The Wisconsin Badgers play their last basketball game of 2025 on Tuesday, as the Milwaukee Panthers come to the Kohl Center. Tip-off is at 6:00 PM on the Big Ten Network, and the Badgers are 21.5-point favorites.
The Badgers got back in the win column with a solid 88-61 win over the Central Michigan Chippewas back on December 22nd. Austin Rapp had perhaps his best game as a Wisconsin Badger with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Nolan Winter also finished with 18 points and eight rebounds.
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Now, Wisconsin must shake off the rust from holiday break and get back into game action. What should Badger fans know about the UW-Milwaukee Panthers?
Opponent Preview
Head coach Bart Lundy’s Panthers squad sits at 7-6 on the season, but comes into Madison riding a three-game winning streak. UW-Milwaukee went into this season predicted to finish first in the Horizon League and is looking the part so far, as they are 3-0 in conference games. On Monday, the Panthers posted a 77-55 win over Purdue-Fort Wayne in Milwaukee. UW-Milwaukee put the game out of reach at halftime with a 44-16 lead and coasted the rest of the way.
Former Toledo Rocket Seth Hubbard leads the Panthers with 16.6 points and 1.1 steals per game. Unfortunately, Hubbard sustained a season-ending injury in the Panthers’ 70-68 loss to Indiana State back on December 14th.
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Since coming into the starting lineup, freshman guard Josh Dixon has impressed. Dixon is averaging 18.6 PPG in his last three games and has a 28-point performance against Cleveland State back on December 21st. Junior guard Aaron Franklin and junior college transfer Isaiah Dorceus will join Dixon in the backcourt. Franklin is coming off perhaps his best game of the season, scoring 13 points against Purdue-Fort Wayne. Dorceus leads the Panthers with 4.2 assists, while scoring 4.8 points per game.
One name Badger fans should take note of is guard Amar Augillard. Augillard was a preseason first-team Horizon League selection, but Jake Laude of Mid Major Basketball has described his play this season as “hot and cold.” While Augillard is averaging 10.8 points per game, he is shooting only 35 percent this season.
The Panthers feature a solid frontcourt, with forwards Danilo Jovanovich and Faizon Fields tied for the team lead with 6.5 rebounds a game. Jovanovich is the second-leading scorer on UW-Milwaukee’s team with 13.7 points per game, while Fields is the Panthers’ best rim-protector with 0.7 blocks a contest.
Score Prediction
Tuesday’s game is an interesting one.
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On the one hand, Wisconsin is coming off a holiday break and might take some time to adjust to game speed. On the other hand, UW-Milwaukee will play its second consecutive game in as many days, which means its starters will not be at 100 percent stamina.
Given that this is an in-state matchup, I predict the Panthers will hang around with the Badgers for one half, and maybe more, before Greg Gard’s crew takes control in the second half to close out 2025 with a Badger win.
Prediction: Wisconsin 91-73.
