The UW men's basketball team has received scoring from their bench all season, but Wednesday's 71-58 win over Michigan was arguably the most impressive showing of Wisconsin's depth thus far.
For the first time all season, senior forward Alando Tucker battled foul trouble after picking up two fouls in 18 seconds with 11:57 remaining in the first half. With the Big Ten's second leading scorer on the bench for the rest of the half, UW looked for scoring elsewhere and almost every member of the team contributed.
""That's one of those things that we've done well all year,"" Tucker said. ""Our bench has come in and contributed right away ... That energy was much needed. We actually made a run once I came out.""
Until head coach Bo Ryan went to the end of his bench with just a few minutes remaining and the game in hand, every player who received playing time had scored.
""Being able to get as much production from as many guys as we can is helpful for the whole course of a Big Ten season,"" Tucker said. ""We are trying to save guys. We don't want to tire guys out because it's a long season. Being able to get contributions from guys like Jason Bohannon when he gets a chance to get in the game and Trevon Hughes when he gets in the game—those are big.""
Ryan most likely would not have had the luxury of being able to keep Tucker out in the first half with two fouls a year ago, but this season's depth allowed him to start his star player in the second half with only two fouls.
""Some coaches will play a guy with two [fouls]. I just wasn't going to do it,"" Ryan said. ""The other guys picked him up and they did a good job of that.""
Tech causes confusion
Michigan senior forward Brent Petway fouled out with 12:43 in the game and was slammed with a technical foul when voicing his frustration to the referees. But before UW senior guard Kammron Taylor shot the free throw, both teams and the sold-out Kohl Center crowd had to sit through a lengthy delay.
The referees were clarifying whether the foul put Wisconsin in the bonus because a technical foul cannot result in a one-and-one. After clarifying that it was Petway's fifth foul that caused the bonus situation and not the additional technical foul, the referees then questioned who was originally fouled.
""I asked [Michigan head coach] Tommy [Amaker],"" Ryan said. ""Tommy said Landry, Tom's never lied to me ... So we solved it on our own. It was like being at the playground.""
Waiting through the delay, the Grateful Red kept itself busy by starting the wave.
""That's the first time I've ever seen [the wave] at a basketball game,"" Tucker said.
Tough screen
Just minutes after the first delay, UM sophomore Jerret Smith ran into a tough screen set by UW sophomore forward Marcus Landry which forced a lengthy injury timeout.
The screen brought back memories of last year's game in Ann Arbor, Mich. when former Michigan forward Graham Brown sent Taylor to the floor on a hard screen.
""Last year we played Michigan at Michigan and they hit [Taylor] with a gruesome screen,"" Tucker said. ""It's not one of those things where you aren't looking for revenge ... but that's one of those things where it's definitely ironic.""
Devin sighting
Former UW basketball great and current Dallas Mavericks' point guard, Devin Harris, was in attendance Wednesday night sporting an Alando Tucker jersey.
""I told him he needs to bring me a Dallas jersey now so we can be even,"" Tucker said.
