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Milwaukee's defensive acumen and rebounding strength should challenge the Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers close out the nonconference portion of their schedule by hosting in-state opponent Milwaukee tonight.
Benjamin Worgull|
Wisconsin forward Aleksas Bieliauskas (32) takes a shot on Northwestern forward Tre Singleton (8) during the second half of their game Wednesday, December 3, 2025 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin beat Northwestern 85-73.
Wisconsin forward Aleksas Bieliauskas (32) takes a shot on Northwestern forward Tre Singleton (8) during the second half of their game Wednesday, December 3, 2025 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin beat Northwestern 85-73. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin men’s basketball wraps up the nonconference portion of its 2025-26 schedule when it hosts Milwaukee tonight at the Kohl Center. The pair of in-state foes are renewing a rivalry that saw them play annually from 1992 to 2015 but haven't met in six years.

Here is a look at both teams and a prediction for tonight's contest.

Milwaukee (7-6, 3-0 Horizon League) vs. Wisconsin (8-4, 1-1 Big Ten)


Date/Time – Tuesday, December 30, 6 p.m.

Arena – Kohl Center

TV – Big Ten Network (Chris Vosters and Bruce Weber)

Radio – Badgers Radio Network (Matt Lepay and Brian Butch)

Coaches - Greg Gard at Wisconsin (221-121 in his 11th season). Bart Lundy at Milwaukee (69-44 in his fourth season, 165-131 in his 10th overall season)

Series – Wisconsin leads 33-2, including 22-2 in Madison.

Point Spread – Wisconsin -21.5

Wisconsin probable starters


2 Nick Boyd (6-3 Senior Guard, 19.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.3 apg)

7 Andrew Rohde (6-6 Senior Guard, 7.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.8 apg)

25 John Blackwell (6-4 Junior Guard, 19.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.6 apg)

31 Nolan Winter (6-11 Junior Forward, 14.1 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 1.7 apg)

32 Aleksas Bieliauskas (6-10 Freshman Forward, 4.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 0.9 apg)

Off the bench

0 Braeden Carrington (6-5 Senior Guard, 5.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.0 apg)

5 Jack Janicki (6-5 Sophomore Guard, 2.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.3 apg)

22 Austin Rapp (6-10 Sophomore Forward, 9.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.1 apg)

23 Will Garlock (7-0 Freshman Center, 1.0 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 1.4 apg)

Player to watch

Blackwell is averaging 22.3 points per game at the Kohl Center and is shooting 24-of-48 (50.0) from beyond the arc.

Milwaukee probable starters


2 Josh Dixon (6-5 Freshman Guard, 8.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.5 apg)

3 Dan Jovanovich (6-8 Senior Forward, 13.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.6 apg)

5 Isaiah Dorceus (6-0 Junior Guard, 9.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.7 apg)

22 Faizon Fields (6-10 Senior Forward, 7.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 0.5 apg)

29 Aaron Franklin (6-5 Senior Guard, 4.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 0.6 apg)

Off the bench

1 Amur Augillard (6-6 Sophomore Forward, 10.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.8 apg)

11 Chandl Jackson (6-5 Senior Forward, 6.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.5 apg)

25 Sekou Konneh (6-5 Senior Guard, 6.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 0.2 apg)

Player to watch

After scoring 24 points over South Dakota State at Fiserv Forum in his first collegiate start, Dixon scored 28 points against Cleveland State, the fourth-most by a freshman in a single game in program history. Dixon finished 10-of-19 from the floor overall, making 4-of-10 shots from long-range, while going 4-of-4 from the line.

Series notes

Wisconsin and Milwaukee started its series during the 1901-02 season. The Badgers hold a 15-1 record against the Panthers at the Kohl Center.

Wisconsin is 72-3 all-time against teams from the Horizon League.

The Panthers are 12-53 all-time against Big Ten opponents. The team has its most wins and best record against Northwestern (7-6 all-time in a series that dates back to 1923) and has played Wisconsin the most. The most recent victories over a member of the conference came during the 2015-16 campaign, when Milwaukee posted road wins over Wisconsin (68-67 on 12/9/15) and Minnesota (74-65 on 12/23/15) in a span of two weeks.

Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard spent the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 seasons working at Milwaukee under legendary coach Bo Ryan before the pair went to Wisconsin.

Sharif Chambliss was an assistant coach at Milwaukee from 2012-16. The Panthers made a huge turnaround with Chambliss on staff in 2013-14, improving 13 games in the win column, posting 21 wins overall and reaching the NCAA tournament for the second time under head coach Rob Jeter.

Milwaukee Special Assistant to the Head Coach Julian Swartz was a member of the 2000 Wisconsin squad that advanced to the Final Four.

Wisconsin notes

Wisconsin has won its last 18 non-conference home games. That streak, which started with a victory against Robert Morris on Nov. 17, 2023, is the third-longest active streak in the Big Ten Conference.

During the streak, Wisconsin has outscored its opponents on average 84.83 to 64.06. UW also has a pair of ranked wins during the streak including No. 3 Marquette in 2023 and No. 9 Arizona in 2024.

The Badgers are averaging 83.8 points per game and have scored 80+ points in eight of their 12 games this year. UW sports a 118.3 offensive rating per KenPom, which would be the sixth-best mark in school history since 1997.

The Badgers enter this week averaging 11.0 3-pointers per game, which leads the Big Ten and ranks 20th nationally. Wisconsin ranks 12th in the country in attempted 3-pointers, averaging 32.0 attempts per game.

Milwaukee notes

The Panthers are averaging 10.1 turnovers per game - a number that leads the Horizon League but also rank No. 20 in the NCAA (thru 12/28),

Danilo Jovanovich leads the team - and the Horizon League - with his 64.2 percent (70-of-109) accuracy on the year. That numbers lead the league and ranks 16th in the NCAA (thru 12/28).

Chandler Jackson had recorded 11 points in his four appearances on the season coming into play against Cleveland State Dec. 21, yet has scored 11 points in each of his last two games. He was one of three bench players to scored in double figures on Monday.

Amar Augillard came up big for the Panthers in the second half of the victory over South Dakota State Dec. 19, scoring 20 of his 23 points after intermission that included 13 consecutive points in one stretch.

Prediction

Be wary of these Panthers.

In its 77-55 win over Purdue Fort Wayne Monday, Milwaukee held the Mastodons to a season-low point total and nearly 30 points below their scoring average of 84.9 coming into the night. Milwaukee pressure defense forced turnovers that helped hold the visitors to 16 points and under 25 percent from the floor in the first half.

Aaron Franklin led the charge, posting his first double-double as a Panther with 13 points and 13 rebounds, while limiting Corey Hadnot – the league's leading scorer at 20.9 ppg coming in – to just 14 points overall, and only four in the first half on 2-of-8 shooting.

"I thought this was, by far, the best defensive effort we have had, and I can't say enough about Aaron Franklin," head coach Bart Lundy said. "He was guarding the league's leading scorer and just did a phenomenal job. And our whole team, they absorbed the scout (scouting report), took away the things we needed to take away, and then limited them to one shot."

Part of the reason the defense was so good was beacuse Milwaukee cleaned on the glass. The Panthers finished with a +33 margin (53-20) on the boards, the second largest in program history that helped lead to a 24-0 advantage in second-chance points.

"I think anybody that watched that game saw the determination," Lundy said of the rebounding effort. "We've only been back from Christmas for three days. This group was really focused and was tough through these practices. They're just grinders. You're starting to see them not only play better defensively but actually get some chemistry offensively. It gives us a chance to be a really good team."

Even if Wisconsin didn't watch the game, the Badgers were in the same building when Dixon (24 points) and Augillard (23 points) were instrumental in Milwaukee's one-point win over South Dakota State. Playing without leading scorer Seth Hubbard (16.6 ppg) hasn't seemed to slow the Horizon League preseason favorites one bit.

Milwaukee has yet to register a top-tier win, losing by 31 at Indiana, by 17 to Texas Tech, and by 17 to Wichita State in three consecutive games. Since then, however, the Panthers are allowing just 72.0 ppg.

This is should be a good test for Wisconsin considering the Big Ten gauntlet that is coming starting Saturday with No.6 Purdue. Wisconsin should win, especially considering the Panthers playing the night before, but the Badgers would be foolish to overlook an in-state opponent that is more than capable of beating them.

Prediction: Wisconsin by 17

Worgull's Prediction: 10-2 (6-6 ATS)

Points off Prediction: 127 (10.6 ppg)

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Benjamin Worgull
BENJAMIN WORGULL

Benjamin Worgull has covered Wisconsin men's basketball since 2004, having previously written for Rivals, USA Today, 247sports, Fox Sports, the Associated Press, the Janesville Gazette, and the Wisconsin State Journal.

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