Claim OwnershipThe Swing: A Wisconsin Badgers Basketball Podcast
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© 2026 The Zone
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A podcast focused solely on the Wisconsin basketball team with hosts Zach Heilprin of the Wisconsin Sports Zone Network and Jesse Temple of The Athletic.
110 Episodes
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Wisconsin closed the regular season with a win over Purdue at Mackey Arena. Zach and Jesse discuss that game and what impressed them so much about the Badgers effort. They also hit on John Blackwell finding his footing, the special moment for the Gard family at the end of the Maryland game, play some Overreaction, er No and answer your questions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wisconsin settled for a split of their trip to Oregon and Washington. Zach and Jesse discuss the loss to the Ducks and the bounce back win over the Huskies. That includes some thoughts on the up-and-down nature of the team, Braeden Carrington's huge night, NCAA Tournament projections and more. Then Carrington joins the show to talk about his record-breaking game, what he's taken from this year, looking forward to his first foray into March Madness and more. The guys then close the show with some listener questions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wisconsin earned a bounce back win over Iowa on Sunday. Zach and Jesse dive into the latest special effort from Nick Boyd, the importance of Austin Rapp's surge, Nolan Winter delivering and more. Then former Wisconsin guard Freddie Owens joins to talk about his new book (Echoes of Stark Park: Lessons on Resilience, Growth and the Journey to Legacy) that details the experiences that took him from growing up on the Northside of Milwaukee to Big Ten titles for the Badgers to a 20-year coaching career and all the lessons along the way. The guys then close the show with questions from listeners, including whether Zach misses former Iowa coach Fran McCaffery. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It was a little good and a little bad from Wisconsin over the past week. Zach and Jesse discuss what the setback at Ohio State means, while also talking about the blowout of then-No. 10 Michigan State at home. Then they get into where Nick Boyd ranks among transfers at Wisconsin, Andrew Rohde's struggles, potential for Hayden Jones, what would constitute a successful season the rest of the way and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wisconsin just beat its second top-10 team on the road this year. Zach and Jesse breakdown what happened to push the Badgers past Illinois, including another great effort from Austin Rapp, along with the backcourt of John Blackwell and Nick Boyd. The guys also get into the controversial end to the Indiana game. They close by taking a bunch of listener questions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wisconsin went 2-0 last week with wins over Minnesota and Ohio State. Zach and Jesse discuss the positives from the week, including Austin Rapp finding his 3-point stroke, the dynamic backcourt of John Blackwell and Nick Boyd, and the play of Braeden Carrington. Then the guys get into a very difficult start to February, Wisconsin's NCAA tourney chances and they answer a bunch of listener questions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wisconsin had an up and down week, beating Penn State on the road and falling at home to USC. Zach and Jesse discuss both games, including the blowing of a 12-point lead to the Trojans and its potential impact on the rest of the year. The guys also dive into a ton of listener questions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
After a slow start to Big Ten play, Wisconsin has won four straight games. Zach and Jesse talk about the buzzer-beating win in Minnesota and an up-and-down performance against Rutgers. Then they dive into the Badgers 3-point shooting, John Blackwell/Nick Boyd as a duo and Wisconsin's path to the NCAA Tournament.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wisconsin got the best win in college basketball this year when it knocked off No. 2 Michigan. Zach and Jesse discuss the upset, the play of Aleksas Bieliauskas and Braeden Carrington, and what the win means moving forward. They also hit on a ton of listener questions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wisconsin finished off its non-conference schedule with a win over Milwaukee. Zach and Jesse discuss what they've seen from the #Badgers so far and what awaits them in 2026. BadgerExtra's Jim Polzin also joins the show to talk about his impressions of Greg Gard's team, whether he thinks they are an NCAA Tournament team and the guys veer into Luke Fickell and Chris McIntosh job security and football talk. The show closes with some listener questions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wisconsin is off to a 7-2 start this year, including a blowout win over Marquette. Zach and Jesse discuss what they've seen through the first month of the season, including what has them excited and what worries them. They close the show with some listener questions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wisconsin's exhibition slate is in the books. Zach and Jesse discuss what they've seen so far and look ahead to how the season could play out. They debate some over/unders, talk about Jesse's story on Wisconsin's international recruiting and finish with some season predictionsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
New Wisconsin special assistant to the head coach is a familiar face for Badgers fans -- Brad Davison. The former UW guard joins the show to talk about how he ended up back in Madison so quick, his excitement level, what he brings to the table, thoughts on Nick Boyd and John Blackwell, his long-term coaching plans and much more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The basketball team started practice officially this week. Zach and Jesse discuss all the new faces, play some Overreaction, er No? and talk about a tough Big Ten slate. Then junior center Nolan Winter joins the show to chat about his offseason, where he’s at physically, what he’s seen from his new teammates, what will be different this year and much more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wisconsin finished its roster for the upcoming season by adding forward Elijah Gray. Assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft joins the show to discuss Gray and early impressions of the other transfers. The guys also discuss the new roles for John Blackwell and Nolan Winter, recruiting international players and the challenge of rebuilding your roster every offseason.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wisconsin's season came to an end two weeks ago. Since then, the roster has undergone an extensive revamping that is still ongoing. Zach and Jesse return to talk about how the season ended but spend most of the time discussing the comings and goings from the transfer portal and what still needs to be done heading into next year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Badgers took care of Montana on Thursday. Zach and Jesse look back at the game and what went right. Then Jim Polzin joins from Denver to discuss the Montana game, preview BYU, Greg Gard's March legacy and more. The guys close with some listener questions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1The NCAA Tournament has arrived. Zach and Jesse react to the Badgers not getting put in Milwaukee, the challenge of playing Thursday in Denver, a little about what they are facing in Montana and their potential path to a deep run in the tournament. They also get into what was largely a successful four days at the Big Ten Tournament. They close with some listener questions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wisconsin is entering the postseason having lost three of its last five, including the disaster against Penn State. Zach and Jesse discuss where the team is heading into the Big Ten Tournament, what needs to happen for them to get back on track, the injury concerns and more. They also answer some listener questions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It's finally March! Zach and Jesse discuss the Badgers loss at Michigan State and win at Minnesota. They also get into whether the recent shooting lull is a concern, the impact of Jack Janicki, Max Klesmit's injury, how to approach the Big Ten Tournament and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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