Wisconsin Badgers
UNI
Five Things to Know: Wisconsin vs. UNI
October 31, 2017 | Men's Basketball
Badgers tip things off with exhibition for charity on Wednesday at Kohl Center
Wisconsin
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Northern Iowa
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Game Coverage
Wednesday, Nov. 1 | 7 pm — Kohl Center
EXHIBITION TO BENEFIT TEAM RUBICON
Thanks to an NCAA waiver, Wisconsin and Northern Iowa will open the 2017-18 season with an exhibition on Wednesday, Nov. 1. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. (CT) and will be streamed live on BTN Plus and can be heard on WIBA / iHeartRadio.
The NCAA currently allows for two exhibition games and/or closed scrimmages per year, but Division I schools are being allowed a third contest this fall to raise money for people and areas affected by the recent hurricanes in the southern United States and the Caribbean.
Fans in attendance will be asked to donate to Team Rubicon, an organization founded by former Badger football student-athlete and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Jake Wood that unites the skills and experience of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams to disaster areas. Team Rubicon has current relief operations underway in Houston, San Juan, Puerto Rico and at the wildfires in California.
We've got five things you need to know for Wisconsin vs. UNI.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW: NORTHERN IOWA
1. HAPPY NEW YEAR: Wisconsin begins its 119th season of men's basketball in 2017-18 and the third season with Greg Gard as the head coach.
2. QUITE A DEBUT: Gard has led Wisconsin to a 42-18 (.700) record in his first two seasons, the second-best win percentage through 60 games in school history. UW finished last season with a mark of 27-10, tallying the fifth-highest single-season win total in school history.
3. STREAKY: Wisconsin finished the regular season in a tie for second place in the 2017 Big Ten standings -- extending its streak of top-four finishes to a league-record 17th-consecutive season -- with a 12-6 conference record. The Badgers also took runner-up in the 2017 Big Ten Tournament.
4. MARCH IS THE MISSION: The Badgers are currently enjoying a streak of 19 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, tied for the fifth-longest streak in tournament history. Last season, Wisconsin reached the Sweet 16 for the fourth-consecutive year and the sixth time in the last seven seasons. UW is the only school to accomplish either feat.
5. 20/20 VISION: Wisconsin is enjoying a streak of at least 20 wins for 11 consecutive seasons and has tallied at least 12 Big Ten wins in eight straight (longest in conference).
