Even though he is two years removed from his apprenticeship under Bo Ryan, UW-Milwaukee head coach Rob Jeter is still learning from his mentor.

Lesson two of Jeter's post-graduate program game took place Wednesday night at the Kohl Center, as the longtime student of Ryan brought his Panthers into town.

"I thought I knew everything Bo was doing," Jeter said. "I think I might've picked up a few more things."

However, the points of emphasis that Jeter focuses on as a competitor now are different than what he used to look for as a member of Ryan's coaching staff.

"Now I watch more how he handles himself on the sidelines, being a head coach," Jeter said. "As an assistant, I would watch how he handled players, and how he would motivate guys, and how he would make decisions during games."

While the No. 7 Badgers did walk off the court with a relatively stress-free 19-point victory, both sides understood that next year, the score might not be so lopsided.

"I understand where we are as a program; we have some young guys," Jeter said. "It's just we need some more continuity with players. Then we'll be okay."

"As soon as he gets those guys a little experience, it'll be a little different," Ryan said. "We'll enjoy this one tonight, but know that probably next year, it'll be a battle."

The joy of playing doesn't just rest with Jeter, either. Ryan admitted that after being initially skittish, he now takes pleasure in coaching against his former protégé.

"At first, I thought how hard it would be [to coach against him]," Ryan said. "Do I enjoy it? You know what, actually I do, because I think it's good for both of us."

There was also one other lesson that Jeter said he learned, though this one was entirely self-taught.

"I didn't get a technical this year," Jeter said with a wry smile.

Big inside and outside

Wisconsin junior big-man Brian Butch made a three-pointer against UW-M on Wednesday night. Usually this would hardly be headline news, as Butch had made 30 shots from long distance in his first two seasons and is a career 30-percent shooter from beyond the arc.

However, the Polar Bear has struggled from long range this season as his trifecta against the Panthers was only his second of the season and his first since Nov. 15 against UW-Green Bay. On the season, Butch had been only 1-of-11 coming into the matchup with UW-M.

"It works through itself, simply from what you're doing in practice," Ryan said. "The opportunities haven't been there that much on the outside shot, but that's okay, because he needs to get things done inside."

Butch chipped in with 11 points and eight rebounds against the Panthers, also tallying an assist and a blocked shot.

"He was active and that was good," Ryan said. "We needed that."

While Butch's outside shooting has gone cold, he hasn't let that affect the rest of his game. The Appleton native has basically maintained his averages of nine points and six rebounds per game, while shooting almost 50 percent from the field.

Ryan maintains that Butch will continue to get the green light to let it fly, however.

"You gotta guard him when he's out there," Ryan said. "Some team will make the mistake not to, and he'll knock down two or three threes in a game coming up here. Don't be surprised if he does that."