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."