Wisconsin women's basketball to renew in-state rivalry this fall
The Wisconsin women's basketball program will renew its I-94 rivalry with Marquette as part of a home-and-home series beginning on Nov. 8, 2025.
UW will travel east to Milwaukee for the first leg of the series, then welcome the Golden Eagles to the Kohl Center in 2026. The two squads last squared off in 2017. The Golden Eagles own a 6-5 mark against the Badgers since the 2001-02 season.
Wisconsin's Nov. 8 contest against the in-state rival also marks the first game the Badgers' program has announced under new head coach Robin Pingeton, who took over following former head coach Marisa Moseley's resignation earlier this year.
The Badgers, who went 13-17 during the 2024-25 slate, will open the 2025-26 campaign with an entirely new roster. Former Wisconsin star Serah Williams and starting center Carter McCray transferred following the season's end, prompting Pingeton to look for talent in the portal.
The former Missouri coach responded with seven transfer commitments. Those include Croatian center Dorja Zaja, Illinois forward Shay Bollin, Stony Brook guard Breauna Ware, Howard guard Destiny Howell, NC State guard Laci Steele, Southern Illinois forward Gift Uchenna and Missouri State guard Kyrah Daniels. The Badgers also signed class of 2025 standout Nikki Kerstein in April, bolstering the program's backcourt depth.
While both Williams and McCray departed, starting guard Ronnie Porter returns for her fourth season in Madison as the Badgers' leading veteran presence. She, alongside new acquisitions Uchenna and Howell, projects to spearhead Wisconsin's offensive attack this coming season.
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