Turnovers plague FSU
If Florida State wanted to upset No. 12 Wisconsin Tuesday it knew it would have to reduce the 18 turnovers a game the team averaged. Instead, the Seminoles walked into the Kohl Center and committed 14 in the first half, a key to UW's 81-66 victory.
""I thought that the 14 turnovers we had in the first half dug a hole for ourselves and made it very difficult to get out of,"" FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton said. ""Wisconsin, being the type of team they are, took advantage of most of them.""
Florida State finished the game with 21 turnovers, and UW put up 17 points off those turnovers, essentially the difference in the game.
""They keep executing and keep executing until they find that one mistake that you make and they capitalize on it,"" Hamilton said.
Late first half run key to game
Despite the turnovers and the Seminoles shooting only 29 percent from the field at one point Wisconsin only led 24-21 with 4:17 remaining in the first half. The last four minutes, however, proved to be the Michael Flowers show as the junior guard notched an assist, a rebound, a steal and four points to lead the Badgers on a 10-2 run to close out the half. That run ended with a Brian Butch tip in at the buzzer off a missed Alando Tucker 3-point attempt.
""Well that was the way coach [Ryan] set up that play up coming off the timeout,"" Butch said jokingly. ""It's just one of those things that the way teams close out halves are very important at this level. We've done a good job of that and we need to keep doing it.""
Injuries
Both teams faced injury scares throughout the game as FSU's leading scorer Al Thornton was bothered by cramps the entire game and both Tucker and Flowers went to the locker room with separate injuries. All three players returned to court and it was clear Thornton's injury hurt the Seminoles as the forward only had 10 points.
""Sometimes you get dehydrated early in the game, and [Thornton] was not really as explosive and active as he normally has been,"" Hamilton said. ""I'm not going to use that as an excuse ... I just think [UW] executed a lot better than we did.""
Tucker went to the locker room in the first half after being poked in the eye on a baseline drive. Flowers' injury looked to be more serious as he rolled an ankle attempting to block a shot in the second half. Flowers received tape in the locker room and returned to the floor minutes later.
""We are deep this year so if somebody goes down, we have people on the bench to pick people up,"" senior point guard Kammron Taylor said. ""We don't get frustrated by it because we have the people to step up.""
A Pitt Comparison
After losing to No. 2 Pittsburgh and No. 12 Wisconsin in two consecutive games, Hamilton saw some comparisons between the two teams after Tuesday's game.
""They mirror each other. They are two of the better teams in the country that have totally bought into the system that the coaches have, and they execute very similar,"" Hamilton said.
Pittsburgh travels to the Kohl Center on Dec. 16 to take on the Badgers at 11 a.m.
A Red Coat
In a very confident move, head coach Bo Ryan boasted a red blazer on the UW sidelines Tuesday night.
""I don't even know what the material is,"" Ryan said jokingly after the game. ""Some people are guessing camel, some people are guessing cashmere, some people are guessing llama. Does anyone know what the material is? I just know it is red.""
The jacket was actually a gift from the W Club.
