Wisconsin has locked in its 2026-27 nonconference slate, and the Badgers’ schedule comes with the usual mix of local tune-ups, power-conference tests and a few games that should tell us plenty about where this team stands before Big Ten play starts.
The headline dates are already familiar. Wisconsin will go to Marquette on Dec. 5, finish a two-game set with Villanova on Dec. 12 in Philadelphia, and meet Auburn on Dec. 19 in Nashville. The Badgers also are set for the Baha Mar Championship in Nassau, Bahamas, where North Carolina State and Seton Hall are the other teams in the field.
Before any of that, though, Wisconsin has three exhibitions on the books. The first is Oct. 10 against UW-Parkside, followed by an Oct. 15 exhibition at UW-Green Bay. The newest addition to the calendar is an Oct. 27 exhibition against Oklahoma State, which went 20-15 overall and 6-12 in Big 12 play in 2025-26.
The regular season opens Nov. 2 at the Kohl Center against Denver. From there, the Badgers stay home for a stretch that includes Delaware on Nov.
6, Fairfield on Nov. 10, Coastal Carolina on Nov.
15, Northeastern on Nov. 25 and Purdue-Fort Wayne on Dec. 22.
Colorado State is also headed to the Kohl Center as part of the nonconference schedule.
That home-heavy setup gives Wisconsin seven regular-season games at the Kohl Center in nonconference play, along with neutral-site matchups against Big East, SEC and ACC opponents.
The biggest name on the list, by resume, is Villanova. N.C.
State and Villanova are the only nonconference opponents on the schedule coming off 2026 NCAA Tournament appearances. Auburn, meanwhile, is coming off a runner-up finish in the NIT, while Marquette went into the transfer portal after missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the Shaka Smart era.
The timing of those games matters, too. Marquette, Villanova and Auburn all fall in a 15-day span in early-to-mid December, right around the point when Big Ten teams begin their first two conference games.
Wisconsin is coming off a 2025-26 season that ended 24-11 overall and 14-6 in the Big Ten before another first-weekend exit from March Madness. The 2026-27 roster is already in transition, with at least eight newcomers and one roster spot still open.
Wisconsin men’s basketball 2026-27 nonconference schedule
Oct. 10 vs. UW-Parkside (exhibition)
Oct. 15 at UW-Green Bay (exhibition)
Oct. 27 vs. Oklahoma State (exhibition)
Nov. 2 vs. Denver
Nov. 6 vs. Delaware
Nov. 10 vs. Fairfield
Nov. 15 vs. Coastal Carolina
Nov. 19 vs. N.C. State or Seton Hall in Baha Mar Championship in Nassau, Bahamas
Nov. 20 vs. N.C. State or Seton Hall in Baha Mar Championship in Nassau, Bahamas
Nov. 25 vs. Northeastern
Dec. 5 at Marquette
Dec. 12 vs. Villanova in Philadelphia (neutral site)
Dec. 19 vs. Auburn in Nashville (neutral site)
Dec. 22 vs. Purdue-Fort Wayne
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