Date set for 2026 Marquette-Wisconsin men's basketball game, per contract

TL;DR

The Marquette-Wisconsin men's basketball game is scheduled for December 5, 2026, in Milwaukee. This rivalry has been ongoing since the 1984-85 season.

Key points

Marquette-Wisconsin game set for December 5, 2026
Game will take place in Milwaukee
Rivalry has been ongoing since 1984-85
Television rights held by Marquette
Both teams have other nonconference games scheduled

Marquette Golden EaglesWisconsin Badgers

The date for the annual Marquette-Wisconsin men’s basketball game has been set.

The 2026-27 renewal of the in-state basketball rivalry will be on Saturday, Dec. 5 in Milwaukee, according to the game contract the Journal Sentinel obtained via an open records request.

The contract does not dictate a time or TV assignment. As a Marquette home game, MU has the television rights for the game. MU and UW signed the contract in September 2024 for the 2025 and 2026 games in the series, which has had at least one game every season since 1984-85.

“I don’t think it gets enough credit nationally for the rivalry that it is,” MU athletic director Mike Broeker previously told the Journal Sentinel. “I’m always amazed when people produce these top-10 rivalry lists and this one might go missing. I’ve been here 21 years and I can’t remember when a game hasn’t lived up to the expectation.”

It is the second known nonconference game for both teams. Greg Gard’s UW program also will play Auburn on Dec. 19 in Nashville, a team source previously told the Journal Sentinel. Shaka Smart’s Golden Eagles will play reigning national champion Michigan on Nov. 11 in Ann Arbor as the start of a home-and-home.