Ripon vs Milwaukee prediction: Milwaukee opens the Lundy reset at home against Division III Ripon
The Red Hawks are a Division III team, so the useful read on this one is how a retooled Milwaukee roster fixes last season's porous defense.
- Milwaukee should control a Division III visitor; the real test is whether the new rotation defends better than last season's.
- Watch Milwaukee's perimeter defense, which allowed 36.4% from three last season, 337th nationally.
- No spread or total has been posted yet; last season's 12-20 record is the baseline for Milwaukee.
A reset season starts here
Bart Lundy enters his fifth season at Milwaukee after a 12-20 campaign that began with the Panthers picked first in the Horizon preseason poll. The roster has been refreshed with several transfers, including Al Amadou, who spent one season at St. Joe's. The stated goal is a Horizon League title run.
Ripon arrives as a Division III program under Kenny Finco, who is in his fourth season. The Red Hawks call themselves 15x Midwest Conference champions. They closed 2025-26 with a 65-58 Senior Day win over Beloit, and they return all but two players. They also added Jaren Ward, a 6'7" sophomore forward who transferred from Wisconsin Lutheran. Because Ripon has no Division I data, this game says more about Milwaukee than about the matchup.
The defense has to change
Last season's problem was clear. Milwaukee finished 292nd of 365 in adjusted defensive efficiency, which measures points allowed per 100 possessions adjusted for opponents. Opponents posted a 55.4% effective field goal percentage, a shooting measure where threes count 1.5 times, and that ranked 348th.
The offense had a sturdier base. Its turnover rate of 15.2 per 100 possessions ranked 70th last season, and it rebounded 33.5% of its own misses, 98th nationally. Shooting held it back: the Panthers made 32.3% of their threes, 279th. A Division III opponent won't prove much on either end, but the shot quality Milwaukee allows is the first thing worth tracking with the new roster.
Availability and logistics
No current injuries or eligibility issues have surfaced for either team. Danilo Jovanovich, who has dealt with a shoulder injury, is listed as returning to the program for 2026-27. That is a roster note, not a game-day status. John Lovelace Jr. and Seth Hubbard were both hurt during 2025-26, and neither has a reported status for this season.
Tip is Sunday, Nov. 8 at 1:00 PM ET. Venue listings differ: the school's site lists the Klotsche Center, while other schedules list UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. The Panthers first play an exhibition against Luther on Oct. 28, which will give the first look at the new rotation.
Numbers that matter
| Adj. defense rank, last season | 292nd | Milwaukee's opponent-adjusted defense ranked 292nd of 365 in 2025-26. |
|---|---|---|
| Opponent eFG%, last season | 55.4% | This ranked 348th, the clearest sign of last season's shot-quality problem. |
| Turnover rate, last season | 15.2 | At 70th nationally, ball security was a strength for the Panthers to build on. |
| Last season's record | 12-20 | Lundy's fifth season starts from a losing year despite a first-place preseason pick. |
Ripon vs Milwaukee: quick answers
When is Ripon vs Milwaukee?
Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET.