Wisconsin Badgers, Manhattan Jaspers Set for Date in Old Spice Classic

The Wisconsin Badgers knew they'd be taking a trip to Orlando, FL to take a part in the 2010 Old Spice Classic, who'd they play was a mystery.

Now the Badgers know who they'll play first; they also know their potential second round matchup.

The first round matchups for the Old Spice Classic were released this afternoon on ESPN News. Wisconsin will face the Manhattan Jaspers in its opening game of the tournament. Other first round matchups include: Texas A&M vs. Boston College, Notre Dame vs. Georgia and Temple vs. California.

All first round matchups will take place Thursday, Nov 25th.

The Manhattan Jaspers finished the 2009-10 season with an 11-20 record. Manhattan was 4-14 in MAAC conference play, finishing ninth (second to last) in division standings.

The Jaspers will be without their All-MAAC guard and top scorer, Rico Pickett, this upcoming season. Pickett decided to leave Manhattan after one season to play professional basketball overseas.

The Wisconsin Badgers finished last season with a 23-8 record, ending up fourth in Big Ten conference play. Wisconsin had impressive home wins last season against several top 10 ranked opponents: Duke, Purdue and Michigan State. Under head coach Bo Ryan, the team punched its ninth straight ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

Unfortunately, the Badgers only advanced to the second round before falling to Cornell.

Wisconsin lost its senior backcourt of Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon from 2009-10, but will return guard Jordan Taylor, big man Keaton Nankivil and star forward Jon Leuer.

Should the Badgers defeat the Manhattan Jaspers in the first round of play, they would then face the winner of Texas A&M/Boston College.