Wisconsin Badgers
Northwestern
Five Things to Know: Badgers open Big Ten play vs. Northwestern
December 01, 2025 | Men's Basketball
UW returns home to face Wildcats on Wednesday
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin men’s basketball team is back at home this week as the Badgers open Big Ten Conference play with Northwestern on Wednesday night. Tip at the Kohl Center is set for 8 p.m. CT and tickets can be found on UWBadgers.Com.
Fans that can’t make it to the Kohl Center can watch the action on Big Ten Network or listen to the Badger Radio Network as Matt Lepay and Charlie Wills have the call.
OPENING SUCCESS
Bucky has taken 21 Big Ten season openers since 1999-2000, posting a winning Big Ten record in 22 campaigns during that time. Since Bo Ryan and Greg Gard arrived in 2001-02, the Badgers have the most Big Ten wins with 289. UW earned a top-4 finish in the Big Ten standings last year - the 20th time in the last 24 seasons, a claim only the Badgers can make.
Gard has gone 7-2 in Big Ten openers, stringing together six straight until a loss to Michigan last season. Five of those six teams ultimately made the NCAA Tournament, with two winning the Big Ten Championship in their respective season (2019-20, 2021-22).
CLOSING IN ON 1K
A pair of Badgers are closing in on 1000 points in their UW careers this week. Senior Andrew Rohde enters Wednesday’s game with 998 points while John Blackwell is close behind with 988 points.
Blackwell is poised to become the 51st Badger in school history to record 1000 points and could be the 4th fastest since 2000 to do so. The Bloomfield, Michigan, native has played in 78 career games for the Cardinal and White as Alando Tucker, Ethan Happ and Devin Harris are the only three Badgers since 2000 to reach 1000 points before their 80th game as a Badger.
THE DYNAMIC DUO
The Wisconsin guard combo of Nick Boyd and John Blackwell each put up impressive performances in San Diego last week. Boyd recorded a game for the record books with a career-high 36 points against Providence last Thursday. The Garnerville, New York, native also added 7 rebounds, 7 assists and had 0 turnovers, making him the first player in the last 15 years to record that statline.
Blackwell turned in his second 30+ point effort of the season against TCU on Friday as he had 30 points, including 21 in the first half. Blackwell made the most of his trips to the charity stripe, making a career-high 11 free-throws. He’s the only player in the Big Ten Conference with multiple 30+ point games this year, and Boyd and Blackwell are the only two in the league to post a 30+ point game against a major conference team.
AGAINST THE 'CATS
UW holds a four-game winning streak over the Wildcats.The Badgers most recently beat Northwestern 70-63 in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.
Overall, the Badgers have a history of dominance over the Wildcats, leading the all-time series 126-67. UW has won 13-of-18 matchups during Gard’s tenure.
Northwestern enters the contest at 5-2 after a 1-2 stretch against high-major teams during Feast Week. They finished third at the Greenbrier Tip-off, with a semifinal loss to Virginia and consolation win over South Carolina. More recently, the Wildcats fell 86-81 to Oklahoma State. Northwestern is paced by 6-foot-7 guard Nick Martinelli, who has led the team in scoring in five games this season. The senior is a four-year player under head coach Chris Collins, averaging 20.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game this season.
Heading back to the 414 for the Milwaukee Hoops Showdown!
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) September 24, 2025
Get your tickets now for our matchup with Villanova
?? https://t.co/92i6Liex4k#Badgers x #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/WqIrnVQWiP
UP NEXT
UW closes out the week against rival Marquette on Saturday, Dec. 6. Tip is scheduled for 1 p.m. and the game is sold out, but tickets are available through SeatGeek.
The Badgers continue their high-major slate with a return to Big Ten action next Wednesday at undefeated Nebraska. Following their trip to Lincoln, UW returns to Dairyland for the Milwaukee Hoops Showdown, where they'll take on Villanova on Dec. 19 at the Fiserv Forum. Tickets for that contest are available here.
