MADISON - There are numerous reasons to be thankful for this holiday season.

For college basketball fans that call Wisconsin "home," an in-state contest after Thanksgiving game is one of those reasons.

After two tough road losses, the Wisconsin Badgers (2-3) host the UW-Milwaukee Panthers (4-1) at the Kohl Center on Friday evening. Game information and team previews are below:

Game: Nov. 24, 2017, at the Kohl Center

Time: 8:00 p.m. CDT

Watch: BIG Ten Network

Listen: 1310 AM and 101.5 FM

Follow Online: @Badger_Blitz, @McNamaraRivals, @JohnVeldhuis and @realJ_Mills

Panthers Pre-Game Notes:

Milwaukee aims to extend its recent run of success in Madison on Friday. Through five games, first-year head coach Pat Baldwin boasts the best start of any UWM coach in program history. Additionally, Baldwin joins former Panthers coaches Bo Ryan and Rob Jeter as the only people to reach three victories through their first five games at the helm.

UWM is coming off a tournament victory in the "Black and Gold Shootout" and during its final game, Milwaukee delivered a 19-point comeback to defeat Elon University, 72-71.

Thus far, junior guard Brock Stull has been the driving offensive behind Milwaukee's strong start. He leads the team in average ppg (14.0), total points (70) and minutes (166).

If UW hopes to beat the Panthers, the team must limit Stull's three-point shooting . This season, Stull is shooting a respectable 39 percent from downtown and occasionally teases his range from deep.

Along with Stull, UWM is thriving from valuable contributions by sophomores Bryce Nze (12.2 ppg, 56 percent field-goal shooting) and Bryce Barnes (10.3 ppg, 75 percent free-throw shooting).

In total, Baldwin is impressed with his team's competitive spirit and ability to deal with their aggressive coach, who admitted he can becomes emotional at times.

"Give our guys a lot of credit- they have a great resiliency to them, great resolve and patience with me," Baldwin said after the team's victory over Elon on Sunday. "Because at times I am extremely fiery and competitive and I want our guys to respond like I would."

Badgers Pre-Game Notes

The Badgers head back to the Kohl Center on Friday after the one of their toughest, and rather frustrating, stretches in recent memory.

Wisconsin could not muster a victory after facing off against three-straight Top-25 opponents. First was a loss to No. 15 Xavier, followed by a late defeat to No. 22 Baylor and ending with a last-second fall to No. 23 UCLA. Yet, head coach Greg Gard believes there is some positive takeaways his players can learn from despite their struggles.

"We played really well in stretches," Gard said after UW's 72-70 loss to UCLA on Tuesday. "We have just got to become more consistent and efficient, specifically down the stretch."

This "down the stretch" play has hurt the Badgers the most this year, as the team tries to experiment with various lineups and rosters to generate a win. UW is trying to replace more than 40 percent of the points and minutes record from 2016-17, a tough task for a team featuring many young players.

Regardless, a bright star amidst Wisconsin's cold spell is true freshman guard Brad Davison. He recorded his first career start against UCLA and is averaging 10.4 ppg with 2.6 steals per game in 2017.

As Gard continues to tinker with the starting rotation, Davison is proving no matter his age or size, he wants to be on the court to provide a spark for the Badgers when they need it most.

Coach's Corner

Milwaukee: Head coach Pat Baldwin made his head coaching debut against La Crosse on Nov. 10, 2017 for the Panthers. He was the assistant coach for the Northwestern before taking the reigns at UW-Milwaukee. His son, Patrick Baldwin Jr., is also considered one of the top prospects in the 2021 class.

Wisconsin: Head coach Greg Gard is in his third year at UW and was the Assistant Coach at UW-Milwaukee for two years.