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If Monday's basketball scheduling news was puzzling, Tuesday's was downright pleasant for Wisconsin. The list of Big Ten home games and single-plays was revealed, and at this admittedly early juncture, it appears the Badgers' slate will be both enticing and on the less-difficult end of the "It's never easy in the Big Ten" spectrum.
Those home games include, in no particular order other than alphabetical (dates obviously TBA):
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Michigan
- Michigan State
- Minnesota
- Northwestern
- Ohio State
- Purdue
As expected, Florida and Marquette are also on the non-conference docket. That list includes seven of ESPN.com's current preseason Top 25, and no Nebraska or Penn State. Simply put, get season tickets.
Not knowing the dates of any of those games obviously limits the amount of analysis we can do in mid-May, but more significant news did come in Wisconsin's single-plays:
- Home: Michigan State and Ohio State
- Away: Nebraska and Penn State
Obviously, that's an incredibly gracious draw, getting what could be the conference's top two preseason favorites in the Spartans and Buckeyes at home, just once. Wisconsin hasn't faired well at the Breslin Center recently, losing its last eight games there dating back to March 2, 2004. MSU won both games against UW this season,
The Badgers are also 9-1 at home against the Buckeyes since 2001, so that's encouraging. Wisconsin and Ohio State split this past season series, with each team winning at home.
Those trips to Nebraska and Penn State are also hardly daunting, and considering how close this year's Big Ten standings shook out, this all could be a welcoming factor for the Badgers. The full list of 2013-14 Big Ten single-plays can be found here, if you'd like.
We also know that Wisconsin will travel to Virginia for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Dec. 4, presenting a chance to avenge last year's loss in the tournament. Here's what we know of the Badgers' non-conference slate so far:
DATE | OPPONENT |
Nov. 8 | vs. St. John's in Sioux Falls, S.D. |
Nov. 12 | vs. Florida |
Nov. 26 | vs. Saint Louis at Cancun Challenge |
Nov. 27 | vs. West Virginia/Old Dominion at Cancun Challenge |
Dec. 4 | at Virginia |