Frontcourts on display for Hawkeyes, Badgers

IOWA CITY - Crowded along a clubroom table near the Carver-Hawkeye Arena court, former Iowa basketball star Jess Settles approached current forward Aaron White about the Hawkeyes' match-up against Wisconsin.

Settles, who now works for BTN, compared forwards for Iowa and Wisconsin, calling the Badgers' Nigel Hayes and Sam Dekker as the league's best offensive duo, while Iowa's White and Jarrod Uthoff are the best defensive tandem. Either way, Settles referred to it as an even match-up. White agreed.

'We match up well with them,” White said. 'Even this year, we might be one of the few teams in the league that really match up with their size with them starting Hayes, Decker and (center Frank) Kaminsky. We also have size in Woody (Adam Woodbury), Jarrod and myself.”

It's arguable to claim Wisconsin (16-2, 4-1) and Iowa (13-5, 4-1 Big Ten) possess the Big Ten's top two frontcourts. But it's inarguable to debate the players' production and acclaim.

Five of the Big Ten's top 27 scorers are frontcourt players who will play in Tuesday's game (8 p.m. ESPN). The game features four of the league's top 10 rebounders, three of the top 11 players in field-goal percentage and three of the top nine in blocked shots.

No. 6 Wisconsin boasts the nation's preseason player of the year in the 7-foot Kaminsky, who averages 17.2 points (fifth in the Big Ten) and 8.0 rebounds (second) a game. Hayes, a 6-8 sophomore and last year Big Ten's reigning freshman of the year, averages 12.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and scores at a team-best 55.2 percent clip. Junior Sam Dekker (6-9) is an inside-outside threat with 19 3-pointers, yet hits 51.9 percent of his shots for 12.3 per-game average.

Kaminsky is every opponent's focal point. Last year at Iowa, he scored six of Wisconsin's final eight points in the game's last minute to rally the Badgers. He's physically strong enough to play in the paint, yet shoots 40.8 percent from 3-point range.

'Obviously he's a difficult cover in a lot of respects,” Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said. 'They can run the offense through him in different locations. He's not a mistake guy, he doesn't turn it over, he finds people and they surround him with such excellent 3-point shooting, you've got to be careful.

'Your first instinct is you want to double the guy, but he'll find the 3-point shooter and they do a great job of making the extra pass. But he also puts it on the floor really well, so he's a handful.”

Iowa counters with White, who joins Kaminsky as the only Big Ten players to average more than 16 points and seven rebounds a game. Uthoff is the only player in Division I basketball with more than 30 3-pointers, 25 blocks and 20 steals. Iowa's center combination of Gabe Olaseni and Adam Woodbury combine for 16 points and 10.8 rebounds a game.

Olaseni is an above-the-rim talent who ranks third in the Big Ten in blocked shots (35) and 11th in field-goal percentage. Woodbury, at 7-1, is a physical, defensive stalwart.

'Woodbury is a really good defensive player,” Kaminsky said. 'He's bigger than me and he's stronger. So it's kind of a change of pace when they switch it up and put in the athletic guy who's catching alley oops.

'Their strengths are that they bring people in and out of the game. From what I remember last year, they were shuffling people in and out. They've got a pretty deep team.”

Wisconsin Coach Bo Ryan compared Woodbury and Olaseni to his point guard tandem of Traevon Jackson (when healthy) and Bronson Koenig. Both are two different players but equally effective.

'They're a good tag-team, so to speak,” Ryan said. 'A good combination. At some positions, every team in the league has, maybe on the wings, maybe in the post, maybe at guard, point guard, a couple of guys that can do the job. They bring something different with each guy, but it's solid. They play good defense. They're active. They compete.”

Uthoff played for a season with the Badgers before transferring to Iowa in 2012. He admits he's biased toward his team, but he likes his frontcourt to the Badgers.

'We play extremely well together and obviously they do, too,” he said. 'My skill set's similar to Dekker's. Whitey's skill set similar to Nigel Hayes. I don't know what separates us from those guys but just knowing it from playing against those guys and playing against our guys and playing with our guys, I think we match up well.”

In a preseason interview, Minnesota center Maurice Walker praised all three centers but said Kaminsky's shooting ability sets him apart from Iowa's tandem.

'Being a bigger guy, it's tough to guard guys like that out on the perimeter,” Walker said. 'Nigel Hayes as well. He's quicker than me, he's got a great game, great midrange jump shot. Those guys are tough to guard, when they have dual threats like that.”

It's likely the game will be close. Wisconsin leads the series' history 80-79. In the team's last seven games - a 4-3 Wisconsin advantage - the average margin of victory is 3.9 points. Like in many of the games, the frontcourt will have a major impact.

'It's going to be difficult to match up with them, but I'm sure we'll prepare for them the best we can,” Kaminsky said.

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