(FiSERV FORUM) – Wisconsin will play Villanova in the Milwaukee Hoops Showdown on Dec. 19 at Fiserv Forum in a major neutral site, non-conference match-up.
Game time and broadcast designation will be announced at a later date. Intersport, a Chicago-based sports marketing and events agency, will manage all aspects of the event.
Tickets for the event are scheduled to go on sale Sept. 24. Fans can register to receive dedicated event information and be eligible for ticket presale access, which will take place on Sept. 23, by registering online at www.fiservforum.com/showdown.
It will be the third all-time meeting between the two programs, with the Wildcats defeating the Badgers in 1995 and Wisconsin earning an NCAA Tournament second-round victory over top-seeded Villanova in 2017.
It will be Wisconsin’s first regular season neutral site game at a traditional basketball venue in Milwaukee since the 1989-90 season, when the Badgers faced Gonzaga at the Bradley Center on Dec. 1. Wisconsin has played numerous regular season games in Milwaukee when visiting both Marquette and UW-Milwaukee in addition to NCAA Tournament contests on three separate occasions in the city. Wisconsin also played a neutral site contest at American Family Field as part of the Brew City Battle against Stanford in 2022.
Wisconsin is led by Greg Gard, who is entering his 11th season as head coach with the program. Gard and the Badgers won 27 games last season, the team’s most since 2016-17, and earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Villanova welcomes new head coach Kevin Willard, who has a proven track record of success with Iona, Seton Hall and Maryland. Willard brings 335 career wins with him to Villanova, which won 21 games and advanced to the semifinals of the College Basketball Crown last season.
This will be the first non-conference regular season game for Villanova in Milwaukee since 1984 when the Wildcats competed in NCAA Tournament first and second-round games held on the University of Milwaukee campus.
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