The Wisconsin and Iowa men’s basketball teams experienced seasons last year that could only be described as polar opposites. With lofty expectations heading into the year, the Hawkeyes finished in the cellar of the Big Ten with a lowly 5-11 conference record. On the flip side, the Badgers — picked to finish somewhere around where the Hawkeyes wound up — surprised everyone by grabbing a share of the Big Ten title with an 11-5 conference mark.

But it was Iowa who wound up with final bragging rights over Wisconsin. After splitting the regular-season series, the two met in the second round of the Big Ten tournament. Since-departed Iowa guard Luke Recker hit a buzzer-beater to upend UW 58-56, giving the Badgers their second-straight early exit in the Big Ten tournament. Then, after beating Indiana, Iowa’s magical tournament run ended with a loss to Ohio State in the title game, leaving them just short of the NCAA tournament. However, the momentum of that run may have carried over into this season.

The Hawkeyes have begun the season 8-3 in non-conference games, but their 3-0 mark to start the Big Ten season has forced people to take notice. After opening with a victory over perennial doormat Northwestern, Iowa scored home upsets over two pre-season Big Ten favorites, Michigan State and Illinois. While the Spartans have struggled thus far, the Illini came into their game with Iowa ranked No. 8 in the country and sporting a 2-0 conference mark. In the 68-61 win, freshman guard Jeff Horner posted 16 points, five assists and four steals for the Hawkeyes.

“I thought Horner was the key to this game,” Iowa head coach Steve Alford said following the win. “He went to the free-throw line 11 times; he had 11 rebounds. In this particular game, he was the best player on the floor.”

But Horner is only one of several Iowa players who have stepped it up this year. In what has become the theme of the season thus far for the Hawkeyes, it’s always one name out of this seemingly nameless bunch that puts his stamp on the stat sheet.

The most recognizable name on the roster is junior forward Glen Worley, who posted 29 points in the win over Michigan State and is averaging 13.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. However, Worley does not lead the team in either of those categories.

Senior guard Chauncey Leslie paces the team with 16.1 points per game, while senior center Jared Reiner leads the team with 8.8 rebounds per game and Horner leads the team in assists. With big contributions from many different players, it’s easy to see why Iowa has been successful.

Only Horner and Leslie have played more than 30 minutes per game, and junior guard Brody Boyd and senior center Sean Sonderleiter both play significant minutes in reserve. Iowa’s depth may pose major problems for Wisconsin, whose main criticism so far this year has been lack of depth, particularly in the frontcourt.

Alford gives significant playing time to four players 6-foot-7 or taller, while the Badgers have just two players of this stature who log significant playing time. One such player is Dave Mader, who may not play due to injury. This would place much of the frontcourt load on forwards Mike Wilkinson and Alando Tucker, who stand 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-5, respectively. It may also force redshirt freshman Andreas Helmigk, who has seen just 6.5 minutes per game, to see more playing time.

For Alford, a former star guard at Indiana now in his third year with Iowa, bouncing back after a disappointing year with a roster full of fresh faces will be a difficult task, one very similar to what UW head coach Bo Ryan faced last season.

“[Alford] knew the situation that he was in [this year],” Ryan said. “He didn’t back away. He hasn’t backed away from it. His players haven’t backed away from their situation. The players that are there have bought in, that’s already been proven.”