The start of the 2025-26 season for Marquette men’s basketball has been met with a lot of turbulence.
Despite boasting five wins, the Golden Eagles (5-4) are yet to beat a team they didn’t pay to play. But they get another chance this weekend, when they make the 78-mile drive west to Madison take on Wisconsin (6-2) Saturday afternoon in their first true road game.
“In terms of it being a rivalry game and all that, I’d love to be able to say, ‘Hey, we can turn up how much we want to win from where it is in other games,’” Marquette head coach Shaka Smart said. “But we really want to win every game in the same way.
Here is a preview of the 41st edition of the I-94 rivalry:
Will Wisconsin press its advantage down low?
The Golden Eagles are going to be tasked with handling the Badgers’ talented front-court on Saturday.
Seven-foot forward Nolan Winter leads the way, having started in all eight games for Wisconsin with an average of 13.1 points and 9.4 rebounds. Despite a slow shooting start this year — nailing just 3-of-20 triple attempts — the junior went 35% from deep last season and can be a threat from beyond the arc.
Sophomore forward Austin Rapp has contributed this season too, averaging 10.5 points per game and 4.3 rebounds. He and Winter are tied for the team lead in blocks with 10.
Marquette senior forward Ben Gold is coming off his best game of the season Wednesday night in the blue & gold’s 75-72 overtime win over Valparaiso with 17 points and seven rebounds. Redshirt sophomore Caedin Hamilton pulled down a season-high 10 rebounds in the victory as well, as he slowly continues to look more comfortable when he’s on the floor.
Gold and Hamilton will have one of their toughest challenges to date on their hands at Kohl Center, and Smart knows that in order to slow Wisconsin’s big men down, it’s going to take everybody.
“You’ve got to play with multiple efforts,” Shaka Smart said. “Whether it’s Caedin, Ben, Royce (Parham), Josh (Clark), or anyone else that we throw in there. You’ve got to play with multiple efforts, you’ve got to move on airtime, and that’s something we worked hard at [Thursday] and we’ll continue to work hard in our preparation.”
Can Marquette’s backcourt keep rolling?
Senior guard Chase Ross and first-year guard Nigel James Jr. have combined for 78 points across the Golden Eagles’ last two games. James Jr. has continued to look more comfortable as one of Marquette’s go-to scoring options, averaging 20.5 points across the past two contests.
“He’s got a lot of guts,” Smart said Wednesday night of James Jr. after his career-high 21-point, five-assist performance. “He’s got a lot of toughness.”
The duo has been getting it done on the defensive end as well this year, combing for 34 steals.
“Chase is a guy we want to have out there as much as we possibly can,” Smart said. “NJ has certainly — particularly on the offensive end — shown that we’re better when he’s out there making plays.”
Wisconsin senior guard Nick Boyd and junior guard John Blackwell will be among the challengers trying to slow Ross and James Jr. down. The duo has had a great season up to this point as well, averaging 40.8 points per game and combining for 27 steals.
“For all of our guards, it’s (about) understanding those guys are dynamic,” Smart said. “Meaning they can do a lot of different things. So, it’s not just about taking one thing away, and you’re not going to hold them scoreless. It’s more about, trying to make some of the things they do difficult for them.”
How to follow
Tip-off at Kohl Center is scheduled for 1 p.m. CST Saturday afternoon.
Watch: The game will be broadcast on FS1 with Jeff Levering (play-by-play) and LaPhonso Ellis (analyst) on the call.
Listen: 94.5 ESPN radio and tune into Marquette Wire Radio where Trevor Hilson (play-by-play) and Brian Wislon (analyst) will have the call.
Follow: Follow @JackAlbrightMU, @MatthewBaltzMU and @MUWireSports on Twitter/X for live updates.
This story was written by Matthew Baltz. He can be reached at matthew.baltz@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @MatthewBaltzMU.