Wisconsin Basketball: One Thing I Cannot Wait for This Season

Tomorrow. Wisconsin basketball returns tomorrow. I am just as excited as anyone for the Wisconsin Badgers to return to begin the college basketball season, but there is something I am even more excited about at the Kohl Center.

If you have been following our season preview series here on BadgerNotes, you know that college basketball is back tomorrow. If you have not been following along, get caught up now before Wisconsin’s season opener against the Arkansas State Red Wolves tips off on Monday, November 6th at 7:00 PM Central.

• Day 10: Is Tyler Wahl a Top-10 Defender in Program History?
• Day 9: Badgers Face Early Test Against the #9 Ranked Tennessee Volunteers
• Day 8: Wisconsin Basketball Has One of the Most Challenging Schedules in the Country, Featuring Eight Ranked Matchups
• Day 7: 7 Games the Badgers Must Win to Get Back to the NCAA Tournament
• Day 6: Has Wisconsin Head Coach Greg Gard Fixed His Sixth Man Problem?
• Day 5: A Five-Game Stretch Will Decide the Wisconsin Badgers’ Big Ten Fate
• Day 4: Wisconsin Basketball Makes HUGE Jump in Big Ten Standings with Bold Prediction
• Day 3: Connor Essegian, Wisconsin’s Future 3-Point King, Poised for Massive Season
• Day 2: Two Wisconsin Badgers Are Ready for Bounce Back Seasons

Wisconsin Basketball Fans Can Enjoy a Cold One at the Kohl

Yes, I know, what everyone wants more than anything is to watch the Wisconsin Badgers with an ice-cold beer at Camp Randall Stadium. You might get that soon, but only if you can behave this season at the Kohl Center.

Before this season, you needed to be a high-spender to drink alcohol at Wisconsin basketball or hockey games. Alcoholic beverages were limited to those shelling out the dough for suites at the Kohl Center. They were off-limits for commoners such as myself.

Photo Credit: Dillon Graff

This season, however, Wisconsin will sell beer, wine, and other beverages, such as hard seltzers, to the rest of us. Although I am skeptical, this change might provide the jolt of rowdiness the often sleepy Kohl Center crowd needs. Standing up at games is good. Cheering at games is good. If you need a bit of liquid courage to be a fan, here it comes.

Wisconsin Badgers Fans: Behave Yourselves, Please

I will be the first to admit this season will not be my first time drinking alcohol at a Wisconsin basketball or hockey game. No, not because I have ever spent a game in the suites. But rather because I, too, was young once.

I do not expect this to happen, but I think there is a non-zero chance this gets shut down before the season is over. Not because it will necessarily be warranted but because the University is clearly sensitive on this topic. Ten other Big Ten schools serve alcohol to general patrons at athletics events, but Wisconsin, despite (or because of) its state’s drinking culture, held out for quite some time.

Wisconsin will sell alcoholic beverages at basketball and hockey games starting this fall. MARK HOFFMAN/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL

Personally, I am hoping for some solid non-alcoholic beer options. The Milwaukee Brewers only serve Coors Edge (Coors’ disgusting, overly sweet non-alcoholic beer) at American Family Field, and it makes me sad. Untitled Art, from the heart of Dane County in Waunakee, brews some divine non-alcoholics. Give me a Juicy IPA or an Italian Style Pils while watching a four-minute scoring draught. It will make it at least a little more bearable.

But this is not the place for #sponsored product placement. This is the place to get excited. College basketball is back. Wisconsin basketball is back. It is time for the Wisconsin Badgers to surprise us (in a good or bad way) once again.

Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, and Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, opinions, and analysis. You can also follow Kedrick Stumbris on Twitter @KedrickStumbris for more Wisconsin football.

Follow this link and use promo code: BADGERNOTES for 25% off your next True Classic order.

Join the Badger Notes watch party! Stream Wisconsin Badgers games with us here.

*Subscribe to BadgerNotes After Dark on YouTube and wherever you find podcasts. The official Wisconsin Badgers podcast of the Big Banter Sports Network.