025-26 slate. The rising junior dropped 21 points, snared six rebounds and dished out three assists in a game-high 38 minutes in the season-ending two-point loss.
Both BYU and Wisconsin's rosters will appear much different when the two squads take the hardwood in November. With the departures of star wing John Tonje, veteran center Steven Crowl, guard Max Klesmit and bench contributors Carter Gilmore and Kamari McGee, Greg Gard turned to the portal. Former San Diego State guard Nick Boyd, Virginia wing Andrew Rhode and Portland forward Austin Rapp are projected to suit up alongside Blackwell and center Nolan Winter in UW's 2025-26 starting lineup.
Senior guard Braeden Carrington, forward Aleksas Bieliauskas, sophomore Jack Robison and true freshmen true freshman Zach Kinziger, Hayden Jones and Will Garlock are also forecasted to assume some of the bench responsibilities for the Badgers this fall.
BYU will return star Richie Saunders, who dropped 25 against the Badgers in the NCAA Tournament, and starting center Keba Keita. Kevin Young's most significant asset will be freshman small forward A.J. Dybantsa, a five-star recruit and projected No. 1 pick of the 2026 NBA draft. Dybantsa's pull has already landed BYU non-conference games against Villanova, UConn, Wisconsin and Clemson.
Wisconsin is looking to build off its final 27-10 record during the 2024-25 slate, a season which culminated in a Big Ten tournament title game appearance and No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The test against BYU's talent will serve as an indicator of how well Gard's new pieces can coalesce early in the season.
Wisconsin's November schedule also includes a high-profile four-team tournament in San Diego, California -- the Rady Children's Invitational.
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