Fresh off its biggest margin of victory in a decade, Wisconsin closes its season-opening homestand when it hosts Coastal Carolina tonight at the Kohl Center.
After a pair of single-digit victories, the Badgers had their most complete performance of the season in its 89-42 victory over Fairfield, putting four players in double figures and holding a team to no field goals in over 13 minutes. The 42 points was the fewest UW had allowed to an opponent in nearly three years.
Coastal Carolina hasn’t beaten a power-conference team since December 2021 and lost at No.5 Duke by 61 points early this month. However, the Chanticleers scored 103 points in its last game by shooting 47.8 percent from the floor.
Here is a look at both teams and a prediction for tonight’s contest.
Coastal Carolina (2-2, 0-0 Sun Belt) vs. Wisconsin (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Date/Time – Sunday, November 15, 7 p.m.
Arena – Kohl Center
TV/Stream – Big Ten Network (Zach Mackey and Jordan Taylor)
Radio – Badgers Radio Network (Matt Lepay and Brian Butch)
Coaches – Greg Gard at Wisconsin (240-128 in his 12th season). Justin Gray at CCU (31-37 in his third season, 82-84 in six seasons overall)
Series – Wisconsin leads 3-0
Last Meeting – Wisconsin won, 86-72, on March 20, 2015, in Omaha, Neb.
Point Spread – Wisconsin -29.5
Wisconsin probable starters
1 Braeden Carrington (6-5 Fifth-Year Guard, 15.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 apg)
6 Victory Onuetu (6-11 Senior Guard, 5.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 0.3 apg)
15 Owen Foxwell (6-2 Fifth-Year Guard, 14.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 5.3 apg)
31 Nolan Winter (7-0 Senior Center, 6.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.7 apg)
55 Eian Elmer (6-6 Senior Guard, 13.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 apg)
Off the bench
4 Zach Kinzinger (6-4 Sophomore Guard, 2.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.0 apg)
5 Jack Janicki (6-5 Junior Guard, 4.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.7 apg)
22 Austin Rapp (6-10 Junior Forward, 8.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.3 apg)
Player to watch
Starting to find his groove after an offseason knee injury, Rapp played a season-high 20 minutes, 52 seconds in Wisconsin’s win over Fairfield. He was productive during that time with a game-high 15 points, went 3-for-7 from three, and finished second on the team with six rebounds.
Coastal Carolina probable starters
0 Trey Perry (6-1 Sophomore Guard, 14.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.0 apg)
1 Tristan Thompson (6-5 Sophomore Guard, 6.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.8 apg)
6 Drew Fuquay (6-8 Sophomore Forward, 6.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.5 apg)
9 Jaylan Cross (6-4 Senior Guard, 7.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.0 apg)
15 Derrick Green (6-9 Junior Forward, 3.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 0.0 apg)
Off the bench
2 Jaevian Alston (6-6 Sophomore Guard, 7.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.0 apg)
3 DaJohn Craig (6-1 Junior Guard, 6.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.5 apg)
5 Darius Washington III (6-5 Sophomore Guard, 8.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.0 apg)
Player to watch
Needing to replace three guards who averaged over 14.8 points per game, Perry has been the team’s main scorer. He had a season-high 20 points in the season opener and 18 points in CCU’s first win against South Carolina Update.
Series notes
Wisconsin last saw Coastal Carolina in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament. Earning the program’s first No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Badgers got 27 points (10-for-14) and 12 rebounds from Frank Kaminsky and 20 points from Sam Dekker in a 14-point win. UW outscored the Chanticleers in the lane, 40-24, and outrebounded them, 36-25, on a night it shot 54.1 percent from the floor.
Wisconsin is 7-3 against schools currently in the Sun Belt, last playing a team from the conference in 2024 (an 87-56 victory over Appalachian State).
The Badgers’ two home victories in the series came in December 1991 (91-57) and November 2005 (92-54).
Coastal Carolina is currently 0-10 against teams currently in the Big Ten. CCU hasn’t played a Big Ten team since the 2015 matchup against Wisconsin.
The Chanticleers are 0-5 in true road games and 0-3 at neutral sites against the Big Ten. Coastal has never hosted a Big Ten opponent.
Perry and Elmer were teammates last season with Miami (OH), helping the RedHawks win 31 straight games to start the year. Miami (OH) reached the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
Coastal Carolina coach Justin Gray was a three-time ACC all-conference selection for Wake Forest. He scored 20 points in the Demon Deacons’ 90-80 victory at Wisconsin on Dec.4, 2002.
Wisconsin notes
Entering tonight, Wisconsin has won its last 22 non-conference home games. That streak, which started with a victory against Robert Morris on Nov. 17, 2023, is tied for the longest active streak in the conference.
The Badgers are 32-5 (.865) at the Kohl Center dating back to the start of the 2024-25 season.
The Badgers have started the season 3-0 for the fourth time in the last four seasons. UW has opened 3-0 or better in five of Gard’s 11 full seasons.
Wisconsin held Fairfield to 1-for-21 (4.8 percent) from 3-point range, the lowest clip for a Badger opponent since Savannah State went 0-for-3 on Dec. 15, 2011.
Coastal Carolina notes
The Chanticleers were picked 13th in the 14-team Sun Belt Conference.
Twelve of the 15 players on the roster are newcomers with eight transfers and four freshmen. Coastal’s six Division I transfers have combined to play in 246 games prior to their arrival in Conway.
Coastal Carolina has used three different starting lineups in its first four games this season after using the same starting five for the final 30 games of 2025-26.
Coastal Carolina owns a 6-58 record all-time in true road games against teams from the ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12 and SEC.
Prediction
Fairfield was supposed to be a solid defensive team who could frustrate Wisconsin’s inconsistent offense. That turned out to be a farce, as the Badgers dropped the hammer on the Stags on both ends of the court.
Coastal has blocked 27 shots through four games, averaging a Sun Belt-leading 6.8 per contest that ranks 14th nationally entering the weekend. That’s impressive considering CCU employs a guard-heavy lineup.
However, I won’t be fooled two games in a row. I expect Wisconsin to use the same formula that worked for them last time out: bully the paint on both ends, generate offense through its rapidly improving defense, and win rather handedly.
Prediction: Wisconsin by 28
Worgull’s Prediction: 3-0 (1-2 ATS)
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