Iowa Vs Wisconsin: Badgers Host Hawkeyes in Kohl Center Sellout
MADISON, Wis. — The stage is set for iowa vs wisconsin on Sunday at the Kohl Center, a sold-out 3 p. m. CT (4 p. m. ET) tipoff that pits Wisconsin (18-8, 10-5 Big Ten) against a Hawkeyes squad coming off a signature victory.
Badgers seek a bounce-back after 86-69 loss at Ohio State
Wisconsin dropped a 86-69 game at Ohio State on Tuesday in Columbus, snapping a two-game winning streak that had come against consecutive top-10 foes, Illinois and Michigan State. The setback left UW at 18-8 overall and 10-5 in conference play, and the Badgers will try to respond Sunday in front of a sellout crowd at the Kohl Center.
Iowa Vs Wisconsin series history
The series is tight: UW holds a narrow 91-86 lead over Iowa and has won six of the last seven meetings. Last season the Badgers swept Iowa, winning 116-85 in Madison and 74-63 in Iowa City; the 116-point night at the Kohl Center set a Kohl Center record and included a Big Ten single-game three-point mark of 21 triples by Bucky in that contest.
How to watch and where to listen
Tipoff is set for 3 p. m. CT. The game is on FoxSports1 with Jack Kizer and Nick Bahe on the call, and the Badger Radio Network will carry the audio with Matt Lepay and Brian Butch. The Kohl Center is sold out, though fans can still find tickets on SeatGeek. com.
What Iowa brings on the resume
Sunday’s matchup features an incredibly similar Iowa team from a resume standpoint: the Hawkeyes sit 37th in Wins Above Bubble (WAB) and 30th in strength of record, and they arrive coming off their best win of the season — a 57-52 home victory over No. 9 Nebraska on Tuesday night. Iowa is led by first-season head coach Ben McCollum, who took Drake to the NCAA Tournament last season, and guard Bennett Stirtz, who joined McCollum from Drake and leads the Hawkeye offense with 20. 5 points, 4. 6 assists and 2. 5 rebounds per game.
Bucky’s standing and what’s at stake
Wisconsin sits sixth in the Big Ten, one game behind the double-bye No. 3 and No. 4 seeds for the conference tournament, and holds one of the nation’s stronger resumes as one of four teams with three top-10 wins. UW ranks 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 the NET rankings, UW is 8-8 in Quadrant 1 and 2 games, including a trio of Quad 1A wins — a group of Quad 1A victories that only 14 schools have more of.
Braeden Carrington’s recent form off the bench
Following a 20-point game at Ohio State, Braeden Carrington has emerged as Wisconsin’s sparkplug off the bench; he hit five three-pointers in the loss and has now hit three-plus triples in five contests this year. Carrington has eclipsed 10 points in six games and knocked down four-plus threes in four of those contests. Across seven true road games this season he is averaging 12. 1 points and 3. 3 made threes, including a career-high 21 points — off seven threes — at Minnesota on Jan. 13.
Schedule context and upcoming dates
Sunday is the penultimate home game of the season before Wisconsin packs up for a west coast trip at Oregon and Washington. Last season the Badgers split a west coast stint against USC and UCLA, 1-1, and beat Washington 88-62 in 2024-25 in their first-ever Big Ten meeting. Wisconsin has 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.
With the Kohl Center sold out and national TV coverage in place, the Badgers will try to clinch a winning conference record with an 11th Big Ten victory on Sunday and halt Iowa’s momentum after the Hawkeyes’ win over Nebraska.
