Wisconsin Badgers Basketball

The Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team has shown a recent resurgence on the court after a half century of disappointing results. In their early years, the Badgers were a force to be reckoned with, recording several undefeated seasons to win their conference title on many occasions up until their first appearance in the NCAA basketball tournament in 1941, which they won with a 39–34 victory over the Washington State Cougars. It remains the Badgers’ only NCAA title to this day. The team would make just one more national tournament appearance in 1947 before the onset of a nearly 50 year hiatus while the team languished in the doldrums. The Badgers’ return to national prominence came in 1994, when the team finally qualified again for the NCAA postseason March Madness tournament. Since 1994, the team has  gone on to appear 23 times, becoming regular contenders who have now reached the Sweet 16 on 10 occasions and the Elite 8 on 3. The Badgers continued on to the Final Four in all three of those seasons, coming achingly close to a second championship title in 2015 when they lost 68-63 to the Duke Blue Devils in the NCAA championship final. Several ex-Badgers have also gone on to star in the NBA, including Michael Finlay, Wes Matthews, and current star Devin Harris. After a frustrating season in 2022-23 when the team finished with a winning record (20-15) but did not qualify for the March Madness tournament, Badgers fans will be hoping to see their team back in contention in 2024 and beyond. 

How can I get cheap tickets to Wisconsin Badgers games?

After the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, home to the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA, the Kohl Center in Madison is the second-largest indoor arena in the state of Wisconsin, boasting a capacity comparable to many professional sporting venues around the country. Wisconsin Badgers basketball games (and hockey games!) are the biggest ticket draws at the venue, frequently selling out big games such as postseason tournament games, key conference deciders, or rivalry matchups (see below). Tickets can be difficult to find. To get your hands on the cheapest tickets to Wisconsin Badgers games, search the TicketX listings on this page and use our handy TicketX seating chart to compare prices and locations. You can purchase tickets from TicketX with just one click for the lowest commission fees! 

Wisconsin Badgers Rivalries

The resurgence of the Wisconsin Badgers basketball team since the 1990s has made them a team to be reckoned with in their conference and the national level. This has added some spice to the team’s long-standing rivalry with the Marquette Golden Eagles, who are located just 78 miles down the I-94 Highway in Milwaukee (hence the rivalry is known as the I-94 Rivalry). Overall, the Badgers lead the all-time series at 71-59 and have won the last 3 games in a row. With both teams ranked nationally in the top 10 or 15 in recent seasons, this Wisconsin rivalry has never been hotter! The Badgers also have a long historic rivalry with the Indiana Hoosiers. 

Are Wisconsin Badgers basketball games exciting?

The crowd at the Kohl Center is known for being quite lively, particularly the student section, which for years wore tied-dyed red shirts and called themselves the Grateful Red but have now rebranded as AreaRED. Fans are also known for saluting the players and for standing up and putting their arms around one another to sing the school song “Varsity” (sung since 1898).