The Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team plays in the Big Ten Conference and is a NCAA Division I team. They play their home games at the Kohl Center, located on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The team was founded in 1899 and the team's mascot is "Bucky the Badger". The team has made it to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament twice in the team's history, in 2000 and also in 1941 when they won the championship.

In recent years, the Badgers men's basketball has become the Big Ten Conference's powerhouse team. They have competed in the NCAA for the past 11 seasons, from 1999 to 2009. Coach Dick Bennett is hugely credited with helping turn the basketball program around during his time at Wisconsin from 1995 to 2000. The current coach Bo Ryan has taken over since Bennett's departure and led the team to the NCAA Tournament annually. As of the 2006-2007 season, Ryan accomplished his 500^th win as a college coach and the team was also ranked number one in the AP Top for the first time in team history.