The Wisconsin Badgers have put together quite the non-conference schedule for 2025.

Announcing their full slate of games last month, Wisconsin has matchups with BYU, Providence, Marquette, and Villanova already on the docket. Then, there’s also the exhibition game against Oklahoma before the season, and the Badgers will also play either Florida or TCU in their second contest at the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego.

Several of those opponents have been projected to be a top-25 team or close to that mark this season, so the Badgers should get multiple early tests to gauge where their new-look roster stands early in the season.

Which of those contests will be the most important non-conference game for Wisconsin?

Breaking down every projected top-25 team’s most important non-conference game, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello recently listed BYU as Wisconsin’s top matchup.

“Wisconsin’s improvement, and change in style, on the offensive end was one of the more positive Big Ten storylines of last season,” Borzello wrote. “Without John Tonje, though, what will the Badgers look like at that end? There’s no better test of firepower than going away from home to face what should be one of the most explosive offenses in the country.”

BYU was one of the top offenses in the country last year, which the Badgers saw in their Round of 32 exit in the NCAA Tournament. Now, in 2025, they’re adding five-star recruit and top-five projected 2025 NBA Draft pick A.J. Dybantsa, five-star Baylor transfer point guard Robert Wright III, and several other intriguing lands.

This game should be a battle of explosive offenses, and it’s Wisconsin’s first big test during the regular season. After their exhibition game against Oklahoma, the Badgers face UW-Platteville (exhibition), Campbell, Northern Illinois, Ball State, and SIUE in five straight home games to start the year.

Then comes their trip to Salt Lake City, where they’ll take on BYU on the road on November 21st. After that, the fireworks begin.

Wisconsin will head to the Rady Children’s Invitational one week later to take on Providence and either TCU or Florida on November 27th and November 28th. They then return home for the I-94 rivalry against Marquette, which is being played at the Kohl Center this year on December 6th.

Matchups with Villanova (at Fiserv Forum), Central Michigan, and Milwaukee round out Wisconsin’s non-conference schedule, with those games taking place on December 19th, December 22nd, and December 30th, respectively.

Is BYU the most important non-conference game for the Badgers? Let us know in the comments below.