UW hoops coming to Brewers’ stadium in November
MADISON – College basketball is coming to American Family Field for the first time in the history of the facility, which opened in 2001 as Miller Park.
The University of Wisconsin men's and women's teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader there on Nov. 11.
The UW men are set to face Stanford, with the women set to face Kansas State in the Aurora Health Care Brew City Battle.
The event, sponsored by Intersport of Chicago, was announced Tuesday morning.
“This is awesome,” UW men's coach Greg Gard said. “We've been working on this for at least 15 years.”
Start times are to be determined, though the games are expected to be held in primetime. Broadcast information is also to be announced.
Tickets are set to go on sale on July 26, but fans can log onto brewcitybattle.com and register to receive email alerts regarding ticket details, premium hospitality options, unique experiences and other event information. According to UW officials: Donors to athletics and men's and women's basketball season ticket holders will be provided priority access to tickets through pre-sales the week of July 18 (more details to come in early-July). Note that one ticket is valid for both games, and the event is not part of either the men's or women's season ticket packages for the 202223 season.
“This is going to be a day that Wisconsin sports fans can't miss,” said Rick Schlesinger, president of business Operations for the Milwaukee Brewers. “We have hosted many diverse events at American Family Field, from professional soccer to bowling, and we are excited to bring the electric atmosphere of Wisconsin Badgers basketball into one of the best fan environments in sports.”
The court is to be positioned across the infield, with center court near the pitcher's mound. Temporary seats are
be installed just beyond second base, along with additional field-level seating around the court. Tickets for on-field seats will be all-inclusive with a variety of food and beverage options. Additionally, nearly all of the existing seating areas of American Family Field will be available.
“I think it is going to be an awesome experience,” Gard said. “It will be cool for our fans and hopefully it is something we can continue every other year or every three years, something like that. I don’t know where it will go.
“But it will be beneficial for Am Fam Field. Maybe it leads to them hosting a regional. I think that is on the radar.”
The UW men are scheduled to face Stanford in 2024 at a neutral site in California, likely in Sacramento. The UW women are to play at Kansas State in 2023.
Stanford finished 8-12 in the Pacific 12 and 16-16 overall last season. The Cardinal’s season ended with an 84-80 loss to Arizona in the quarterfinals of the Pacific 12 tournament.
The Cardinal is 52-60 in Pacific 12 play and 98-90 overall in the last six seasons under Jerod Haase.
“The game against Wisconsin checks all the boxes for us and is something we are really excited about, Haase said. “We want to play a challenging nonconference slate, and this game adds to our schedule strength. We are excited for the matchup and experience and are looking forward to Wisconsin returning the game in 2024.”
Kansas State finished 9-9 in the Big 12 and 20-13 overall last season. The Wildcats received a No. 9 seeding in the NCAA Tournament field and went 1-1.
They opened with a 50-40 victory over Washington State but saw their season end in the second round with an 89-57 loss to No. 1 North Carolina State.
“We are absolutely thrilled for our team to be competing in the Brew City Battle,” UW women’s coach Marisa Moseley said. “This doubleheader with our men’s program is an incredible opportusor, nity for not only our players, but also for our fans to experience Badger basketball in such a unique environment.
“This is an unbelievable platform for girls and women in sports as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX and we can’t wait to see you all there.”
Gard is preparing for his seventh season as UW’s full-time head coach. He handled scheduling under his predecesto Bo Ryan.
“We talked about a basketball/hockey doubleheader, putting a sheet of ice in the outfield,” he said of previous talks with the Brewers. “It has been 15 years in the making. Discussions have heated up and they’ve died off. They’ve heated up and they’ve died off.
“And this one got the right people behind it and it has all come together.”