Wisconsin Basketball v. Marquette Basketball: Recent Memorable Games

The No. 23 Wisconsin Basketball program and Marquette Basketball are set to face off at the Kohl Center for the 128th meeting between the in-state rivals.

The Badgers lead the series 68-59, with the Golden Eagles winning four of the last six meetings in the I-94 rivalry.

Now, the good majority on the Wisconsin Badgers side argues it is not a rivalry. Yes, the Badgers have bigger rivals in Minnesota, Iowa, and just about any of the original Big 10 teams. The Badgers also had those rivalries developed through football–Marquette ended its football program back in 1961.

Yes, the Marquette side takes the rivalry a bit more seriously because the Golden Eagles lack a football team and the school’s major focus on hoops. The blue and gold faithful like having the bragging rights 364 days a year, just a tad bit more.

These two teams have been playing each other since 1917. The rivalry reached its most intense moments back in the 1970s when Marquette’s eccentric head coach Al McGuire was on the sidelines. There is the iconic picture of McGuire jumping on the scorer’s table after Marquette beat the Wisconsin Badgers in 1974 to salute the crowd. The father of two Wisconsin players is shown giving Al the one-finger salute.

The games this century certainly have upped the intensity of this rivalry. Maybe it is because both programs have had a good run of success. During these 21 years, the programs have combined for four Final Fours (Wisconsin has three and Marquette has one) and 32 NCAA Tournament appearances (Wisconsin has 20 and Marquette has 12).

Former Marquette head coach Tom Crean used to say when Wisconsin and Marquette matched up; it was a chance for both programs to get a signature victory on an NCAA Tournament resume.

Each program has gotten its share of wins over each other lately as the Wisconsin Badgers hold a slight 11-10 edge this century.

Here are some of the more memorable wins the institutions from Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin have had over each other this century.

Memorable Wisconsin Basketball wins this century over Marquette Basketball

2001: Dwyane Wade made his only appearance in Madison and is treated to a Kohl Center loss. Kirk Penney shined in a 86-73 win over the No. 14 Golden Eagles.

2003: No. 22 Wisconsin held off No. 23 Marquette 63-59 at the Kohl Center in a thriller. The Badgers got some big stops down the stretch.

2006: No. 11 Wisconsin played amazing defense and bested No. 17 Marquette 70-66. It was the Badgers’ first win at the Bradley Center in six years. The win was also part of the Badgers’ 17-game win streak that season.

2014: It was not a pretty offensive game for the No. 2 Badgers–they scored just 49 points. Wisconsin’s defense was stellar as it held the Golden Eagles to just 38 points at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

2019: The Wisconsin Badgers blew out Markus Howard and the Golden Eagles 77-61 at the Kohl Center.

Marquette Golden Eagles memorable wins this century over the Wisconsin Badgers

2002: No. 16 Marquette snapped a four-game losing streak to Bucky Badger with a 63-54 victory in Milwaukee. Wade got his victory over Wisconsin.

2004: Travis Diener took over the game and led Marquette to a surprise 63-54 upset over No. 24 Wisconsin.

2007: No. 11 Marquette snapped Wisconsin’s 28-game home winning streak with an 81-76 victory.

2015: Luke Fischer tipped in the game-winning basket off Henry Ellenson’s miss at the end as Marquette stunned Wisconsin 57-55 in Madison. It is the last career loss Wisconsin legendary head coach Bo Ryan suffered.

2020: D.J. Carton missed a free throw to win the game, but Justin Lewis tipped in the rebound at the buzzer as Marquette surprises No. 4 Wisconsin 67-65 at Fiserv Forum.