Wisconsin basketball mailbag: Zach Kinziger’s role, early-season surprises

An aerial view of the Kohl Center on the campus of UW-Madison An aerial view of the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., home of the Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin men’s basketball is approaching a turning point in the 2025-26 schedule. The Dec. 30 game against UW-Milwaukee will be the Badgers’ final nonconference tune-up opportunity of the season. Then the Badgers’ Jan. 3 game against No. 5 Purdue marks the first of UW’s remaining 18 Big Ten games in a 64-day span. Wisconsin – with an 8-4 overall record and 3-4 record against high-major opponents – has plenty of question marks as it soon turns the page to Big Ten play. Here is the first batch of beat writer John Steppe’s answers from the high volume...