Wisconsin vs. UW-Milwaukee: In-State Rivalry Returns to the Kohl Center
For the first time in six years, the two biggest college basketball programs in Wisconsin are squaring off again-and there’s more than just bragging rights on the line.
The Wisconsin Badgers and UW-Milwaukee Panthers are set to clash on Dec. 30 at the Kohl Center, reigniting an in-state rivalry that’s been on pause since 2019. While the series has been historically one-sided-with Wisconsin holding a commanding 33-2 edge-it’s still a matchup that carries weight, especially for two programs looking to close out their nonconference slates with momentum heading into the heart of the season.
Let’s be clear: Wisconsin has dominated this series. The Badgers haven’t lost to the Panthers since 2015, a game that came just days before Bo Ryan stepped down as head coach.
Before that? You’d have to go all the way back to 1992 to find another UWM win.
But history doesn’t take the court-players do. And this year’s meeting has its own storylines.
Greg Gard, now in his ninth full season at the helm in Madison, is 2-0 against UWM as a head coach. But there’s a deeper connection here-Gard spent two years as an assistant with the Panthers from 1999 to 2001. That familiarity, even decades removed, adds an extra layer to the matchup.
Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. local time, and fans can catch the action on Big Ten Network. It’s the kind of game that might fly under the national radar, but for hoops fans in Wisconsin, it’s a meaningful chapter in a long-running, regional basketball story.
The Badgers will look to impose their usual brand of disciplined, physical defense and methodical offense, while the Panthers will try to push the tempo and create chaos-hoping to catch Wisconsin off balance and steal a win on the road.
Whether it ends in another tally for Wisconsin or a program-defining upset for UWM, one thing’s for sure: the return of this in-state showdown brings a little extra juice to the final days of the nonconference calendar.