All Badgers

Wisconsin prepares for a Villanova squad that can exploit the Badgers' defensive weaknesses

Wisconsin and Villanova square off in the Milwaukee Hoops Classic in a critical nonconference game for both teams.
Benjamin Worgull|
Nov 27, 2025; San Diego, CA, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard Nick Boyd (2) drives the ball against Providence Friars guard Jr. Corey Floyd (14) during the second half at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
Nov 27, 2025; San Diego, CA, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard Nick Boyd (2) drives the ball against Providence Friars guard Jr. Corey Floyd (14) during the second half at Jenny Craig Pavilion. | Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin men’s basketball will close out the 2025 year playing its final three nonconference games of the season, starting with a neutral-site matchup against Villanova in the Milwaukee Hoops Classic at Fiserv Forum.

It will be the battle of high-level guard play between the Badgers and the Wildcats, as both teams are looking to add a quality nonconference victory to punctuate their resume.

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

Villanova (8-2, 0-0 Big East) vs. Wisconsin (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten)

Date/Time – Friday, December 19, 7 p.m.
Arena – Fiserv Forum
TV – FOX (Tim Brando and Jim Jackson)
Radio – Badgers Radio Network (Matt Lepay and Brian Butch)
Coaches - Greg Gard at Wisconsin (220-120 in his 11th season). Kevin Willard at Villanova (First season with the Wildcats; 343-251 in his 19th season overall)
Series – Tied 1-1
Point Spread – Wisconsin -4.5

Wisconsin probable starters

2 Nick Boyd (6-3 Senior Guard, 20.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.4 apg)
7 Andrew Rohde (6-6 Senior Guard, 7.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.7 apg)
25 John Blackwell (6-4 Junior Guard, 19.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.7 apg)
31 Nolan Winter (6-11 Junior Forward, 12.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 1.5 apg)
32 Aleksas Bieliauskas (6-10 Freshman Forward, 4.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 0.6 apg)
Off the bench
0 Braeden Carrington (6-5 Senior Guard, 4.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.1 apg)
5 Jack Janicki (6-5 Sophomore Guard, 3.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.7 apg)
22 Austin Rapp (6-10 Sophomore Forward, 9.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 apg)
23 Will Garlock (7-0 Freshman Center, 0.8 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 1.6 apg)
Player to watch
Boyd has scored double-figures in every game this season and has eclipsed 20 points six times. That is the second most in the Big Ten, and the Badgers have gone 5-1 in those contests.

Villanova probable starters

2 Bryce Lindsay (6-3 Sophomore Guard, 17.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.3 apg)
4 Tyler Perkins (6-4 Junior Guard, 9.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.6 apg)
24 Duke Brennan (6-10 Senior Forward, 12.1 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 1.8 apg)
33 Matt Hodge (6-8 Freshman Forward, 10.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.1 apg)
55 Acaden Lewis (6-2 Freshman Guard, 12.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 5.6 apg)
Off the bench
0 Chris Jeffrey (6-3 Freshman Guard, 4.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.0 apg)
5 Devin Askew (6-5 Senior Guard, 9.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.9 apg)
6 Tafara Gapare (6-9 Senior Forward, 2.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.5 apg)
Player to watch
Lewis was named Big East Freshman of the Week for the third time this season on Monday. He leads the Big East in assists per game (5.6) and his assist to turnover ratio of 3.29 is fourth in the league.

Series notes

This will be the third-straight game between Villanova and Wisconsin that takes place on a neutral court (1995 Maui Invitational, 2017 NCAA Tournament)

Gard's UW teams are 4-2 against Kevin Willard-coached teams, including a 1-0 record on a neutral court.

Rohde is the lone Badger that has played against Villanova. Rohde led Virginia to a 70-60 win over Villanova on Nov. 15, 2024, as the Brookfield, Wisconsin native had 13 points, 4 assists and three rebounds for the Cavaliers.

Wisconsin is 2-0 against the Big East so far this season, earning a 104-83 win over Providence in the opening game of the Rady Children's Invitational before defeating Marquette 96-76 earlier this month in Madison.

UW is 71-48 all-time in Milwaukee, playing its first-ever game in Brew City on Jan. 21, 1899, in a 25-15 loss to Milwaukee Normal Alumni. Villanova will be the 38th different team that Wisconsin has faced in Milwaukee.

The Badgers are 2-4 at Fiserv Forum, which opened in 2018, and were 12-8 at the Bradley Center, the former home of the Milwaukee Bucks. Nova is 1-5 all-time in Fiserv Forum, home to the Marquette Golden Eagle

The last time UW played a neutral site game in Milwaukee during the regular season was in 2022 when UW defeated Stanford, 60-50, in the Brew City Battle at American Family Field.

Wisconsin notes

The Badgers are averaging 85.1 points per game and have scored 80+ points in seven of their 10 games this year.

Wisconsin is getting to the line an average of 21.7 times per game, which would be the fourth-best mark in program history since 2000.

Winter is tied for the Big Ten Conference in double-doubles with five this year. His five double-doubles rank 10th in the country.

The Badgers are averaging 10.9 3FGs per game, which ranks second in the Big Ten and ranks 26th in the country

Villanova notes

Lindsay delivered his fourth outing of at least 20 points when he scored 24 in a 79-61 victory over Pittsburgh. As the week began, Linday ranked fifth in the Big East in scoring at 17.2 ppg, first in three-point field goal percentage (.458) and second in overall field goal percentage (.487).

Over their last eight games, the Wildcats have outscored their opponents 143-84 in point off of turnovers. Villanova enjoyed a 16-6 advantage over the Panthers in its most recent outing.

In the Wildcats’ last three outings, Askew has averaged 13.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest. He has played in 120 games in his college career, including stops at Kentucky, Texas and Long Beach State, averaging 9.8 points per game. He scored only five points against Pittsburgh, but the Wildcats were +22 when he was on the court over his 25:52.

Brennan’s 11.7 rebounds per game average trails only Delrecco Gillespie of Kent State in the national chart (11.9 rpg).

Prediction

We're about to see how Wisconsin responds against a Villanova team that can take advantage of every defensive weakness the Badgers have showed.

Villanova has exceptional guard play with the ability of Lindsay and Lewis making plays for themselves with the ability to score and others with their ability to pass. The Wildcats have a spacer at the four in Hodge who has been hot and cold shooting this season.

Then there's Brennan, who the Badgers unsuccessfully tried to recruit out of the portal from Grand Canyon. Not only is he one of the nation's best rebounders, Villanova has become more comfortable and effective with him running the pick and roll to put pressure on the weakside defense. That area was a mess against Nebraska, and something the Wildcats are certain to try to exploit tonight.

The Wildcats are also pesky defensively, as Kevin Willard has mixed defenses throughout the season and utilized more pressure than he did during his three seasons at Maryland. The result is Villanova forcing double-digit turnovers in the last nine games and holding teams to 68.1 points per game.

History has shown, however, that Wisconsin has an innate ability to rebound. UW did it earlier this year with the Providence triumph after the BYU disaster, and with impressive wins over Northwestern and Marquette after looking lost against TCU. Having to stew with the embarrassment of a 30-point loss for over a week should serve as a jumping off point for the Badgers, who know they won't be on a championship-level path if they continue to look soft and uninterested defensively.

It's part of the reason why Gard, instead of his usual practice of picking out game clips to highlight, showed the team the entire game the day after the game. Two days later, Wisconsin had a short, intense practice that was about defense.

"They wondered where the shooting drills were," Gard said. "I said, 'guys, not today.'"

Blackwell and other players said all the right things when they met with the media Tuesday, speaking to the group being humbled by the performance and the film and how the loss renewed the emphasis on communication and team defense. Talk is nice, but they have to prove it on the court.

My hunch says they will.

Prediction: Wisconsin by six
Worgull's Prediction: 9-1 (5-5 ATS)
Points off Prediction: 110 (11.0 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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