Wisconsin basketball coach Greg Gard comments on BYU game

Wisconsin basketball head coach Greg Gard shared his views on his team’s recently scheduled nonconference matchup against the BYU Cougars on Tuesday. 

Roughly one week after reports surfaced regarding the Nov. 21 bout against the Cougars in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the Utah Jazz’s Delta Center, the program officially announced the game with a press release.

“We’re really excited that we’re able to schedule this game with BYU,” UW head coach Greg Gard told UWBadgers.com. “Our game last year was one of the best of the NCAA Tournament and I think both fanbases will enjoy seeing a rematch this season. We have always tried to challenge ourselves in the non-conference schedule to prepare the team for Big Ten play and beyond and this game certainly will do so.”

The Badgers will certainly gear up for another highly anticipated test against Kevin Young’s crew. The Cougars secured a 91-89 victory in the most recent contest between the two teams on March 22, which featured a 37-point performance from former star Badger John Tonje and a 25-tally finish from BYU veteran Richie Saunders.

While Tonje will not return to the hardwood for the Badgers in Utah, the Cougars will return Saunders, send out starting center Keba Keita and welcome in freshman small forward A.J. Dybantsa, a five-star recruit and projected No. 1 pick of the 2026 NBA draft. UW, meanwhile, projects to start former San Diego State guard Nick Boyd, Virginia wing Andrew Rhode and Portland forward Austin Rapp alongside two returning starters in John Blackwell and center Nolan Winter.

The Badgers’ non-conference slate will also include a neutral-site match against the Villanova Wildcats at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on December 19th, an exhibition against the Oklahoma Sooners on Oct. 24 in Milwaukee and an appearance in the Rady’s Children’s Invitational in late November.

Games outside the Big Ten have traditionally enabled the Badgers to gauge where they stand against potential NCAA Tournament participants down the line. Those games also allow Gard to experiment with rotations and evaluate how his athletes perform alongside one another. With Dybantsa at the helm for BYU, Wisconsin’s Nov. 21 bout vs. the Cougars will also draw eyeballs.

The battle is expected to be the first of a home-and-home, with BYU set to travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 2026. Before then, Gard and company will look to notch an early signature win to start the 2025-26 regular season.

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