NCAA Basketball: 25 best team rivalries heading into 2019-20 season

19. Marquette Golden Eagles vs. Wisconsin Badgers

Madison and Milwaukee sit an hour and a half apart. Hoards of Wisconsin and Marquette fans will gladly drive that distance to watch Wisconsin’s fiercest sports rivalry.

Since Marquette doesn’t have a football program, this is the big shot each year for these programs to assert themselves. A whole year of talk could spring forth from one November basketball game, but which team will get the job done this season?

The advantage rests with Wisconsin, who will not only host this year’s game but also lead the all-time series 67 to 58. Just this past year, the two met in an overtime affair won by Marquette at home, a game in which Ethan Happ and Markus Howard were both scoring points in bunches.

Though these aren’t the two most heralded programs in college basketball (though they do both have a national title), this rivalry resonates largely to the people of Wisconsin. Funnily enough, this year’s game will take place on the Sunday of the Green Bay Packers’ bye week, giving these fans something to cheer about instead.

Another exciting game from this rivalry’s past took place in 1978. Marquette was a few years removed from their lone national title and was dominating the rivalry.

On that night, Wisconsin prevailed with a bigtime effort, not only winning the game but beginning to turn the tide against their local rivals. While Marquette scored a major blowout a few seasons later (winning by 30 in 1982), the Badgers started winning these close rivalry games once more.

This game usually takes place in December, but the change in Big Ten scheduling has pushed it a few weeks earlier. For Marquette and Wisconsin fans, I doubt they care much about when the game takes place as long as their team wins.

Greg Gard has done a fine job with the Badgers but has won just one of his first four games against the Golden Eagles. With the Hausers gone from Marquette, perhaps this will be Wisconsin’s year again.