Wisconsin men’s basketball to face Arizona in 2023 in Tucson and 2024 in Madison

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MADISON – Wisconsin and Arizona have played several memorable games in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, including two epic battles in the regional finals.

The programs are set to meet in each of the next two seasons.

On Monday, UW announced the Badgers and Wildcats have a home-and-home agreement in place for 2023 and 2024.

The Badgers are scheduled to play Arizona on Dec. 9 in Tucson. The Wildcats are to visit the Kohl Center on Nov. 15, 2024.

“We’re really excited to get this great home-and-home series with Arizona,” UW coach Greg Gard said. “We’ve had some memorable matchups in recent years with the Wildcats, and we’re looking forward to adding on to what has been a great series.”Part of what makes college basketball so great is having big-time games in on-campus venues and I love that we can schedule these for the fans in Tucson and Madison. We’ve always tried to challenge our team in the non-conference and facing a program like Arizona will certainly help prepare us for the rigorous Big Ten.”

UW failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament last season but reached the NIT semifinals before falling to North Texas. UW finished 20-15.

The Badgers are set to return all five starters, added a talented transfer from St. John’s (AJ Storr) and expect that at least two of their four incoming freshmen will contribute.

Arizona was seeded No. 2 in the South Regional last season but lost in the opening round to No. 15 Princeton, 59-55. The Wildcats finished 28-7.

The Wildcats lost four of their top six scorers after last season, led by forward Azuolas Tubelis (19.8 points per game, 9.1 rebounds per game).

However, they return all-Pac 12 center Oumar Ballo, who averaged 14.2 points and 8.6 rebounds last year, along with Pac-12 all-Freshman honoree Kylan Boswell and guard Pelle Larsson.

Tommy Lloyd, the 2022 Associated Press National Coach of the Year, has compiled a 61-11 record in two seasons at Arizona.

How has Wisconsin fared against Arizona?

The programs have met seven times,…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/wisconsin-mens-basketball-face-arizona-184908919.html?src=rss

Author : Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Publish date : 2023-05-22 18:49:08

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