Wisconsin made a run to the Sweet Sixteen last season under the direction of first-year head coach Greg Gard. The Badgers finished 22-13 (12-6 B1G).
The Badgers received a huge boost in late May when last year's leading scorer Nigel Hayes (15.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg) announced that he was returning for this, his senior year. He is the Big Ten preseason POY.
The All-Big Ten forward is joined by consensus 2016 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Big Ten All-Defensive Team selection Ethan Happ (12.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg). Also back for the Badgers are starting guard Zak Showalter (7.5 ppg, .346 3FG) and starting forward Vitto Brown (9.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, .400 3FG).
The Vols and Badgers have met just three times previously, with UT owning a 2-1 edge and a win in the series' only neutral-site clash (a 79-67 victory in the 1981 Far West Classic in Portland, Oregon).
Tennessee is 22-33 all-time against current members of the Big Ten Conference. The Vols' last triumph over a Big Ten foe was a come-from-behind win over Iowa in the "First Four" of the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
Vols head coach Rick Barnes owns a .500 career record against Big Ten teams (28-28) and is 1-3 against Wisconsin.