Fresh off a top-10 ranking for the first time in 40 years, the Badger basketball team was upended 58-44 by Butler in a non-conference match-up in the heart of Big 10 play.
This was the first loss at home to a non-conference opponent since December 6, 1997 when the Badgers fell to Temple 59-49
Backcourt mates Brandon Miller and Thomas Jackson led the Butler attack against a sloppy Badger team.
Miller, shadowed by Mike Kelley for the majority of the game, scored a game-high 17 points, including 4-7 shooting from three-point range.
The lightning-quick Jackson frequently penetrated the Badger defense and finished with 14 points, six assists and four steals.
Poor free-throw shooting and turnover woes plagued the Badgers (13-5, 4-3).
The Badgers shot 37 percent from the line, including a paltry 1-for-8 from the charity line in the first half.
\[Free throws] compounded the problem. Missed free throws are the kiss of death and it will bury you in the end,"" Wisconsin coach Brad Soderberg said.
The Butler defense forced Wisconsin into 11 turnovers and converted them to 17 points.
Butler's little guards dominated the game, as no Badger could stay in front of Miller, Jackson and LaVall Jordan.
""They did what I feared they'd do,"" Soderberg said. ""They were much quicker with the dribble than we could defend.""
Butler shot a blistering 65 percent in the second half as they turned a 20-20 halftime score into a runaway victory.
Wisconsin could never get rolling on offense, with the turnovers offsetting their 45 percent shooting in the game.
Miller, a transfer from Southwest Missouri State, the team that ousted the Badgers in the 1999 NCAA Tournament, hit 2-of-3 three-pointers after intermission including a 30-foot bomb over Kelley.
That shot extended the Bulldogs lead to 46-37 and gave them the added momentum to pull away from Wisconsin.
Travon Davis and Roy Boone paced the Badgers with eight points apiece. Boone came into the game averaging 15 ppg.
The game does not factor into the Badgers quest for the Big Ten title however, it was the first setback in 10 games at the Kohl Center this season.
""We don't have time to sulk,"" Kelley said. ""Fortunately this doesn't have any bearing on that [Big Ten] race, so that's a plus.""
The Badgers return to Big-10 action on Saturday afternoon when they go on the road and venture east towards Michigan to take on the Wolverines.
Butler (14-6), the top team in the Mid-Continent Conference, earned their first victory over a ranked opponent since 1997.
The Badgers had ascended to the 10th slot in the latest AP poll after three straight victories against Big-10 foes Iowa, Ohio State and Penn State.
But the Badgers had little time to enjoy the ranking with this stunning loss to the unranked Bulldogs.
""Its embarrassing,"" Soderberg stated. ""But sometimes embarrassment is good. Maybe this is what we need.\
