The Wisconsin Badgers renew their in-state basketball rivalry with the Marquette Golden Eagles this Saturday at the Kohl Center. Tip-off is at 1:00 P.M. on Fox Sports 1, and Wisconsin is a 10.5-point favorite.
The Badgers earned their first Big Ten win of the season, defeating Northwestern 85-73 last Wednesday. John Blackwell and Andrew Rohde were both sensational in the first half. Blackwell scored 23 points in the opening half, while Rohde dished out seven first-half assists to give Wisconsin a 55-32 halftime lead.
Despite the stellar first half, Wisconsin was sluggish in the second, as the Wildcats outscored the Badgers 41-30. That cannot happen this Saturday.
What should Badger fans know about the Marquette Golden Eagles?
Opponent Preview
It’s fair to say Shaka Smart’s fifth season at Marquette is a rebuilding one, with leaders Kam Jones, David Joplin, and Stevie Mitchell having exhausted their eligibility. As a result, the Golden Eagles are struggling to find stability in 2025-26, coming into this game with a 5-4 record. Should the Badgers win this game, it would only be a Quad 4 win.
For Marquette, it starts with Chase Ross. Ross came into this season as a member of the Preseason All-Big East First Team and has not disappointed so far. In all nine games, Ross leads the Big East in scoring with 20.3 points per game and is second among conference players with 2.0 steals per game.
In the backcourt, the Golden Eagles feature new starting guards Zaide Lowery and true freshman Nigel James Jr. Lowery averages 9.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. James Jr. is coming off his best game of the season against Valparaiso, where he scored 21 points on 7-of-16 shots from the floor to lead Marquette to an overtime victory. On the season, Jones averages 12.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists.
Senior 6-foot-11 forward Ben Gold leads the frontcourt for Marquette with a team-high 7.8 rebounds but also averages 9.8 points, while forward Caedin Hamilton chips in 5.1 points and 4.6 rebounds.
Score Prediction
The old cliché with rivalry games is that you can throw out the records, and I think that’s true in this game. Marquette comes into the Kohl Center with a chance to springboard from what has been a struggling season, and what better way than to beat their rivals along I-94?
For Wisconsin to win, they cannot afford a second-half lull like they had against Northwestern, or they will be in for a dogfight. I’m picking the Badgers to win this game, but don’t be surprised if this game is close in the second half.
Prediction: Wisconsin 92-81.
