Badger basketball vs HPU preview; latest injury news
Wisconsin basketball faces an 'aggressive' High Point Panthers team to open the NCAA Tournament
It may have seemed unlikely in early January, but the day has come: the Wisconsin men’s basketball team is playing in the NCAA Tournament today. In a matter of three months, the Wisconsin Badgers went from a team that, for a moment, lacked a distinct identity on either end of the floor to one that has the potential to deliver UW a Sweet Sixteen appearance for the first time since 2017.
Wisconsin (24-10, 14-6 Big Ten) head coach Greg Gard commented on Wednesday that “casual fans” who may have only started watching the Badgers in March “missed a lot.”
“So I try to focus more on the journey of continuing to build and get better and be on an ascension to get to this point of, time of the year,” the coach in his 11th season at the helm in Madison added. “And then you have to play your best.”
UW playing its best against the High Point Panthers (30-4, 15-1 Big South) will be a bit easier with junior forward Nolan Winter back in the lineup. Gard has indicated throughout the week that the 7-footer will be available at “full-go” despite missing the Big Ten Tournament. Guard Jack Janicki, who suffered a broken wrist earlier this season, had “not been in a full practice yet” and was questionable at best to play against HPU when Gard spoke on Wednesday.
That puts Wisconsin nearly at full strength against a team “that as you watch them on film, you get more and more impressed with them,” according to Gard.
“They’re going to be aggressive, and we’re going to have to, you know, bring our hard hats and be ready to play,” UW’s second team All-Big Ten point guard Nick Boyd said.
Who to watch: Terry Anderson
High Point is led from the wing by Terry Anderson. The 6-foot-6, 190-pound lefty, scoring a team-high 16.0 points per game, can catch opposing defenses flat-footed if they are not ready for him.
Gard described the sixth-year senior as “athletic, powerful,” before comparing him to standout players in the Big Ten, including Illinois’ Andrej Stojakovic, who scored 17 points against the Badgers last week in the conference tournament.
“He’s so athletic and powerful,” Gard said of the Deer Park, Texas native who earned first team All-Big South and Big South Tournament MVP honors this season. “And he goes to the glass really well.”
Whether Anderson is going to the hoop to grab an offensive rebound, which he does 2.4 times per game, or to draw contact and make it to the free-throw line, which he does 6.4 times per game, the former junior college standout consistently brings intensity to the floor. His 1.4 steals per game are evidence of his willingness to bring it at both ends, too.
“That’s the one thing that jumps out on film, and people say about him, is how hard he plays,” Gard added. “He’s in constant pursuit when he’s on the court.”
What to watch: Turnover battle
2026 is not 2024.
However.
A 30-win mid-major in the 5-12 game wearing purple jerseys with a knack for forcing turnovers on the opposing sideline is probably giving some Wisconsin Badgers fans a bad sense of déjà vu.
Wisconsin turned the ball over 19 times en route to being upset in the first round of the 2024 NCAA men’s basketball tournament by the James Madison Dukes. That UW team was only 47th-best in the country in holding onto the ball, while that JMU squad was 41st nationally in turnover rate forced.
As good as this year’s Wisconsin squad is, led by one of the best backcourts in the country and the third-best team in men’s DI in offensive turnover rate, High Point is excellent at wreaking havoc on the defensive end. Only four teams in the country force turnovers more often than HPU on a per-possession basis.
“Obviously, they’re very active,” Gard said about the Panthers’ defense.
“They’ll play in passing lanes. They’re active with their hands. You’ve got to do a good job of being fundamentally sound, of not floating passes, making sure you’re passing and catching in with two hands, playing off two feet. They’re heavy in gaps. They’ll really dig and commit. They’ll flood to the ball when there is dribble penetration, and they’ll rake it loose.”
Gard emphasized that baskets would not come easily for the Badgers, who, led by veteran guards John Blackwell and Boyd, boast the eighth-most efficient offense in the country. Not only will Wisconsin have to ensure its offensive spacing and decision-making are up to snuff, but it will also have to play through hands consistently trying to slap the ball away.
The Badgers have preached those fundamentals for ages, but they become even more crucial in the tournament.
“We’re not preparing for anything different. What we’ve talked about all year, we talk about passing and catching and take care of the ball the minute they walk on campus,” Gard said in a press conference yesterday. “So we have to continue to do that—what we’ve been very good at—really, really well.”
Why to watch: C’mon, man.
Do I even need to write this?
It’s the tournament. Today could be the last time we see the Boyd-Blackwell backcourt together. It could be the last time Gard sends his son Isaac to the scorers’ table to dribble out a blowout.
From hereon, 64 teams are trying to play just one more game together.
“We have to perform at a high level for 40 minutes or more in order to earn an opportunity to get another 40 minutes,” Gard said.
How, when, where to watch Wisconsin basketball in NCAA Tournament: TV, streaming, radio
Where: Moda Center — Portland, Oregon
When: Thursday, March 19, 2026 — 12:50 p.m. Central
Watch: TBS (Play-by-play: Brad Nessler; Analyst: Wally Szczerbiak; Sideline: Jared Greenberg)
Local radio: Badger Sports Network (Play-by-play: Matt LePay; Analyst: Brian Butch)
National radio: Westwood One — Sirius XM 204/211 (Play-by-play: Ryan Radtke; Analyst: Austin Croshere)
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