The Wisconsin Badgers held two open practices this summer for the media and through those two sessions it became abundantly clear to everyone in attendance that Owen Foxwell is who he was brought in to be. The 22-year-old guard controlled the offense, set the tempo, played solid defense at the point of attack and overall proved he could be the player Wisconsin paid for him to be.
However, the guard depth beyond Foxwell was a bit shaky. Wisconsin seemingly experimented with a handful of different guys at that spot, but no one stood out as having the job on lock. With that said, there are only so many guys Wisconsin could possibly play at that spot, giving us a chance to project and predict what the lineup could look like next year.
Jackson Ball’s Flashes versus Zach Kinziger’s “Experience”
The two guys who have seemingly been given the longest leash at the backup guard spot thus far are Jackson Ball and Zach Kinziger. Ball, a freshman from New Zealand, was relatively highly touted before stepping foot in Madison. His scoring acumen, ball skills, and athletic pop made him quite the intriguing player before stepping on campus, and the added weight he has seemingly put on makes his year-one projection a lot clearer.
Zach Kinziger could end up as Wisconsin’s backup point guard this season.He barely played his redshirt was removed early in Big Ten play, but the talent is obvious. He can really shoot it, get downhill, and year two feels like a big jump is coming. pic.twitter.com/ks1G0C224a
— JPR (@Scouting_Col) July 3, 2026
As for Kinziger, it was clear from the start that Greg Gard and the rest of the Badger staff had a developmental plan for him, and one that was going to take some time. His year in the program undoubtedly helps with his familiarity with the system and what it expects from him, along with giving him a year of college-level reps and training under his belt…