Early 24-8 deficit too much for Badgers to overcome
Philadelphia—Usually when a Wisconsin men's basketball team puts up 75 points on 43-percent shooting, you would think they come out on top. That was not the case Friday afternoon at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.
The Badgers' 19-point loss was in large part due to the fact that the team allowed Arizona to shoot a hair under 60 percent from the field.
It's all about defense. Defense is going to ultimately win the game,\ junior forward Alando Tucker said. ""If you can't stop anybody, it doesn't matter how good your shooting is.""
Senior guard Hassan Adams led the way with 21 points and shot 10-of-14 from the floor, while senior forward Ivan Radenovic had 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting.
""I think we played offensively about as well as we played all year long. I thought the key was we let the game come to us,"" Arizona head coach Lute Olson said. ""We were working to get the open shot, and when we got the open shots, we did a good job of knocking the shots down.""
The Badgers allowed a lot of easy baskets down low in the first half, giving up 26 points in the paint in the first 20 minutes. Head coach Bo Ryan stressed forcing the Wildcats to the perimeter during the intermission, but the strategy did not work for Ryan and the rest of the Badgers.
""They just seemed so lax on their jump shots in the second half,"" Ryan said. ""The emphasis at halftime was to make them hit jumpers and it was as if they heard us say it and ‘So, OK, we'll go out and hit jumpers.'"" Boy, did they play well.""
Senior center Jason Chappell said that the team could not take satisfaction in the fact they shot well from the floor.
""When you lose, it's hard to take pride in anything that came from the game,"" Chappell said. ""We shot well, but maybe it's because they were up by so much that they didn't really feel like they didn't play as good a defense. It's hard to say we did well when you get beat by whatever it was.""
UW fails to put on the breaks
Though the Badgers had seen a terrific fast break in Michigan State twice this season, the Wildcat attack seemed to catch UW off guard.
The fast-paced Wildcat offense torched the Badgers for 25 fast-break points, to Wisconsin's three.
""We faced a fast break like that in Michigan State,"" sophomore forward Brian Butch said. ""We just didn't take care of what we needed to. We didn't get back, we didn't protect the rim. That's obvious. We just got killed.""
An 8-0 run right from the start for the Wildcats set the tone for the rest of the game, as Arizona refused to slow down.
""I think they went on a run in the beginning and then they just grew more confident with it from there,"" Chappell said. ""That's what really helped them, getting off to that fast start. We just were caught on our heels the whole game.""
Tucker: ""We're so young.""
The Badgers are the third-youngest team in Division I, and it showed Friday. They seemed in awe of the experienced Wildcat attack at times, sometimes waiting for juniors Tucker and Kammron Taylor to take charge.
""We're young. We're so young that at these times, we don't have a lot of experience,"" Tucker said. ""We got a little rattled early in the game.""
Tucker expressed that it is difficult for a young team to prepare for an elite squad like Arizona. Sometimes the younger members of the team may not realize the pressure of the NCAA tournament.
""It's a different story when you have to take what you learned from the practice courts onto the game court,"" Tucker said. ""When you're young, and the lights come on and you're playing in front of thousands, it's different.""
Since the Badgers lost freshman forward Marcus Landry and sophomore center Greg Stiemsma to academic ineligibility, the team has gone 4-10. Tucker emphasized how hard it is for a young team to deal with the loss of two key players.
""After losing those guys, we just wanted to stay focused. Given the numbers that we had, playing against teams with more experience,"" Tucker said.
Taylor also recognized that the Badgers are young and inexperienced but refused to blame their rawness for the team's defeat.
""The NCAA is every kid's dream. And to actually get here and see all the people in the stands and know how much is on the line,"" Taylor said. ""But I don't want to blame it on people being young.""
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