ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGE
Wisconsin's matchup in the 2016 Big Ten/ACC Challenge will serve as a rematch of last year when the Badgers knocked off then-No. 14 Syracuse, 66-58, in OT at the Carrier Dome. This time UW will host the Orange on Tuesday, with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m. (CT) on ESPN.

Up next, the Badgers will host another 2016 Final Four participant Oklahoma on Saturday, Dec. 3. Tip off is set for Noon on BTN.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WISCONSIN
QUITE A DEBUT: Wisconsin begins its first full season under Greg Gard, who coached the final 23 games last season after the Dec. 15, 2015 retirement of Bo Ryan. Gard led the Badgers to wins in 11 of the final 13 regular-season games and a trip to the 2016 Sweet 16, winning the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award.
GANG'S ALL HERE: UW returns each of the top 9 scorers from last season. In fact, the Badgers bring back all but 20 minutes played (99.8%) and all but 6 points (99.7%).
TERRIFIC TRIO: Senior Nigel Hayes was named Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year as well as a consensus member of the Preseason All-Big Ten Team. Fellow senior Bronson Koenig and sophomore Ethan Happ were also selected for the Preseason All-Big Ten team.
GETTING DEFENSIVE: Wisconsin has held all 7 of its opponents to season-low point totals. The Badgers are allowing just 59.6 ppg on the year and rank 6th in NCAA in defensive reb. pct. (79.6%).
CRASH THE BOARDS: The Badgers have out-rebounded 6 of their 7 opponents this season and own a +14.6 avg. margin on the glass. UW owns a 93 to 50 edge on the offensive glass, out-scoring opponents 86 to 41 in second-chance points.
THE HAPP-ENING: Sophomore Ethan Happ had an impressive 3-game run at the Maui Invitational, leading UW with 16.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.3 bpg and 2.7 spg to earn All-Tournament honors.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED: UW is 8-9 all-time in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge (5-3 in the state of Wisconsin). Among Big Ten teams, the Badgers trail only Minnesota (9) and Purdue (9) in challenge wins.
PROTECT THIS HOUSE: The Badgers have won 9 in a row at home. UW's .870 all-time win percentage (262-39) at the Kohl Center ranks 5th among all active arenas in the NCAA.
WINS RECORD: The Badgers' senior class has been a part of 93 wins already in their UW career, averaging 29.3 wins per season. The winningest class graduated in 2015 with a total of 115 victories.

ALL-TIME VS. SYRACUSE
Tuesday's game will mark the 5th all-time meeting between Wisconsin and Syracuse with the series deadlocked at 2-2.

- Wisconsin won the most recent meeting when the 2 teams met in the 2015 Big Ten/ACC Challenge in Syracuse, N.Y. The game featured 10 ties and 7 lead changes before the Badgers pulled out a 66-58 overtime win.
- UW out-rebounded the Orange, 51-25, including 16-6 on the offensive glass. The Badgers also owned a 30-14 advantage in points in the paint. UW won despite turning the ball over 20 times, their first such win since posting 20 TOs in a 68-58 win over Valparaiso in 2007.
- Wisconsin has played in each of the previous 17 Big Ten/ACC Challenges, owning an 8-9 record all-time, but winning 5 of its last 8 Challenge games. UW is 4-3 at home during the Challenge and 5-3 in the state of Wisconsin (played in Milwaukee in 2000). The Badgers are 4-4 against Challenge opponents who are ranked in the AP Top-25. Among Big Ten teams, only Purdue (9) and Minnesota (9) have more Big Ten/ACC Challenge wins than Wisconsin.

LAST MEETING VS. SYRACUSE
- Ethan Happ set then-career highs with 18 points, 15 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Nigel Hayes tallied 15 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists. Vitto Brown (14) and Bronson Koenig (12) also reached double digits.
- Syracuse won the other 2 recent meetings, including a 64-63 thriller in the 2012 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in Boston. UW's Jordan Taylor missed a potential game-winning 3-point jumper in the closing seconds.

THEY'RE ALL WATCHING
Wisconsin's roster features a trio of players on the Preseason All-Big Ten list with Nigel Hayes (Preseason Player of the Year), Bronson Koenig and Ethan Happ all earning distinction. That trio is also featured on numerous national award watch lists:

Hayes
- Naismith Player of the Year Award
- Wooden Player of the Year Award
- Lute Olsen National Player of the Year
- Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year

Koenig
- Naismith Player of the Year Award
- Wooden Player of the Year Award
- Lute Olsen National Player of the Year
- Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year

Happ
- Naismith Player of the Year Award
- Wooden Player of the Year Award
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year

2016-17 TEAM INFO
Starters Returning/Lost: 5/0
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 13/4

RETURNING FRONTCOURT STARTERS
- The Badgers welcome back 2016 first-team All-Big Ten selection Nigel Hayes, who averaged 15.7 ppg and 5.8 rpg while leading UW with 104 assists. The 2016-17 Blue Ribbon Magazine preseason National Player of the Year and preseason Big Ten Player of the Year, Hayes joins Michael Finley as the only Badgers to tally at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists by their junior season. If he just matches his junior year totals he would finish 3rd in school history in points (1,340 entering 2016-17), 7th in rebounds (557 entering 2016-17) and 7th in career assists (219 entering 2016-17).
- Sophomore Ethan Happ looks to build off his 2016 Big Ten Freshman of the Year campaign during which he averaged 12.4 ppg, ranked 6th in the Big Ten with 7.9 rpg and became the first freshman to lead the Big Ten in steals (63 steals) since OSU's Aaron Craft (2010). Happ became just the third NCAA freshman over the last 15 seasons to score 400 points, while recording 60 steals and 30 blocks (also Kevin Durant and DuJuan Blair).
- Senior Vitto Brown finished 4th on the team in scoring, averaing 9.7 ppg with 5.0 rpg. He enjoyed the third-largest scoring increase in the Big Ten a year ago, going from 1.8 ppg to 9.7 ppg in 2015-16. Brown did not attempt a 3-pointer in his first two seasons at UW, but led the team last year, shooting 40% (38-95) from deep.

RETURNING BACKCOURT STARTERS
- Third-team All-Big Ten junior Bronson Koenig returns as the team's lead guard after averaging 13.1 ppg and shooting 39.0% (83-213) from 3-point range. The moniker "Klutch Koenig" was born in 2015-16 after his game-winning shots against VCU and Xavier. In fact, over the final 5:00 and overtime of games last season, Koenig shot 54.8% (17-for-31) from 3-point range. Koenig needs just 71 points and 27 assists to become the 14th player in UW history with at least 1,000 points and 250 assists.
- Senior guard Zak Showalter made just four 3-pointers in his first two seasons, but knocked down 35 percent (37-107) from long range as a junior. Showalter averaged 7.5 ppg and 3.8 rpg while ranking third on UW with 36 steals.
- The Badgers also return key reserves Jordan Hill (junior guard - 15.6 mpg), Khalil Iverson (soph. guard - 13.0 mpg), Alex Illikainen (soph. forward - 9.8 mpg) and Charles Thomas, IV (soph. forward - 9.1 mpg). Wisconsin will also regain the services of redshirt freshman guard Brevin Pritzl, who missed all but one game of his freshman year with a foot injury and sophomore forward Andy Van Vliet, who was forced to sit out the 2015-16 season after the NCAA ruled him ineligible for not enrolling in college within a year of high school graduation. 
- Wisconsin will also welcome a three-man freshman class that features guard D'Mitrik Trice (6-0, Huber Heights, Ohio), forward Aleem Ford (6-8, Lawrenceville, Ga.) and walk-on guard Michael Ballard (6-4, Oak Park, Ill.)