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Badgers put on show against Terriers

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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

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

After missing five of their first six field goal attempts, the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team once again found themselves off to a slow start when the team hosted Wofford Monday night.

Unlike last Tuesday's game against Duke, however, the team was quickly able to flip the switch and turn things around. With just less than 13 minutes remaining in the first half and the game tied, Trevon Hughes turned a steal into a breakaway layup, igniting the offense and enabling the No. 23 Badgers (6-1) to cruise to an easy 70-43 victory over the visiting Terriers (3-2).

"I just figured, OK, let's go small early and then we'll sub and do some things with the bigs, and I think that helped," Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan said of the team's slow start. "I didn't like the way some of the screens were being set, and I wanted certain things done defensively. So that's how we went, and then the other guys subbed in and out, and it worked out OK."

Wisconsin's struggles from the field were evident from the tip-off. Jason Bohannon's 3-pointer 4:06 into the game — he finished with a team-high 14 points — was the Badgers' only field goal until Hughes' steal nearly three minutes later. Visiting Wofford could not put much offense together either, though, and Hughes' basket actually gave UW a 7-5 lead despite the Badgers 16.7 shooting percentage at the time.

Hughes' layup also started a 23-8 Badger run that saw the UW offense come to life culminating in an 18-point halftime lead.

Once again this season, Wisconsin outsized its opponent and the Badgers looked to exploit the advantage by pounding the ball inside throughout the game.

"We got some looks inside, we got a lot of touches in the paint … the closer to the basket, the higher percentage. You try to get it there but the defense is trying to keep it from getting there," Ryan said. "So that's always a constant battle."

Though Wofford knew Wisconsin's gameplan was to attack the paint, an injury-depleted lineup was unable to do much about it.

"They obviously made a conscious effort to stick the ball in the post to [Butch, Landry] and those other guys, and they whipped us," Wofford coach Mike Young said.

By the time the second half rolled around, the Wisconsin offense had cooled off some, but Wofford didn't have the manpower to mount much of a comeback. UW was able to win without straining itself too much. On a night that saw the Badgers finish just 23 percent from behind the arc, the team's defense simply suffocated the Terriers all night.

"You could've taken a Wofford all-star team from the last 20 years and had a tough time in here tonight," Young said. "[The Badgers] were ready to go."

For a game that was never too closely contested, emotions did run high early in the second half when Badger forward Greg Stiemsma fell to the floor after colliding with Terrier guard Junior Salters. A shoving match between the two ensued, and before teammates could pull him away, Stiemsma was hit with a technical foul.

After logging just eight minutes, the senior was sent to the bench and did not return.

"Greg did something he shouldn't have," Ryan said. "So he just got a rest."

Things cooled off quickly, and Young downplayed the altercation after the game.

"I didn't think it was a big deal, two kids going at it," Young said. "They got tangled up; it happens. I'm sure you see stuff like that in the Big Ten often."

Brian Butch, who is averaging 13.8 points per game on the year, continued his struggles finishing around the basket Monday. He shot just 1-of-4 in the game's first 20 minutes. Although he threw down a dunk in the second half, Butch only managed to shoot 4-of-10 for the game, finishing with nine points and seven rebounds.

"He's working at being a better finisher," Ryan said. "So let's just keep working it. … Some guys are just quicker off the floor than [Butch]."

Three of Butch's misses came from behind the arc where the forward is now 0-of-16 on the season. While his struggles continue from 3-point land, Ryan does not seem too concerned.

"Brian's going to hit one before the year is out there," Ryan said. "Maybe Saturday."

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