Latest news with #WisconsinBasketball
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Wisconsin basketball announces exhibition contest vs an SEC team to tip off 2025-26 season
The Wisconsin basketball program announced a newly scheduled exhibition contest against the Oklahoma Sooners on Thursday. The contest will be played on Oct. 24 at Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum. Staged in the home of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks, the Badgers will square off against the Sooners prior to the beginning of the 2025-26 regular season. Advertisement "This is a great opportunity for our program to take on a Power Four team in our backyard in an exhibition setting," Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said to "It will be a terrific first test for us in late October. We know we have a lot of Badger fans and alums in Milwaukee and we're excited for them to get an early look at our team." The news arrives a day after Wisconsin announced a November non-conference contest against potential No. 1 overall NBA draft pick A.J. Dybantsa and the BYU Cougars at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Aside from a future NCAA Tournament appearance, the Badgers are now set to play in a pair of NBA arenas this fall. Coached by Porter Moser, the Sooners went 20-14 during the 2024-25 season. They secured a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament. With star freshman and future NBA draftee Jeremiah Fears at the helm, Oklahoma fell 67-59 to defending champion UConn in the tournament's first round. The test against the Sooners will allow Wisconsin fans to witness a first glimpse at a revamped roster for the 2025-26 season. With star wing John Tonje, veteran center Steven Crowl, guard Max Klesmit and bench contributors Carter Gilmore and Kamari McGee all gone to graduation, Greg Gard retooled his platoon through the transfer portal. Advertisement Former San Diego State guard Nick Boyd, Virginia wing Andrew Rhode and Portland forward Austin Rapp will likely replace Tonje, Crowl and Klesmit in the starting lineup this fall. Star sophomore guard John Blackwell, who shared his plans to return to Madison for his junior campaign on Wednesday, will also lead the starting five with rising junior forward Nolan Winter. Fans may also get a feel for how Gard utilizes projected bench contributors Braeden Carrington, Aleksas Bieliauskas, Jack Robison, Zach Kinziger, Hayden Jones and Will Garlock in rotations. The Badgers only went seven or eight players deep in critical games last season, so the dispersion of minutes on the bench will be something to monitor against the Sooners. Still in search of its first NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen appearance in nearly a decade, UW will aim to replicate its final 27-10 record from a season ago. The quest officially commences with an exhibition test against the Sooners in Fiserv Forum. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin basketball exhibition game vs Oklahoma Sooners Fiserv Forum
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
What Greg Gard said about Wisconsin basketball's 2025 non-conference game against BYU
Wisconsin basketball head coach Greg Gard shared his views on his team's recently scheduled nonconference matchup against the BYU Cougars on Tuesday. Roughly one week after reports surfaced regarding the Nov. 21 bout against the Cougars in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the Utah Jazz's Delta Center, the program officially announced the game with a press release. Advertisement "We're really excited that we're able to schedule this game with BYU," UW head coach Greg Gard told "Our game last year was one of the best of the NCAA Tournament and I think both fanbases will enjoy seeing a rematch this season. We have always tried to challenge ourselves in the non-conference schedule to prepare the team for Big Ten play and beyond and this game certainly will do so." The Badgers will certainly gear up for another highly anticipated test against Kevin Young's crew. The Cougars secured a 91-89 victory in the most recent contest between the two teams on March 22, which featured a 37-point performance from former star Badger John Tonje and a 25-tally finish from BYU veteran Richie Saunders. While Tonje will not return to the hardwood for the Badgers in Utah, the Cougars will return Saunders, send out starting center Keba Keita and welcome in freshman small forward A.J. Dybantsa, a five-star recruit and projected No. 1 pick of the 2026 NBA draft. UW, meanwhile, projects to start former San Diego State guard Nick Boyd, Virginia wing Andrew Rhode and Portland forward Austin Rapp alongside two returning starters in John Blackwell and center Nolan Winter. The Badgers' non-conference slate will also include a neutral-site match against the Villanova Wildcats at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on December 19th, an exhibition against the Oklahoma Sooners on Oct. 24 in Milwaukee and an appearance in the Rady's Children's Invitational in late November. Advertisement Games outside the Big Ten have traditionally enabled the Badgers to gauge where they stand against potential NCAA Tournament participants down the line. Those games also allow Gard to experiment with rotations and evaluate how his athletes perform alongside one another. With Dybantsa at the helm for BYU, Wisconsin's Nov. 21 bout vs. the Cougars will also draw eyeballs. The battle is expected to be the first of a home-and-home, with BYU set to travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 2026. Before then, Gard and company will look to notch an early signature win to start the 2025-26 regular 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 This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin basketball coach Greg Gard comments on BYU game
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wisconsin center Steven Crowl makes history in win over Washington
Fueled by sophomore John Blackwell and excellent bench play, Wisconsin Basketball (22-6, 12-5 Big Ten) notched a 26-tally win over the Washington Huskies (13-15, 4-13 Big Ten) on Tuesday. The Badgers didn't leave any doubt in the result. Star wing John Tonje, who leads Greg Gard's group in scoring, kick-started the offensive action with seven quick points. Blackwell, who finished with 24 points, assumed the lead offensive duties afterward. The Michigan native scored 19 of his 24 points in the first half to fuel Wisconsin to a 15-point edge at intermission. The Badgers' bench unit would then lead the way in the second half. While UW did not receive any individual 30-point performance, the team orchestrated one of its more well-rounded performances of the 2024-25 campaign. One of the team's critical playmakers, veteran center Steven Crowl, finished with 12 points, three rebounds and a team-best four assists in 25 minutes of action. On top of that, Crowl made history in the decisive victory: he became the eighth player in program history to secure 100 career wins. 'Obviously if you get 100 wins you're doing a lot of things right.'Way to go Big Steve! — Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) February 26, 2025 The veteran center has won nearly 70% of the games he's appeared in during his Wisconsin career, one that began during the 2020-21 season. In 29 games this season, Crowl is responsible for 9.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per appearance. His production has dwindled slightly this season with Tonje and Nolan Winter's emergences. Still, his capabilities as a passer and an interior presence make him one of the team's more valuable pieces, Over the past three games, he's responsible for nearly 15 points and over five rebounds per game. Wisconsin will certainly require his top-end contributions when it ventures to East Lansing for a bout against No. 8 Michigan State on March 2. Contact/Follow on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin Basketball Washington recap Steven Crowl 100 win milestone
