STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — It all started in Malibu, Calif., the weekend after Thanksgiving.

As the tiny Pepperdine crowd of just more than 3,000 sent the Badgers off with a spirited round of “start the tractors,” a game that saw a number of crucial firsts finally came to an end. The match was Wisconsin’s first road appearance of the season, the squad’s first loss and, last but not least, the first game since before Devin Harris ran the point in which the Badgers committed more than 20 turnovers.

Yet, for Wisconsin, one first wouldn’t prove so foreboding. That night, sophomore point man Kammron Taylor scored in double digits for the first time in his career. Although many considered the young guard’s 15-point performance a strong one in spite of road pressures, the exhibition ultimately proved the beginning of an enduring trend.

Since the start of conference play, Taylor has excelled on the road. Averaging 15.3 points per game in other barns (compared to a mark of just 6.3 at the Kohl Center), Taylor Saturday night shelled out another solid performance on the Big Ten trail in Wisconsin’s 76-50 win over Penn State at the Bryce Jordan Center.

With swingman Alando Tucker declared out of action indefinitely prior to tip-off, Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan opted to utilize the three-guard lineup employed earlier in the week against Illinois. The move afforded Taylor a starting spot at off-guard. The sophomore capitalized.

Afterward, Taylor called the game his best of the year.

“He took advantage of his opportunities,” Ryan said. “[He] took care of the ball and when he put the ball on the floor and penetrated, [he] got to places where [not] many guys on our team can get to.”

Taylor shot 7-for-14 from the field against Penn State to finish with 20 points — his third consecutive road appearance in double figures. In the ball control game Taylor also excelled, moving the ball more cleanly and efficiently than in his earlier starts at the point.

For a player who has often struggled maintaining ball control at high speed, teammates and coaches found Taylor’s most recent performance especially promising. Leading the Badgers with 2.29 turnovers per game heading into Saturday (despite starting only five of 17 games), Taylor committed just one against Penn State — on an inconsequential charge call late in the game.

Taylor’s breakthrough in the ball-control game, coupled with another solid showing from point guard Sharif Chambliss, propelled Wisconsin to a 17-6 assist-to-turnover ratio on the night.

“Kam (Taylor) played a great game,” Chambliss said. “We were swinging the ball, he was knocking down shots and taking it to the hole aggressively.”

Though a notable presence for the duration of play, Taylor proved the most effective in the opening stanza. Exploiting a speed mismatch at the two-guard slot, the sophomore guard flew past less-athletic Penn State defenders Mike Walker and Ben Luber for six of his 11 first-half points on baseline cuts.

“In the first half, they were running out toward me,” Taylor said. “So I just used my quickness — like while the guy was running out — I used that first step to go baseline. It worked.”

With concerns over Taylor’s ability to execute at high speed somewhat quelled after the display in Happy Valley, only one question remains for the sophomore guard: what exactly does he have against the Kohl Center?

“I don’t have anything against the Kohl Center,” Taylor said. “I don’t know what it is. I just take it a game at a time. Hopefully I can get on the road at home.”

A bittersweet homecoming: In his first game back at Bryce Jordan since transferring to Wisconsin after the 2002-03 season, Chambliss was met with an air of unwelcome Saturday night. With fans brandishing signs sporting such slogans as “We got beef with Sharif,” the Wisconsin senior fell under a chorus of boos with every touch of the ball.

Following the game, Ryan dismissed the affair as a personal response toward his starting point guard.

“That was tough love,” Ryan said. “How can you dislike Sharif Chambliss? Anybody in that crowd that knows Sharif, probably just did it because it’s the thing to do when somebody transfers.”

Chambliss — who finished the game with seven points, five boards and four assists — admitted the experience felt somewhat awkward but mentioned nothing of the cold reception.

“It felt a little weird at first going through the visiting locker room, but I’m happy with all my decisions,” Chambliss said.