Badgers men's basketball favored to crush Holy Cross in season opener

The experts think Wisconsin should roll on Monday night.

Wisconsin forward Steven Crowl (22) tries to block a shot by UW-River Falls guard Gavin Ralph (10) during the first half of their preseason game Wednesday, October 30, 2024 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. / Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Wisconsin men's basketball officially opens its 2024-25 regular season on Monday night against Holy Cross at the Kohl Center. The betting markets favor the Badgers to win the game by 25 points.

The Crusaders are coming off a 10-23 campaign last season. Heading into year two with head coach Dave Paulson, they were voted to finish ninth out of 10 teams in the preseason Patriot League media poll. A program that was once historic in the 1940s and 1950s has fallen out of grace without a winning season in 10 years.

Popular college basketball analytics site, KenPom.com, ranks Holy Cross as the 343rd-best team in the country. There are only 21 Division I programs that rank lower.

Monday's game will tip off at 7 p.m. CT and be streamed on BTN+. After last week's exhibition win over Wisconsin-River Falls, a matchup with Holy Cross should give head coach Greg Gard and his staff another opportunity to learn about their new-look Badgers squad.