[media-credit name=’JEFF SCHORFHEIDE/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]OMAHA, Neb. ? Let the dancing continue, all the way to Mo-Town.

Thanks to a career-high 25 points from point guard Trevon Hughes, Wisconsin defeated Kansas State 72-55 at the Qwest Center Saturday to advance to the NCAA tournament?s Sweet 16.

The Badgers will play 10th-seeded Davidson in the Midwest regional semifinal Friday in Detroit.

?We didn?t get away from anything,? forward Joe Krabbenhoft said. ?We didn?t try to be anything we weren?t. We?re Wisconsin, and that was Wisconsin basketball that beat a very good team ? probably the most talented team in the country.?

The Badgers seized control of the game immediately in the second half, scoring seven unanswered points as part of a 10-2 run that pushed the lead to 14 points at 49-35 with just more than 15 minutes remaining in the game.

While Kansas State would try chipping away at the deficit, Wisconsin never let the lead erode away. The closest the Wildcats would draw over the rest of the second half was nine.

?We always say the first five minutes are key, so we really came out in the first five minutes and we really imposed our will,? junior forward Marcus Landry said. ?We really did some great things on the offensive end and the defensive end.?

Sophomore point guard Trevon Hughes, who played the best game of his young career, keyed the run, scoring eight of his career-high 25 points during that stretch. Hughes would also finish with three turnovers against just one turnover.

After leading Wisconsin in scoring for most of the season, Hughes had seen his point production drop off over the last month, finishing with double-digit point totals just once in the last nine games.

Hughes admitted to pressing somewhat in Wisconsin?s first-round game against Cal State Fullerton, Hughes? first real time playing in the NCAA tournament. The sophomore scored eight points and handed out four assists, but he also finished the game with three costly turnovers.

?Today I knew I had to be under control and play Wisconsin basketball, get my teammates involved before I start forcing anything.?

Saturday, Hughes was a polished scorer and during that 10-2 run scored on an aggressive drive to the hoop, a mid-range jumper and a 3-pointer.

?My shot was falling,? Hughes said matter-of-factly. ?That was the difference.?

As were backcourt mates Michael Flowers? and Jason Bohannon?s shots. Flowers added 15 points and Bohannon five as Wisconsin?s guards outscored their Kansas State counterparts 45 to eight.

?It started with Trevon getting us fired up, Mike getting us fired up,? forward Joe Krabbenhoft said. ?Our guards did a great job.?

The much-ballyhooed freshman duo of forwards Michael Beasley (23 points) and Bill Walker (18) lived up to the hype, combining for nearly 80 percent of the Wildcats? scoring.

And while Beasley and Walker did their damage, Wisconsin was able to keep a double-digit lead for most of the second half thanks to a smothering defense that limited the rest of the Kansas State team to just 14 points.

?Their offense is based on [Walker and Beasley], getting the ball in their hands every possession, so we tried to make other players beat us,? said Flowers, who at 6-feet-2-inches spent a good deal of time trying to guard the much taller, 6-feet-6-inch Walker by fronting him in the post.

?We expected them to be physical,? Walker said. ?They?re a good team. That?s why they?re hard to play. They?re not going to give anything to you easy.?

As long as the Badgers continue to play with that same physicality and effort, they will be a hard team to keep from continuing to dance.

?That?s for play to determine,? Krabbenhoft said.

?We?ll see on Sunday,? he continued before being reminded the Badgers? next game would be on Friday.
?We?re playing Sunday, too,? he guaranteed.