The first look at Wisconsin’s new group came with a clear theme: there’s real room to go deep.
The Badgers beat UW-Parkside 94-71 on Saturday at the Kohl Center, and even with several new faces taking the floor for the first time, they controlled the game almost from the start. Owen Foxwell, Eian Elmer, Victory Onetu, Trey Autry, and Jackson Ball all made their Wisconsin debuts, and the Badgers spent most of the afternoon in command by double digits.
What stood out most wasn’t just the result. It was how many different lineups Greg Gard could turn to and still feel comfortable.
Wisconsin used 11 legitimate players, and that was without Austin Rapp, who the Badgers are trying to bring along carefully before the regular season begins. The starting group featured Foxwell, Jack Janicki, Elmer, Nolan Winter, and Onetu, with Janicki getting the nod over Autry and Braeden Carrington at shooting guard. From there, the minutes spread out fast.
Carrington and Will Garlock got in early off the bench. Zach Kinziger and Hayden Jones filled roles similar to the ones they had last season, with Kinziger looking like the backup point guard.
Autry didn’t enter until later than expected, but he still finished with seven points on 6 shots in 13 minutes. Ball also flashed enough to make an impression right away, posting four points, three rebounds, and an assist in 12 minutes.
That’s the kind of depth chart that forces a decision. Gard may settle on 10 regulars once the season starts, but which 10?
Ball feels like the easiest player to get squeezed out simply because he’s newer, though the staff clearly likes him. The more complicated question is how the rising sophomores fit.
Kinziger looks like the backup point guard. Jones seems to have a clear lane as a wing.
Garlock may be the top reserve center, and he outplayed Onetu on Saturday. If those three stay in, then Carrington and Autry are the names most in danger of being pushed around by the numbers.
That’s a good problem to have, and it gets even more interesting with Carrington expected back in the mix.
Wisconsin also made a point of using its size. Last season, there were nights when the Badgers had the advantage inside but didn’t lean on it enough.
This time, Winter got the ball early and often, and he delivered exactly the kind of efficiency Wisconsin wanted. He finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, going 7 of 9 from the field and 6 for 6 inside the arc.
Garlock and Onetu also made their presence felt, each finishing with 10 points and 6+ rebounds.
With Winter, Garlock, Onetu, and Rapp in the frontcourt picture, Wisconsin has the size to attack inside. The challenge in Big Ten play will be handling teams that can match that physicality, but when the matchup favors the Badgers, they need to cash in at the rim. Saturday showed they can.
The other encouraging sign was the pace. Nick Boyd is gone, and he was the engine of last season’s fast-paced offense.
But Foxwell kept the tempo moving in his first outing as the lead facilitator. Wisconsin played at 73 possessions and still shot better than 57 percent from the field while piling up 94 points.
The ball movement was active, though the assist total wasn’t huge - 17 on 36 made baskets. Foxwell accounted for six of those and added 10 points of his own, showing the different style he brings compared with Boyd. He looked comfortable running pick-and-roll and setting up teammates.
There were some rough edges, too. Wisconsin turned it over 15 times, including four from Foxwell, and a few stretches, especially one in the second half, got messy.
Still, for a first exhibition with this many new pieces, the broad picture was clear: Wisconsin has options, and a lot of them.
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Wisconsins New-Look Roster Showed Promise And One Early Concern
Wisconsins exhibition win over UW-Parkside offered an early glimpse of a roster that looks different, deeper and more physical than it did a year ago. The Badgers rolled to a 94-71 victory, with all 11 players who logged significant minutes getting into the scoring column, a sign that the offense may not have to lean on just one or two options while the group finds its footing.
Nolan Winter set the tone inside with 15 points and nine rebounds, and transfer Eian Elmer added 14 points in a debut that hinted at how much help the Badgers may get from newcomers. Wisconsin also flashed better defense and a clear size advantage throughout the night, keeping a double-digit lead in hand most of the way, even as the game offered one early reminder that this roster will still need time to settle into its best rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Already Has One Early Question In Its New Look Offense
The first look at Wisconsins new offense brought plenty to like in a 94-71 exhibition win over UW-Parkside, especially from the players expected to help shape the next version of the Badgers. Owen Foxwell, Will Garlock and Nolan Winter all had moments that suggested the group can bring more pace and variety than fans have been used to seeing in recent seasons.
Even with that encouraging start, the rotation still has a spot that looks unsettled. The backup point guard position remains an early question for a team expected to play a different style this year, and the exhibition provided a reminder that the Badgers may have to sort through that spot as they settle into the season. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin's Top TV Ranking Comes With One Huge Catch
Wisconsins early college football TV profile has gotten a boost from a very familiar kind of matchup: a marquee game on a major network against Notre Dame. For now, though, the Nielsen numbers telling that story are built on just that one NBC broadcast, which means the Badgers apparent reach is coming from a single, highly visible window rather than a broad sample of their season.
That leaves the current ranking looking a little sturdier than it really is, at least until more Wisconsin games land on network television. Big Ten Network and Peacock broadcasts are not part of the data being cited, so the picture could shift once more ratings are added in, but when that happens and how much it changes remains unclear. [Read more 🡒]