Wisconsin basketball to play in-state opponent for first time since 2019
🚨 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗗𝗨𝗟𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 🚨Too big of a game to wait on this one!The Panthers will head to Madison to take on the Badgers for the first time in 5⃣ years in December!Panthers And Badgers Set To Meet December 30 https://t.co/JDjdfVMXYb pic.twitter.com/h5JsuvOOGq
Wisconsin basketball will tip off against the UW-Milwaukee Panthers for the first time since the 2019-20 season on Dec. 30, 2025, at the Kohl Center.
UW's scheduled clash against UW-Milwaukee marks the latest nonconference announcement for the program's 2025-26 slate. The Badgers will start their season in late October with an exhibition against Oklahoma in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, before traveling to Salt Lake City, Utah, for a showdown against future No. 1 draft pick AJ Dybantsa and the BYU Cougars in mid-November.
Then, Greg Gard's platoon will head to San Diego, California, for the Rady Children's Invitational in late November for games against Providence and TCU or Florida ahead of its Dec. 6 I-94 bout vs. Marquette Golden Eagles in Madison. UW will conclude its non-Big Ten slate with mid-December contest against Villanova at the Fiserv Forum prior to the Dec. 30 showdown vs. Milwaukee.
"We are grateful to the Wisconsin program and to Coach Gard for agreeing to play this game," Milwaukee head coach Bart Lundy told mkepanthers.com. "This contest will be terrific for Panther fans and for all basketball fans in the state of Wisconsin. We are excited to renew the in-state rivalry and wish that there were more of these games for the state and for each fanbase. We are certainly looking forward to competing in Madison in December."
The Dec. 30 match marks the first time the two programs will face one another since UW's 83-64 victory over the Panthers on Dec. 21, 2019. The Badgers own a 9-1 overall record against Milwaukee dating back to the 2008-09 regular season. The two first tipped off during the 1992-93 campaign.
The Panthers finished with a 21-11 overall mark during the 2024-25 season in their third year under Lundy. Milwaukee ranked No. 141 in KenPom, completing its third consecutive season with at least 20 victories.
By the time it faces the Panthers, Wisconsin's starting lineup, captained by returning starters John Blackwell and Nolan Winter, plus transfers Nick Boyd, Andrew Rohde and Austin Rapp, will be in full force. UW's five-man unit figures to become one of the more formidable ensembles in the Big Ten, and it will look to build off an impressive 27-10 output a season ago.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
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