Badger Basketball 2025/26 Schedule Prediction

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Welcome to basketball season! Thank god the football season is over for the Wisconsin Badgers. Looking ahead to Wisconsin’s schedule, the Badgers have a much easier non-conference schedule compared to the past couple of years. They follow that up with a couple of tough games to begin the actual Big Ten slate, a stretch of what looks to be easy conference games, and then a stretch of tough road games to end the season. I fully expect this season to play out like recent Greg Gard seasons, where he’s able to put together a solid season that’ll slip towards the end into tournament season. That is no disrespect towards the Badgers; that’s just how the schedule fares this year. On to the game by game predictions!

Mon, Nov 3 vs Campbell – Win

Fri, Nov 7 vs Northern Illinois – Win

Tue, Nov 11 vs Ball State – Win

Mon, Nov 17 vs SIU Edwardsville – Win

Fri, Nov 21 @ BYU – Loss

Thu, Nov 27 vs Providence – Win

Fri Nov 28 vs TCU or Florida – Loss

Wed, Dec 3 vs Northwestern – Win

Sat, Dec 6 vs Marquette – Win

Wed, Dec 10 @ Nebraska –

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2025-2026 Badger Basketball Breakdown

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Returning Players

John Blackwell 25 – Guard (JR)
2024/25 stats – 31.2 MPG / 15.8 PPG / 5.1 RPG / 2.2 APG 

The offense will run through John Blackwell in what is likely his last year of college basketball. Blackwell has NBA potential and will be looking to build upon his resume this year to push himself to a 1st round pick. I expect him to lead the Badgers in minutes and points this year by a large margin.

Nolan Winter 31 – Forward (JR)
2024/25 stats – 21.1 MPG / 9.4 PPG / 5.8 RPG / 1.1 APG 

Last year, Nolan Winter was the 5th starter and got rotated out to get more of a true center in quite often. If his trajectory continues, expect that to change this year. Of the returning players, Winter is the leader in 3-point percentage and rebounds. As long as he gained some bulk, he could be looking at a Kaminsky-esque jump in performance in his 3rd year of play.

Jack Janicki 5 – Guard (SO)
2024/25 stats – 11.4 MPG / 1.9 PPG / 1.4 RPG / 0.8 APG 

Janicki will win the Naismith College Player of the Year, mark my words. …

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2025-2026 Badger Hockey Preview

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The Badger Hockey season started this past weekend with two wins against Lindenwood. That means it’s time for Walk on Fan’s preview of the 2025-2026 season! 

Last year, Wisconsin followed a resurgent first season under Mike Hastings with a season to forget. Can Hastings recreate the magic of his first season, or will the Badgers’ season end in disappointment again?

Roster Breakdown

Compared to last year, the Badgers have a younger team with more upside to their roster. Their only major loss from last year is Ryland Mosley, last year’s second in points. The team has 9 new players, including 7 freshmen and 2 transfers. Most importantly, they have two new goaltenders: freshman Daniel Hauser and transfer Eli Pulver. From the first series, it appears Hauser will be the primary goaltender going forward. The two most exciting Badgers from last year are still on the team in Quinn Finley and Logan Hensler. The team should be more complete around them, leading to slightly elevated expectations compared to last year.

Schedule Breakdown

USCHO had the Badgers ranked #20 going into the season. That might seem like an improvement over last year, if it weren’t for the 5 Big Ten hockey squads …

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Welcome Home Brad

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Did you know Brad Davison played quarterback in high school? If you watched Wisconsin Basketball from 2017 to 2022, I’m sure you heard that fun fact every other game. Little did any of us know that he was throwing passes to eventual Brewers rookie of the year candidate Isaac Collins. Now, after a short pro career in Spain, Brad is back in Madison to join Gard’s coaching staff. All roads from Maple Grove, Minnesota, lead to Wisconsin, I guess.

The Loss of Kirk

Before I break down what Brad Davison brings to Wisconsin, I do have to mention the loss of Kirk Penney. Penney was an assistant for only 2 years, but was able to make a significant impact on the program. As the Badgers’ unofficial Offensive Coordinator, he played a significant part in revolutionizing Gard’s offense. He brought a modern perspective to Wisconsin’s plodding swing offense, leading to the team’s best offensive season since the 80s. Gard claims that he was calling the plays this past year, while Penney was the one who helped define his vision. However, Gard stated that he will still be looking to keep Penney involved in the program from afar in New Zealand.

What

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Week 4 B1G Viewing Guide + WOF Picks

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Conference play has started. Real games are finally here. Every team is still alive in the B1G conference race… theoretically.

What is WOF up to this Weekend? 

We will be dodging raindrops at the Wisconsin vs Maryland game. Other than that, we plan on watching as much B1G action as possible this weekend, including the game of the week in Bloomington. 

  • Odds listed refer to spreads taken from FanDuel at the time of writing

A B1G Weekend – TV Viewing Schedule

Friday 7:00 PM CST: Sicko’s Committee Approved

Iowa at Rutgers (+2.5) – (FOX)

Avert your eyes unless you enjoy terrible football, excessive punting, and games that will have zero impact on the postseason. 

Rutgers QB Athan Kaliakmanis – Learned to throw after leaving Minnesota.

11:00 AM CST: Billy’s Revenge… maybe

Maryland at Wisconsin (-10.5) – (NBC)

Wisconsin brought in a transfer QB to lead the program to success in 2025. That QB? Billy Edwards Jr., a grad transfer from Maryland. This is a massive revenge spot for Billy against his former employer. There’s just one problem: he’s a game-time decision with a knee injury. 

2:30 PM CST: Blue Bloods

21 Michigan at Nebraska (+2.5) – (CBS)

Michigan…

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5 Things – Bama Beatdown Breakdown

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What did we learn from the Bama Beatdown of Wisconsin in Tuscaloosa?

1 – Wisconsin’s secondary will lose them games.

Ty Simpson is not an exceptional quarterback. Against Wisconsin, he threw for 382 yards, 4 TDs, and 0 picks. That’s a problem. Wisconsin’s secondary made it easy for him all day long. Teams that can throw it – Oregon, Ohio State, Illinois, Washington – will score at will against the Badgers. 

2 – Wisconsin’s run defense will win them games.

Wisconsin is now 4th in the country in rushing yards allowed per game. I feel comfortable saying the D-Line is fixed. Bama was held to an abysmal 72 yards on the ground despite leading for the entire game. Teams that rely on the run to make their offense go, Wisconsin can dominate. Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana look a lot more manageable now. 

3 – Danny isn’t ready, bring back Billy.

I’ve seen enough. QB Danny O’Neil panicked far too often. He would make his 1st read, they wouldn’t be open, and then he’d either check it down or get sacked. The Badgers need a guy who can get to their 2nd and 3rd downfield reads. Bring back Billy.

4

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Week 3 Preview + WOF Picks ATS

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What to watch this Saturday. The ACC and SEC are in the spotlight. There’s another After Dark Game worth staying up for.

What is WOF up to this Weekend? 

WOF is headed to Tuscaloosa!! 

We won’t have time to catch any afternoon games because we will be on the road after the Wisconsin at Alabama game, but we’ll probably catch some of the night games. Or, if Wisconsin wins somehow, we might not be in any condition to head north on schedule. 

  • Odds listed refer to spreads taken from FanDuel at the time of writing

Saturday TV Viewing Schedule

IF A BADGER FAN:

11:00 AM CST: Badgers vs Gumps

Wisconsin at 19 Alabama (-20.5) – (ABC)

Wisconsin has not been this big of an underdog since the 1996 game at #2 Ohio State. The Badgers lost that one 14-17. 

Check out WOF’s preview of this game for a full breakdown of the Tussle in Tuscaloosa. 

IF NOT A BADGER FAN:

11:00 AM CST: ACC Slugfest

12 Clemson at Georgia Tech (+3.5) – (ESPN)

The winner of this game will be in the fast lane to make the ACC title game. The loser will have significant ground to make up …

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Down to Dixieland – Wisco at Bama Preview

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Does Wisconsin even have a chance?

For the first time ever, Wisconsin is playing AT Alabama. The 3 previous meetings were twice in Camp Randall and once in Jerry’s World. This is a once in a lifetime roadtrip. If only this Badgers team resembled one from the Alverez era. Where the program is right now, no one is giving Wisconsin a chance. 

Game Preview: Alabama

Wisconsin at 19 Alabama

Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa AL

When: Saturday, 9/13 – 11:00 AM (CST)

How to Watch: ABC

Spread: Alabama -20.5

O/U: 46.5

Vegas Projected Score: 34 – 13, Alabama over Wisconsin

Alabama Crimson Tide’s Current Record: 1-1
Only win is over Louisiana-Monroe (ULM)

Injuries

The Game is 3 days away, but it is already defined by injuries.

Wisconsin Injuries

There are 2 big ones. 

QB – Billy Edwards Jr. – Knee sprain in Week 1
When Billy went down in week 1, there were fears the 2025 season was a wash. But there was a certainty that the Bama game wasn’t even worth playing. Then Danny came out in week 2 and was nearly perfect. 85% completion, 3 TDs, 283 yards, and 1 INT that wasn’t his fault. 

When I went to …

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Wisco Wednesday: Week 2 Recap

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A Tale of Two Halves. The good and the bad. 

The Bad

The Entire 1st Half

14 – 10 at the end of the first half is unacceptable. The team started slow with no energy. Wisconsin had a grand total of 17 rushing yards. Dilin Jones dropped a pass that led to an INT that led to 7 points for Middle Tennessee. Fickell gave up with 1 minute left and went into the locker room with all three 1st half timeouts. 

O-Line shuffle

The week 2 O-Line was shifted drastically compared to week 1. Week 1 starting Left Tackle Davis Heinzen was not good enough. Actually, he was terrible. He allowed 5 pressures and 2 sacks. 

Here’s how they fixed it:
RT Riley Mahlman to LT
RG Emerson Mandell to RT
Freshman Colin Cubberly to RG

This wasn’t that bad. Riley and Emerson were serviceable, and Colin wasn’t great, but he’s a freshman. Better to have a weak right guard than a weak left tackle. 

The real problem was at the center position. A game-time decision injury held out C Jake Renfro. He was replaced by Kerry Kodanko. Kodanko was garbage. He had 0 push in the …

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Big Ten Spotlight – Week 2 Preview

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Does the B1G have a tier two? Sherrone Moore returns to his alma mater. And a Midwest rivalry has been revived.

What is WOF up to this Weekend? 

All 3 of us at WOF will attend Middle Tennessee at Wisconsin at 3:00 PM CST. Our editor, Hayden, will be on the field marching in the alumni band. Pre-gaming will look like drinking Busch Light while watching the corn schools fight on FOX. After the Badgers win by 40, we’ll catch what we can of the game in Norman. 

Friday night has a handful of forgettable games; your time, and ours, will be better spent watching Mahomes sling it in Brazil.  

  • Odds listed refer to spreads taken from FanDuel at the time of writing

3 Games The B1G Needs to Win

This is a big week for the Big Ten. I’m arguing that this week will have a ripple effect that reaches all the way to Selection Sunday. Does the B1G have a strong tier 2 (behind Ohio State, Penn State, and Oregon)? Or is it a top heavy league? This is the week we find out. 

If the Big Ten manages to lose some or all …

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