Latest news with #NigelHayes
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Wisconsin basketball announces neutral site game against a Big East powerhouse
Wisconsin basketball announces neutral site game against a Big East powerhouse The Wisconsin Badgers are quietly putting together a phenomenal non-conference schedule for the 2025-2026 season. Earlier this week, the program announced a home-and-home series with BYU starting this winter in Salt Lake City, Utah, with a return game in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 2026-2027. Today, the Badgers announced yet another neutral-site non-conference game, this one against the Villanova Wildcats at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on December 19th. CBS' Jon Rothstein reports a return matchup at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2026-27. This matchup would be the first time the Badgers have faced the Wildcats since Wisconsin's upset win in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The No. 8-seed Badgers defeated the No. 1-seed and reigning national champion Wildcats on a last-second basket from forward Nigel Hayes. 2025-26 will be Kevin Willard's first season as the head coach of the Wildcats after leaving Big Ten rival Maryland after the 2024-25 season. Willard went 2-3 against Wisconsin while coaching at Maryland, most recently defeating the Badgers 76-68 in College Park this past January. With games against BYU, Marquette, Kansas/Florida/Providence (Rady's Children's Invitational), and now Villanova, Wisconsin's non-conference schedule has become extremely competitive for this upcoming season. It should provide the team a golden opportunity to stack quality wins early in the season. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
USA Today
28-01-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Wisconsin basketball legend Frank Kaminsky reacts to Badgers' record scoring output
Over the past decade, the Wisconsin basketball program has been no stranger to developing legends on the hardwood. During that span, the program has rostered greats like Nigel Hayes, Johnny Davis, Sam Dekker and Ethan Happ. Of all the luminaries, former Naismith College Player of the Year Award winner Frank Kaminsky stands alone. It's safe to say the NBA veteran, whose jersey currently adorns the Kohl Center's rafters, is a fan of what he's witnessing from Wisconsin's current team. This season, Greg Gard's group averages 82.5 points and 15.3 assists per game off 47.2% shooting from the field and 36.2% from beyond the arc. To put that into context, Kaminsky's 2013-14 Final Four squad averaged 71.9 points and 12.7 assists on 48% from the field and 35.7% from outside. Wisconsin's 2014-15 Final Four squad produced similar numbers — 73.5 points and 12.1 assists per bout off 45.8% from the field and 37.3% from downtown. Statistically, the 2024-25 Badgers are set to surpass both of those historic teams. Here's Kaminsky's reaction to that program-best output from this season's team: National hierarchies reflect Kaminsky's feelings surrounding this team. KenPom ranks the Badgers' offense No. 8 in the nation, the AP Top 25 Poll pegs UW as the No. 17-best team in the country, while the NCAA NET Ranking positions Wisconsin at No. 18. Wisconsin's offense, similar to its 2013-14 and 2014-15 squads, is as deep as it gets. All five of Wisconsin's starters — Tonje, Blackwell, Klesmit, Crowl and Winter — average at least 10 points per game. UW does not boast a player as gifted as Kaminsky, but all signs point to this platoon's offense being as efficient as almost any team in the nation, plus the best in program history.
