One year ago, Trevon Hughes was a relative unknown.

A self-described "role-player" at the time, yet to see major action in a high-profile game, Hughes was called off the bench to guard Marquette’s highly-touted, lightning quick point guard Dominic James in a frenzied atmosphere at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

The freshman responded aptly, nabbing three steals, scoring two points and doling out two assists in 18 minutes of action hounding James. The 6-foot guard also pulled down five rebounds, the third most on the team that game.

James, on the other hand, managed to score 19 points, but shot only 37 percent from the field and made just two of seven 3-point attempts.

"I was able to play good defense," Hughes said. "I was a role player at the time. … I was just trying to help my team out, try to contribute."

What a difference a year makes.

On Saturday, when Wisconsin welcomes No. 11 Marquette to the Kohl Center at 5 p.m., Hughes will likely draw James as his defensive assignment again, this time as the Badgers’ starting point guard and leading scorer.

Hughes welcomes the assignment and relishes the opportunity.

"That’s my chance to see where I’m at and my chance to get better at the same time," Hughes said. "They’ve got three tremendous guards."

Aside from James, the guard trio Hughes speaks of includes Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews Jr. All three are juniors, and all three bring something different to the table.

McNeal is having the best season of the bunch for the Golden Eagles, averaging 16 points, five rebounds and 3.5 assists per game through six contests.

James pitches up just under 15 points per game and hands out 3.2 assists per game.

Matthews, a Madison native, is having a comparatively quiet season, scoring nine points per game.

"The game isn’t going to change," assistant coach Greg Gard said. "We see a lot of good players and those are three really good players, but they’re not the only guys they have. They have other guys that are really contributing and doing a nice job for them."

As much as Wisconsin’s depth has been praised, Marquette may be even deeper. The Golden Eagles have five players who average between nine and 16 points per game and eight that average at least 15 minutes per contest.

That group includes guard David Cubillan, a perimeter shooting threat who averages nearly 23 minutes per game off the bench for Tom Crean’s club and scores 10 points per contest.

The player that catches Gard’s eye the most, however, is sophomore forward Lazar Hayward.

"From my observation on film and seeing their games, I think he’s their most improved player," Gard said. "I’ve been very impressed with him and he’s developed his game. … He’s much more confident, more aggressive and doing a lot of positive things."

Averaging nearly 13 points and six rebounds a game, the 6-foot-6-inch Hayward anchors an undersized front line for Marquette. The Golden Eagles rotation includes just four players Hayward’s height or taller, and one of whom — 6-foot-9-inch Dan Fitzgerald — is more of a perimeter player than a banger in the post.

For Wisconsin, which starts four players 6-foot-7-inches or taller, holding a significant size advantage over opponents has turned into something of a different game, same story situation.

"It’s not an advantage unless you do something about it," forward Brian Butch said. "If you watch a lot of basketball, there are plenty of times where you have a mismatch in the post and the ball’s thrown away because you’re trying to take advantage of that mismatch.

"You really need to play sound and do what you normally do to be successful."

Wisconsin also enters the game looking to avenge the lopsided loss it suffered in its last game against a nationally ranked opponent — a 82-58 defeat at the hands of then-No. 7 Duke.

"We need to redeem ourselves for our last ESPN (televised) game," Hughes said.

Streaks

A couple streaks will be on the line for Wisconsin when the Badgers and Golden Eagles tip off.

Wisconsin has won 28 consecutive games at the Kohl Center dating back to a 2006 loss to North Dakota State.

Against Marquette, Wisconsin has won the last three games and seven of the last nine.