Even before official practices started for the 2003-04 Wisconsin men’s basketball team, Bo Ryan and his Badgers met a significant barrier. After two successful seasons running with eight- and seven-man lineups, the Badgers finally were to have the needed depth to be an even stronger contender in the Big Ten. Such billing awarded Wisconsin a predicted third-place finish in the conference.

But at the end of preseason conditioning drills, sophomore Alando Tucker, a member of last season’s conference all-freshman team, broke his right foot, and right off the bat the Badgers had to find a way to fill the hole left by Tucker’s absence.

Tucker is expected to miss eight to ten weeks with the injury, bringing his return date close to the end of Wisconsin’s non-conference schedule.

In the meantime, the Badgers will be looking for a post player to pick up the slack during Tucker’s absence from the lineup.

“Right now it’s too early to tell,” Ryan said. “There’s a lot of jockeying, as far as one day one guy will look better one practice or half the practice do well here, and we’re just looking for the most consistent play out of an individual or individuals to get those minutes.”

With the addition of junior college transfer Zach Morley, the Badgers will be looking for immediate contribution from the 6-foot-8 forward.

“Zach [Morley] is a very good four man,” junior guard Devin Harris said. “He can get an offensive rebound and pretty much is solid all around. He will be tough on the outside.”

Supposedly at ease around the basket as well as on the perimeter, Morley could be a perfect fit for Wisconsin’s inverted style of offense, but it is doubtful whether he can work the boards like Tucker.

Heralded All-American Brian Butch might be another alternative with which to fill the hole left by Tucker’s absence, but the true freshman has supposedly had problems adjusting, and he might still be too skinny to be a force down low. If anything, Butch will be most valuable as a player who can increase the Badgers’ depth coming off the bench.

Fifth-year senior Dave Mader and redshirt sophomore Andreas Helmigk may find their way into the starting lineup due to their experience with the system. The 6-foot-11 Mader lost his spot in the starting lineup five games into last season to Tucker and averaged 2.5 points and 2.1 rebounds in an average of 9.3 minutes per game. Helmigk saw his playing time increase toward the end of last season and has shown himself, in spurts, to be a player with strong moves with his back to the basket.

“Some guys are ready to step up now that didn’t step up last year,” said junior Mike Wilkinson, who will once again carry the load in the post for the Badgers. “We’ll be ready; we still have stuff to prove.”

But if one thing has shown through, the Badgers have been a resourceful team in the Ryan era, finding ways to win with the personnel they have. Even without Tucker, the Badgers have a much deeper and more experienced roster than the squads that have won back-to-back Big Ten titles.

“[Depth] definitely makes it easier, especially if we look to push it a little more,” Wilkinson said. “Last year we pushed a little more than the year before, and this year we’re going to try to do a little bit more than we did last year. The more people we have, the more people we can keep fresh and keep the pressure on opposing teams, both offensively and defensively.”