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How to watch Wisconsin basketball at Michigan

Wisconsin basketball needs a bounce-back week in the worst way. The Badgers went 0-2 during the last 7-day stretch with tough losses at Nebraska and at home against Purdue.

The good news: the schedule now gets a bit easier and might allow for that to be possible. The bad news: the Badgers must now go on the road for three of its next for games — at Michigan, at Rutgers, vs Ohio State and at Iowa.

Greg Gard’s team gets it started tomorrow night when it visits the 7-15 (2-9 Big Ten) Michigan Wolverines — clearly the worst team in the conference.

Michigan is KenPom’s No. 101 team in the nation and has lost five consecutive games and 10 of its last 11. The program is spiraling under head coach Juwan Howard, and fast.

It’s safe to say Wisconsin needs to exit Ann Arbor with a win on Wednesday. Here is how to watch the contest:

Date: Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024
Time: 7 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. CT
TV Channel: Big Ten Network

Wisconsin basketball slides in latest KenPom ranking

It was a rough week for Wisconsin basketball

Wisconsin is fresh off a forgettable week, arguably the worst of its 2023-24 season thus far. The Badgers first squandered a 19-point lead on the road at Nebraska on Thursday, before returning home and narrowly losing to No. 2 Purdue.

The losses drop the Badgers (16-6, 8-3 Big Ten) into a tie for second with Illinois, 1 1/2 games behind first-place Purdue.

The performances also had the Badgers slide in KenPom’s rankings. The team moved from No. 11 to No. 13 and now has the No. 9 offense and No. 33 defense.

Greg Gard’s team remains the third-highest-ranked team in the Big Ten, but is now further behind Illinois at No. 10 and Purdue at No. 2.

The season is far from over, especially with another matchup with Purdue in early March. But Wisconsin must return to its winning ways starting Wednesday at Michigan if it wants to keep pace in the Big Ten.

Wisconsin social media irate after the Badgers’ narrow loss to No. 2 Purdue

Social media irate at the refs after the Badgers’ narrow loss to No. 2 Purdue….

No. 6 Wisconsin basketball suffered its second loss of the week, this time at the hands of No. 2 Purdue.

The game was close throughout before several late whistles on Wisconsin defenders and a late Purdue run gave the Boilermakers a 75-69 road win.

Tyler Wahl led the way for the Badgers with likely his best game of the season — 20 points on 10 of 16 shooting, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks.

But Purdue’s guard-centric attack of Braden Smith and Lance Jones gave the Badgers fits as they worked tirelessly to stop the impact of National Player of the Year candidate Zach Edey.

Wisconsin Badgers social media was irate after the loss, mostly about questionable officiating down the stretch:

Michigan’s Juwan Howard suffered a historic loss to Rutgers on Saturday

Things have gone from bad to worse for Juwan Howard at Michigan

Michigan basketball is in a very bad place at the moment.

This year’s Wolverines are 7-15 overall, 2-9 in Big Ten play and 1-10 in their last 11 games. The program is nearly certain to miss the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. It went 23-5 and made the Elite Eight in 2020-21. Then it went 19-15 in 2021-22, 18-16 in 2022-23 and now this season’s disaster.

For reference, Feb. 20, 2022 was the date Juwan Howard slapped Joe Krabbenhoft and ignited a brawl after the Badgers’ win. Wisconsin’s record since that date is 40-23. Michigan’s is 30-35

The problems reached a crescendo for Howard’s program on Saturday. The Wolverines led Rutgers by 17 points at halftime and led 47-32 with 16:54 left in the second half. The Scarlet Knights then scored 37 of the next 49 points — a 37-12 run — to win 69-59.

Rutgers scored 37 of the final 49 points in its historic win at Michigan. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/09IN46nVD1

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 3, 2024

Michigan — up 17 in the second half — loses by double digits to Rutgers 😐 pic.twitter.com/BHIq6VNW3u

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 3, 2024

Howard can recruit, and he’s clearly still an important figure in Michigan basketball history. But I’m not sure how the Michigan athletic department watches this collapse from 2020-21 and doesn’t take action.

Michigan is by far the worst team in the Big Ten this season.

Way-too-early record predictions for every Big Ten football team in 2024

Way-too-early record predictions for every Big Ten football team in 2024 … things look a lot different:

A new era of Big Ten football begins this fall with four powerful brands joining the conference. No more Big Ten East and West divisions and no more Midwest-centric geography. Now the Big Ten reaches coast-to-coast and contains some of the biggest brands in the sport.

What this means for business has been discussed at length. What it means for competition within the conference is clear: The inventory of great games is expanding significantly, which also means tougher paths for nearly every member team.

A good sample: Oregon joins the Big Ten as one of the top three teams from the start — especially given its recruiting pedigree and recent performance under head coach Dan Lanning. The Ducks’ first year in the conference includes contests against UCLA, Michigan State, Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Washington. That is a tough path regardless of the program’s strength.

So as we prepare for the new era of Big Ten football — and especially where the Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska-type programs fall — here are our way-too-early record predictions for every team in the conference:

How to watch Wisconsin basketball vs No. 2 Purdue

There is a season-defining game at the Kohl Center on Sunday afternoon. The No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers (16-5, 8-2 Big Ten) welcome in the No. 2 Purdue Boilermakers (20-2, 9-2 Big Ten) for a chance for supremacy in the Big Ten.

The Badgers had previously led the Big Ten standings for much of the season. The Boilermakers finally overtook first place last night when the Badgers’ overtime loss at Nebraska dropped them from a tie for first to 0.5 games back.

Now, the eyes of the nation will be on Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon as these two Final Four contenders square off.

Here is how to watch Sunday’s game:

Date: Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024
Time: 1 p.m. ET, noon CT
TV Channel: CBS, or streaming on Paramount+

Where Wisconsin basketball lands in USA TODAY’s latest Bracketology

The Wisconsin Badgers are holding strong as a 2-seed in USA Today’s latest Bracketology.

The Badgers fell 80-72 in overtime at Nebraska last night in what was an all-too-familiar second-half collapse. The team now sits at 16-5 on the season and 8-2 in Big Ten play.

Greg Gard’s team had a chance to move up to a 1-seed with dominant showings at Nebraska last night and at home on Sunday afternoon against Purdue. Both contests are viewed as ‘Quad 1’ games, where wins could move the needle but losses won’t necessarily hurt the resume.

Current 1-seeds in USA Today’s latest bracket are North Carolina, Purdue, Houston and UConn. Wisconsin is a two-seed alongside Tennessee, Iowa State and Marquette.

The Badgers are back in action Sunday afternoon in a gigantic matchup against No. 2 and first-place Purdue.

Wisconsin basketball remains one of KenPom’s top teams in the Big Ten

The No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers choked away a 19-point lead in a 80-72 loss to Nebraska in Lincoln last night. The loss drops Wisconsin to 16-5 on the season and 8-2 in Big Ten play, now 0.5 games behind Purdue for first place in the Big Ten standings.

Nebraska had been nearly perfect at home entering the contest, entering with a 13-1 overall home record and 5-0 in Big Ten play — even Purdue lost by 16 on the road in Lincoln. That context takes a bit of the sting off of the loss, but doesn’t explain the massive blown lead and horrid second half.

Regardless, the Badgers remain one of the top contenders in the conference and one of the best teams in the nation. This group is still on pace to be Greg Gard’s best offensive team since taking over as head coach in 2015-2016, arguably his deepest and maybe his best overall.

So, believe it or not, Wisconsin remains one of KenPom’s top teams in the Big Ten despite the loss. Here are those full power rankings, exactly halfway through the conference schedule:

Wisconsin chokes away a 19-point lead in overtime loss to Nebraska

Wisconsin blows another big lead at Nebraska…

Wisconsin basketball gave a sense of deja vu tonight. The No. 6 Badgers squandered a 19-point lead to eventually fall 80-72 in overtime to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The road collapse in Lincoln comes nearly a year to the day after the team relinquished a 17-point second-half lead in the same building (February 11, 2023).

Wisconsin drops to 16-5 (8-2 Big Ten) with the loss, falling to 0.5 games behind Purdue for first place in the conference.

The Badgers led 43-27 at halftime, though came out of the break making just one of their first eight three-point attempts. A late flurry from Max Klesmit halted Nebraska’s momentum for a minute, but C.J. Wilcher’s 22 points on 5/7 from three and a couple of Rienk Mast threes proved to be too much. The result is the Badgers’ first loss since 2000 in which they led by 15+ at halftime.

Credit Nebraska’s hot shooting or credit the Cornhuskers’ weird magic inside their building this year (the team is now 14-1 overall and 6-0 in conference play at home). But Wisconsin also has themselves to blame for this one, as the team finished with 16 turnovers.

pic.twitter.com/W4MIbh4JFr

— No Context College Basketball (@ContextFreeCBB) February 2, 2024

Greg Gard’s team now must regroup quickly as No. 2 Purdue visits Madison on Sunday afternoon.

How to watch Wisconsin basketball at Nebraska

The first-place Wisconsin Badgers are set to enter the most critical stretch of their season. The first two weeks of the month include tonight’s road game at Nebraska, a massive home matchup against Purdue, road tests at Michigan and Rutgers and one at home against Ohio State.

The team sits at 16-4 and 8-1 in Big Ten play, just about as good as anybody could’ve hoped for entering the year.

But college basketball seasons and careers are defined in March — which is often set up by what happens in February. The Badgers need to get the month started right tonight in a tough matchup at 15-6 (5-5 Big Ten) Nebraska.

Here is how to watch tonight’s game

Date: Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET, 7:30 p.m. CT
TV Channel: Big Ten Network