Iowa Vs Wisconsin: Badgers Host Hawkeyes in Kohl Center Showdown
Wisconsin hosts rival Iowa at the Kohl Center on Sunday in a matchup billed as iowa vs wisconsin, with tipoff set for 3 p. m. CT (4 p. m. ET) and the Badgers chasing a result that could clinch a winning conference record.
Badgers aim to rebound after Tuesday loss
Wisconsin fell 86-69 at Ohio State in Columbus on Tuesday, snapping a two-game winning streak that had produced victories over top-10 Illinois and Michigan State. Braeden Carrington followed that effort with a 20-point game at Ohio State; he hit five three-pointers in the setback and has now hit three-plus triples in five contests this year. Carrington has eclipsed 10 points in six games, nailed four-plus threes in four of those contests, and is averaging 12. 1 points and 3. 3 made threes per game across seven true road contests, including a career-high 21 points off seven threes at Minnesota on Jan. 13.
Iowa Vs Wisconsin at the Kohl Center
Sunday’s tipoff is set for 3 p. m. CT. The game is sold out, but fans can find tickets on SeatGeek. com. Those who can’t make it to Madison can watch on FoxSports1 with Jack Kizer and Nick Bahe on the call or listen to Matt Lepay and Brian Butch on the Badger Radio Network. The matchup features two similar resumes; the Hawkeyes are coming off a 57-52 home win over No. 9 Nebraska on Tuesday night.
Where the resumes stack up
The Badgers are 18-8 overall and 10-5 in Big Ten play, one of four teams nationally with three top-10 wins. Wisconsin sits sixth in the Big Ten, one game behind the double-bye No. 3 and No. 4 seeds for the conference tournament. Analytically, UW is 26th in the NCAA’s Wins Above Bubble (WAB), has faced the nation’s 28th-hardest schedule and posts the 31st-best strength of record. In NET-ranked play, Wisconsin is 8-8 in Quadrant 1 and 2 games with three Quad 1A wins, a total only 14 schools have matched. Iowa sits 37th in the WAB and 30th in strength of record.
Hawkeyes' leadership and key numbers
Iowa is led by first-season head coach Ben McCollum, who took Drake to the NCAA Tournament last season. Bennett Stirtz, who joined McCollum from Drake, leads the Hawkeye offense with 20. 5 points per game while adding 4. 6 assists and 2. 5 rebounds.
Series history and last season’s sweep
Wisconsin holds a narrow 91-86 series lead over Iowa, having won six of the last seven meetings. The Badgers swept Iowa last season with a 116-85 win in Madison and a 74-63 victory in Iowa City. In last season’s game at the Kohl Center, Wisconsin scored a Kohl Center record 116 points and broke the Big Ten single-game three-point record with 21 triples.
What’s next for Wisconsin
Sunday marks the penultimate home game of the season before UW heads to a west coast trip at Oregon and Washington. Wisconsin split its west coast stint against USC and UCLA, 1-1, last season. The Badgers beat Washington 88-62 during 2024-25 in their first-ever Big Ten meeting and have not played in Seattle since a 54-53 loss on Dec. 28, 1955. UW returns home for senior night on March 4 vs Maryland, before ending the (unclear in the provided context).
What’s at stake
Wisconsin seeks its 11th Big Ten win on Sunday, which would clinch a winning conference record. The Badgers have had a winning Big Ten record in 22 of the last 25 seasons dating back to 2000-01, the most of any school; Michigan State and Purdue sit close behind with 20 and 18 winning seasons, respectively. Since 2001-02 when Bo Ryan and Greg Gard arrived in Madison, UW is tied with Michigan State for the most Big Ten wins and win percentage.
