Villanova Scheduling: Date Announced for Wisconsin Return Game

Villanova Men’s Basketball will take on the Wisconsin Badgers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday, Dec. 12, per a program announcement.

The matchup marks the second leg of a home-and-home that began in Milwaukee in 2025. However, while the South Philadelphia site is less than an hour’s drive from Villanova’s campus — traffic permitting — it’ll count as a neutral site matchup in the NET rankings, giving the Wildcats a boost. In order for a home matchup to qualify as a Quadrant 1 game, their opponent has to finish the season in the top 25; neutral site games, on the other hand, expand the range to the top 50.

As such, Villanova will get the benefit of a home crowd without a corresponding disadvantage in the NET rankings, one of the key factors in determining a team’s NCAA Tournament resume. Out-of-conference strength of schedule was one of the biggest knocks on the Wildcats last season, but that should matter less with the tournament expanding to 76 teams.

The Wildcats beat Wisconsin 76-66 in overtime in Milwaukee last season: while the Badgers later became one of the hottest teams in Division I, entering the tournament as a No. 5 seed, they fell to No. 12 seed High Point in a first round upset. 

As of right now, the only other confirmed date for Villanova this season is their Sunday, Nov. 1 opener against Notre Dame in Rome.