Wisconsin Basketball Plays Baylor in Hall of Fame Classic
Wisconsin Basketball faces an early non-conference test in the Hall of Fame Classic
Wisconsin Basketball will take on Baylor in the Hall of Fame Classic, a non-conference tournament in Kansas City. UCLA and Creighton will meet in the other matchup of the Hall of Fame Classic.
This tournament is an important opportunity for a young Wisconsin Basketball team against some quality opponents. The Hall of Fame Classic takes on elevated significance especially with the recent news that the NCAA Tournament Committee is placing added weight on road and neutral site wins for the 2018 bracket.
Wisconsin Basketball are scheduled to face Baylor at 8:30 p.m CST following the UCLA-Creighton undercard on Monday November 20th. The losers play a “consolation game” on Tuesday November 21st preceding the “championship.” ESPN has broadcasting rights for the Hall of Fame Classic.
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"This will mark just the second all-time meeting between Wisconsin and Baylor, and the first-ever regular season contest between the two programs. The Badgers and Bears last met in the Sweet 16 of the 2014 NCAA Tournament when UW earned a 69-52 win in Anaheim, California."
Baylor went 27-8 in 2016-17 and has won 21 or more games in nine of its last 10 seasons. The Bears are returning an experienced squad for this season with a single sophomore and pair of redshirt-freshman on its roster.
Both UCLA and Creighton will be replacing important freshman. The Bruins lost two 1st round picks in Lavarr Ball’s oldest son and TJ Leaf and Ike Anigbogu who went in the 2nd round of the NBA Draft. Creighton’s Justin Patton was also a 1st rounder meaning the Bluejays will also have some production and size to replace.
More from Badger of Honor
- Wisconsin Football flips 3-star defensive tackle from Northwestern
- Former Wisconsin Football stars to be featured on the next Wheaties box
- Believe it or not, Wisconsin Football has never played these FBS teams
- Four-star running back Darrion Dupree commits to Wisconsin Football
- Wisconsin Football wide receiver enters the transfer portal
One interesting note from the UW News Release is that the basketball follows some weekend festivities. Specifically, it’s the “12th-annual induction ceremony for the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.” Bo Ryan is one of the 2017 inductees to the Hall of Fame.
Ryan was 364-130 in his just over 14 seasons for Wisconsin Basketball. His .737 wining percentage and overall record is tops in program history. The UW record book indicates Ryan was the 34th coach in NCAA history to secure 700+ career coaching wins. Ryan went 30-27 in his time at UW-Milwaukee meaning his all-time Division I mark is 394-157 (.715). Of course, he started at UW-Platteville winning four Division III titles and a 314-57 record in 12 seasons with the Pioneers.
Celebration aside, on the court Wisconsin Basketball will have a big opportunity to score some solid resume-enhancing wins with Baylor and no matter who it will face in the second game. Given its stability in Big Ten play, the Badgers could go a long way towards putting a 19th consecutive NCAA Tournament in pencil at least with a pair of wins in Kansas City.