3 Takeaways: Iowa-Wisconsin series, Woodbury’s statement, toughness surfaces

IOWA CITY - Few rivalries nationally are as competitive historically as Iowa-Wisconsin men's basketball.

The Badgers lead the 106-year-old series 80-79 after sweeping both games last year. The teams were ranked last year for both meetings and each had its own share of drama.

Wisconsin rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit to claim the first meeting 75-71 in Madison. The Badgers chipped away at Iowa's lead until it reached two points midway through the second half. Then Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery received a pair of technical fouls and was ejected for initiating contact with an official. Iowa was fined $10,000, and McCaffery was suspended for one game.

The teams met six weeks later in Iowa City, and the Hawkeyes were just one game out of the Big Ten lead in the loss column. The Hawkeyes fought from a nine-point halftime deficit to lead 72-71 with 1 minute remaining. But Wisconsin outscored Iowa 8-3 the rest of the way for the win.

This time, the teams meet at Kohl Center (8 p.m. Tuesday) with a share of first place on the line. The No. 6 Badgers (15-2) and unranked Iowa (13-5) each are 4-1 in league play and sit one-half game behind Maryland (5-1) in Big Ten play.

'It's kind of a statement game,” Iowa senior forward Aaron White said. 'Everyone wants to announce them (the Badgers) the Big Ten champs, even though there's still X-amount of games to play still. It will be a big one for us. I've got great respect for them, but at the same time I'm itching to beat them, especially there again.”

Wisconsin has won the last three in the series, but Iowa won the previous three. Since McCaffery took over in 2010-11, Wisconsin leads the series 4-3 and has outscored Iowa by a total of four points in those seven games. The largest margin of victory was Iowa's seven-point win Dec. 31, 2011 in Madison.

There are plenty of storylines between the programs, from proximity to familiarity. Iowa starting forward Jarrod Uthoff began his career at Wisconsin before leaving the Badgers in a high-profile squabble with Coach Bo Ryan. Uthoff, now a junior, was restricted from transferring within the conference, but the Cedar Rapids Jefferson product still picked Iowa. He sat out for a year and paid his own way.

But there's a healthy level of respect between the programs, too.

'I'm a big fan of Coach Ryan,” White said. 'Our fans might not like hearing me say that, but he's had great success. He sticks to what he does and he does it well. It seems like every player he's had has gotten significantly better from freshman to senior year. No different in (center Frank) Kaminsky. So I've got great respect for those guys, but at the same time I want to beat them really bad, especially on the road.”

The match-up does carry prominence beyond their state border. ESPN will air the game as part of its 'Super Tuesday” package at 8 p.m.

'In the Big Ten, every game is a game you dreamed of playing when you were younger,” Iowa guard Mike Gesell said. 'That's why we signed up to play in the Big Ten, and it's going to be another big stage against one of the best teams in the country. We'll be ready to go.”

'It's going to be fun,” White said. 'That's what Coach (McCaffery) said in the locker room. That's what you came here for, that's what you sign up for, to play a top-five team on the road. I can't wait.”

2. Woodbury's statement game.

Iowa junior Adam Woodbury posted 13 points and 10 rebounds in the Hawkeyes' 76-67 win against No. 25 Ohio State on Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

While many fans have chided Woodbury this season for his offensive struggles, Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery stood up for his imposing 7-foot-1 center in his postgame news conference. McCaffery said he's 'never seen anything like it in my life” the way people undervalue Woodbury's contributions.

'It's unfair,” McCaffery said. 'All that kid does is work his tail off every facet of everything he does, and he's got unbelievable character, represents the institution, his family, and he gets criticized unfairly. You know, he is who he is. And I'll tell you what, I'll take him on my team any day.”

Woodbury, who turned 21 on Tuesday, was tenacious against the Buckeyes. Along with his second career double-double, Woodbury dominated Ohio State center Amir Williams, who scored just two points and grabbed just three rebounds in 23 minutes. Woodbury, conversely, made several key plays down the stretch to help Iowa maintain its lead. He scored on a drive to the basket with 8:21 left to put Iowa ahead 62-51. After a pair of free throws from Ohio State guard D'Angelo Russell, Woodbury scored at the end of the shot clock to keep Iowa ahead by 11.

Perhaps his best contribution was a loose-ball rebound with 3:42 left that enable Iowa to keep the ball in a seven-point game. That play led to two Aaron White free throws.

'He was spectacular,” McCaffery said. 'I mean, seemed like in the one stretch we were struggling a little bit offensively and he got offensive rebounds, and then when we really needed a stop he got some big defensive rebounds. Did a great job on Williams. I was worried because he got in a little bit of early foul trouble and I knew we were going to need him, but boy, was he great. He was great.”

Woodbury's value extends well beyond the box score. He carries an aggressive presence in the post at both ends. Guards are unlikely to attack the interior when he's on defense. He's also one of the best screening big men in college basketball.

'In practice I hate being on the opposite team as him because I know I'm getting a charley horse that day,” Iowa guard Mike Gesell said. 'He just gets guys open. He plays great defense in the post, especially before he guy catches the ball. There's a lot of little things, and he's a guy you love to have on your team.”

But some fans look strictly at his limited scoring (7.1 points per game) plus his top-50 recruiting ranking out of high school and immediately believe he has failed to live up to expectations. Saturday, Woodbury said he isn't concerned with what people think of him.

'That's not for me to worry about,” he said. 'I've got to keep playing my game, doing everything I can to help the team win. If that isn't me scoring, that's fine with me.”

Mostly, it's defense.

'That's one of the things I'm known for, my defense,” he said. 'I try to play as hard as I can on the court. I don't always score a lot, but I think I can try to help our team play defensively. I was fortunate enough to get some easy looks today, and they were fortunate enough to go in. Guys looked for me and found me and hit me in open spots.”

And never forget his toughness, which was on full display in one of the most physical basketball games in recent Iowa history.

'He's going to be physical no matter how the game is,” McCaffery said. 'That's him. So I mean, if anybody wants to get physical, he'll be right there with you. You don't have to worry about him.”

3A. Fighting with toughness.

Iowa has struggled with the mental toughness label for the last three seasons. Iowa was close to ending those questions until the Hawkeyes gave up an 11-point lead to Michigan State and lost by 14 points 10 days ago.

The mental toughness question resurfaced Tuesday at Minnesota. The Hawkeyes led by 17 early in the second half only to fall behind by four points. Iowa rallied to win by two.

Saturday, the Hawkeyes led by 11 points at halftime, just like in their previous two games. But there was no collapse and the team won by nine. That shows growth, maturity and (dare I say) toughness. Iowa slumped early in the second half with five turnovers in a seven-possession span. But that led to just six Ohio State points and Iowa remained in control.

Iowa remained dogged despite the Buckeyes' physical level of play.

'They're just like Michigan State,” Woodbury said. 'They're going to punch you in the mouth as many times as you let them. You've got to come bring it right back at them first and hit them hard, that's what Coach always tells us and I think we took their best punch tonight and we're still standing at the end of the game we're still standing as well. You've always got to have the right mind-set going into games like this in the Big Ten.”

3B. Schedule tightens

. Big Ten basketball is a grind even for eventual champions, but approaching this season Iowa's first five games appeared overly difficult. Four games featured 2014 NCAA tournament qualifiers (Ohio State twice, Nebraska, Michigan State) plus a road game at defending NIT champion (Minnesota). Iowa was 2-3 last year against those teams at those locations.

After sweeping Ohio State with a 76-67 win on Saturday, it seems obvious to state Iowa has exceeded expectations with a 4-1 record. But Iowa senior forward Aaron White - a lifelong fan of Cleveland sports teams - disagrees.

'As a fan of other sports, I'll look at the schedule and be like, ‘We've got this one,'” White said. 'As a member of a team you don't really look at, ‘If we can get four out of five, four out of six.' You don't really do that. It's kind of a bad habit to do that.

'I'm just trying to focus on our team, what we're doing, what we're doing well at the time, what we need to improve one. We've played some good teams this early part of the Big Ten. We're sitting pretty good at 4-1.”

Iowa's next five games pose even more challenges. The Hawkeyes play only two home games during that span - No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 11 Maryland. Iowa plays at No. 6 Wisconsin, travels to Purdue, where Iowa has lost its last six, and Michigan, where Iowa has lost five straight.

Before Big Ten play, I thought if Iowa could go 4-6 through its first 10, it had a great chance at a second straight NCAA tournament berth. It appears the back eight games are more navigable (home: Minnesota, Rutgers, Illinois, Northwestern; road: Northwestern, Penn State, Indiana, Nebraska). But based on the unpredictable nature of Big Ten play thus far (Rutgers beat Wisconsin last Sunday), who really knows anyway?

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