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UW moves on from loss

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Also by Mike Ackerstein:

Wisconsin hits road for Milwaukee (December 12, 2007)
Heisman pressures could tackle Tebow (December 10, 2007)
Wisconsin's home streak dead at 28 (December 10, 2007)
Poor ball control haunts Badgers (December 10, 2007)
Badgers put on show against Terriers (December 4, 2007)

by Mike Ackerstein

Monday, December 3, 2007

Almost a week after being dismantled by Duke as part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, the University of Wisconsin's men's basketball team will finally get a chance to return to the court Monday after taking some time to reflect on the blowout loss.

Returning to Madison after an 82-58 loss to the Blue Devils last Tuesday, the Badgers were quick to analyze what went wrong in Durham, flush with plenty of film to review and plenty of mistakes to learn from.

"During a loss our eyes get opened more as players," senior Brian Butch said.

"We know what we did wrong and how to handle different situations. Before we even got to the film session we were talking about what we did wrong and what we messed up. … We're all willing to learn from the mistakes that we do make."

Having some time before the next game may have given UW plenty of opportunity to learn from the game, but getting a chance to play sooner would have had its advantages, too.

"You would rather play right away," Butch said of having time off after a loss. "As a player you want to get that [losing] feeling out of your system."

In spite of the loss, the trip did yield some positive returns. For the first time this season the Badgers were forced to play in a hostile environment, giving the team some added experience playing on the road.

"It was tough, playing in small gym like that — it got loud — but it was a good experience," guard Trevon Hughes said. "Now we just have move forward and put it behind us."

In addition to gaining some road experience, Wisconsin also saw freshman Jon Leuer emerge in the tough game to score an impressive 12 points, a career-high.

"It was fun to get my first road game and get that experience in a hostile environment," Leuer said. "I'll just try and take away some positives from it."

Now, though, having taken the time to review their play, both good and bad, Wisconsin will get an opportunity to see how the analysis translates to their on-court play when Wofford comes to town Monday.

Wofford (3-1) enters Monday's game on a three-game winning streak following their opening loss at No. 19 Arkansas. In all three of their wins, the Terriers have scored over 80 points and, in two of them, have held their opponents to under 40 points. However, all three of those wins have come against a level of competition inferior to what they will face in No. 20 Wisconsin (5-1), as all were D-II opponents.

Perhaps the biggest change for Wofford will be the size of Wisconsin. Like most other opponents the Badgers have faced so far this season, the Terriers don't boast a very tall roster, instead relying on speed and quickness to get past opponents. Though Duke also put out a smaller lineup and had success in doing so, the Badgers are confident in the play of their big men against a smaller foe.

"It's a good test for us to play these smaller teams with guys who were a little quicker," forward Greg Stiemsma said. "Once we get against the bigger guys we should be ready for them as well."

What the Badgers will also have going for them, in addition to their size, is a home-court advantage that the team sorely lacked in the loss to the Blue Devils. Instead of playing in front of the rowdy Cameron Crazies, Wisconsin will once again get to play at the Kohl Center where the team has not lost in 27 consecutive games.

"It's always nice to play at home," Stiemsma said. "To get back in front of our home fans and crowd, see a little more red out there. We definitely missed our Grateful Red."

Though it is Wofford that Wisconsin will return to action against, the next UW game will offer another shot at knocking off a top-25 foe. Rival Marquette comes to town Saturday, but in spite of having the Wofford game sandwiched in between two of the biggest nonconference matchups of the season, the team knows not to get caught looking ahead.

"You always have to stay focused on the task in front of you," Stiemsma said. "Wofford is what's up next for us, and we'll just let all the other games come."

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