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Preview: No.23 Wisconsin could face a shorthanded No.9 BYU in the Badgers' toughest test yet

No.23 Wisconsin Badgers face its first power-conference opponent of the season when it faces No.9 BYU in Salt Lake City
Benjamin Worgull|
Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell (25) dribbles the ball against Brigham Young Cougars forward Mawot Mag (0) and center Keba Keita (13) during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Ball Arena.
Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell (25) dribbles the ball against Brigham Young Cougars forward Mawot Mag (0) and center Keba Keita (13) during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Ball Arena. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

Leaving the comforts of the Kohl Center for the first time this season, No.23 Wisconsin faces its first power-conference opponent, first ranked opponent, and first hostile venue when it faces No.9 BYU at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, a mere 50 minutes from the Cougars' campus.

Wisconsin has made a habit of taken down AP Top 10 teams under head coach Greg Gard. Last year, the Badgers added three more top 10 wins, beating No. 9 Arizona at home, winning at No. 7 Purdue, and topping No. 7 Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament.

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

No.23 Wisconsin (4-0, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. No.9 BYU (3-1, 0-0 Big 12)

Date/Time – Friday, November 21, 3 p.m.
Arena – Delta Center
Streaming – Peacock (James Westling and Mike O’Donnell)
Radio – Badgers Radio Network (Chris Vosters and Brian Butch)
Coaches - Greg Gard at Wisconsin (217-117 in his 11th season). Kevin Young at BYU (29-11 in his second season).
Series – Wisconsin leads 2-1 (1-1 in neutral sites)
Point Spread – BYU -6.5

Wisconsin probable starters

2 Nick Boyd (6-3 Senior Guard, 20.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.0 apg)
7 Andrew Rohde (6-6 Senior Guard, 7.8 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 1.7 apg)
22 Austin Rapp (6-10 Sophomore Forward, 11.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.8 apg)
25 John Blackwell (6-4 Junior Guard, 19.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.0 apg)
31 Nolan Winter (6-11 Junior Forward, 14.3 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.5 apg)
Off the bench
0 Braeden Carrington (6-5 Senior Guard, 6.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.0 apg)
5 Jack Janicki (6-5 Sophomore Guard, 2.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.8 apg)
23 Will Garlock (7-0 Freshman Center, 1.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 2.8 apg)
32 Aleksas Bieliauskas (6-10 Freshman Forward, 5.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.0 apg)
Player to watch
Boyd has scored 80 through the first four games. That number trails only Johnny Davis and John Tonje for most by a Badger dating back to the 1999-00 season.

BYU probable starters

1 Robert Wright III (6-1 Sophomore Guard, 17.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.3 apg)
3 A.J. Dybantsa (6-9 Freshman Forward, 20.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.0 apg)
13 Keba Keita (6-8 Senior Forward, 5.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 0.3 apg)
15 Richie Saunders (6-5 Senior Guard, 19.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.8 apg)
25 Dawson Baker (6-4 Senior Guard, 8.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.8 apg)
Off the bench
2 Tyler Mrus (6-7 Junior Guard, 0.8 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 0.5 apg)
5 Mihailo Boskovic (6-10 Senior Forward, 3.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.8 apg)
7 Khadim Mboup (6-5 Senior Forward, 1.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.8 apg)
Player to watch
Dybantsa is one of four players in Big 12 history to averaged at least 20.0 points and 50.0 percent from the field through the first four college games. Kansas State’s Michael Beasley is in the only player on the list to maintain those averages through five games. The only other Big 12 players who averaged 20.0 points in their first four games but didn’t shoot 50.0 percent from the field were Texas’ Kevin Durant and Oklahoma’s Trae Young.

Series notes

Wisconsin leads the all-time series, 2-1, but BYU won the most recent matchup, 91-89, in the second-round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. John Tonje had 37 points (26 in the second half), surpassing Michael Finley's 36 points against Missouri in 1994 for the most by a Badger in a tournament game.

John Blackwell finished with 21 points. Max Klesmit and Steven Crowl scored 12 and 10 points, respectively.

The Badgers won, 30-16, in the 1931 season opener on Dec.11 in Madison, and in the championship game of the Chicago Invitational on Nov. 26, 2011. Ben Brust scored a game-high 21 points.

Wisconsin is 29-27 all-time against teams currently in the Big 12 conference. The Badgers could face Big 12 member TCU next week in the Rady Children's Invitational.

BYU is 52-72 all-time against team currently in the Big Ten, with most matchups currently against Oregon and UCLA.

Wisconsin notes

A win would give Wisconsin its second-straight 5-0 start and its third under Gard.

The Badgers are averaging 93.3 ppg on the season and the team's 373 points are their fourth-highest total through four games.

Wisconsin has made 49 three pointers to start the season, which is the most in school history through four games.

UW has collected 15 wins over AP top 10 opponents in 11 seasons under Gard.

The Badgers have the Big Ten's second-lowest turnover percentage, and 10th nationally amongst power-conference teams since 2023-24. This season UW ranks fourth in the Big Ten, averaging 9.25 turnovers per game.

BYU notes

With Boskovic getting his first career start on Saturday against No. 3 UConn, BYU has now had nine different starting lineups under Young including three in four games this season. The only mainstay for the Cougars is that at least one freshman has started in every game during Young's tenure in Provo (40 games).

During the Kevin Young era, BYU is 13-2 when Saunders scores at least 20 points. That's the sixth-best record in NCAA I Division I men's basketball among active players (min. 10 games) and second-best among Power 5 players behind Purdue's Braden Smith (13-1).

The trio of Wright III, Dybantsa and Saunders have combined to score 68.0 percent of BYU’s points this season, 230 of 338 available points. They also rank in the 87th percentile in +/- when on the floor together.

BYU average of 7.8 turnovers per game is tied for the eighth best in NCAA Division I men’s basketball. The Cougars are the second team in Big 12 history to averaged fewer than 8.0 turnovers through their first four games of the season, joining Oklahoma State in 2015-16 (7.5).

Wright III, Saunders and Baker rank in the 97th percentile in offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions) at 149.6. They also rank in the 97th percentile in efficient field goal percentage at 69.4 percent.

Prediction

Something to watch for pregame is the status of Keita. The Cougars center sustained a hard hit to the head in the first half against UConn and played only eight minutes in the loss. BYU coach Kevin Young said earlier this week that Keita’s status is being monitored daily, that he is currently “still out” of practice, but is “trending in the right direction” when asked if the center would play.

No matter who is on the court, Gard has said all week that the Badgers need to be challenged and pushed outside their comfort zone (which is what the Cougars do with their offensive efficiency and pace), with the biggest test being can his new roster stick to the program's principles and not try to do too much against a team that can exploit mistakes.

"We got to be who we are, and be the best version we can of that on both sides of the ball," Gard said. "You can get away with getting a little outside of the lines against some of the competition but now you can't. It will test our discipline to stay focused on the things we need to be good at."

Both teams were hitting their strides last March, but both teams are trying to get things clicking before their conference season's begin. That being said, it should feel like a tournament atmosphere. That's what Wisconsin needs; to be challenge and pushed outside its comfort zone.

I expect another tremendous game between two teams that have the potential to be really good by the end of the year.

Prediction: BYU by 6
Worgull's Prediction: 4-0 (2-2 ATS)
Points off Prediction: 26 (6.5 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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