On December 17, 2026, Delaware State University's Hornets took the court against the University of Wisconsin Badgers in a non-conference basketball game. The matchup, covered by The Athletic and reported through The New York Times, represents the kind of cross-regional competition that has become increasingly common in college basketball scheduling.
Delaware State, an HBCU located in Dover, Delaware, competes in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), one of the historically Black conferences that has long been a cornerstone of African American collegiate athletics. The Badgers, by contrast, compete in the Big Ten Conference, one of the Power Five conferences that dominates the national college basketball landscape. Games between HBCUs and major conference programs carry particular significance within Black collegiate communities, as they provide visibility and competitive opportunities for institutions that often operate with smaller athletic budgets and less national media attention.
The availability of box score data through The Athletic—a premium sports journalism platform owned by The New York Times—underscores how HBCU athletics are increasingly being documented and distributed through mainstream sports media channels. This represents a shift from earlier eras when HBCU games received minimal coverage outside of historically Black media outlets and conference-specific reporting.
Non-conference games like this one serve multiple purposes within college basketball. For Delaware State, such matchups offer opportunities to test their roster against high-level competition and generate data points that matter in the complex world of NCAA tournament selection. For Wisconsin, these games fulfill non-conference scheduling requirements while potentially providing tune-up opportunities before conference play intensifies.
The MEAC has a storied history in college basketball, having produced numerous professional players and memorable tournament moments. Delaware State itself has participated in NCAA tournament play and maintains a competitive basketball program within its conference structure. Games against Power Five opponents, while often challenging, contribute to the overall strength of schedule that selection committees consider when evaluating teams for postseason play.
The coverage of this game by The Athletic and its inclusion in New York Times sports reporting reflects broader changes in how college basketball is documented and consumed. Where HBCU games once existed in separate media ecosystems, they are now increasingly integrated into mainstream sports journalism, though questions about equitable coverage and resources remain ongoing within the college sports community.
Why this matters: When HBCUs compete against major conference programs and that competition receives coverage through national sports platforms, it affirms the legitimacy and visibility of Black collegiate athletics. These matchups and their documentation help ensure that HBCU student-athletes and programs receive the recognition and media attention that fuels recruitment, fan engagement, and institutional support. Every box score published in a major outlet represents progress toward equitable representation of all college basketball programs.