The Badgers looked like their turkey dinners were still digesting during the first half of their 68-49 victory over Georgia Saturday evening at the Kohl Center, and the Bulldogs were hungry for an upset victory.
Overplaying the passing lanes in a stifling man-to-man defense, Georgia (3-1 overall) forced 10 Wisconsin turnovers and held UW (5-0) to only 25 percent shooting from the field in the first 20 minutes of play.
That's what we practiced against all week,"" UW head coach Bo Ryan said. ""It's just very hard to replicate the same kind of speed, length and wingspan and everything else of the other team's defensive players.""
The Bulldogs also owned the inside, scoring 20 points in the paint to Wisconsin's 10 in the opening frame. Senior forward Brian Butch, junior forward Marcus Landry and senior center Greg Stiemsma combined for only six first-half points combined.
""It was a physical battle today,"" Butch said. ""But that's why we work out during the summertime. That's why we keep on getting stronger and working on what we have to do. A lot of that just comes down to fighting for loose balls and making sure you get [them].""
Unlike Florida A&M and Colorado, who predominantly used zone defenses against UW, Georgia remained in man-to-man for much of the first half. The Badgers looked uncharacteristically rattled in their swing offense, by firing ill-advised shots - some of which did not even graze the iron.
Wisconsin shot 1-for-11 on 3-pointers during the first 20 minutes.
The Bulldogs' physical play also resulted in 14 first half fouls, and the Badgers earned eight of their 22 first half points at the foul line.
""They didn't care about how many fouls they were going to commit,"" Ryan said. ""They were just going to be real physical and make us counter and we did and we got to the free throw line.""
Despite the first half difficulties, the Badgers came back and eventually blew out the Bulldogs thanks in part to their domination on the boards in the second half. Wisconsin snagged 27 rebounds to Georgia's 16, and the Badgers converted nine second half offensive rebounds into 11 second-chance points.
Georgia head coach Dennis Felton said the Badgers' rebounding edge was the key factor in helping them pull away from the Bulldogs.
""It's easy to focus on the fact that we missed shots, but I don't credit that with the outcome of the game,"" Felton said. ""They just did a far better job of getting on the offensive glass and getting second shots than we did. So I thought that rebounding spelled out the difference.""
Led by senior guard Michael Flowers, the Badgers challenged the Bulldog defense by attacking the hoop and either dishing off to open teammates or going to the free throw line.
""When a team is being real aggressive are you turning the pressure against them?"" Ryan asked rhetorically. ""Eventually we did.""
The Badgers scored 20 second half points in the paint and held the Bulldogs to just four. Wisconsin also made 21 of its 28 free throw attempts.
""We have a very good scout team that prepared us for this game,"" junior guard Joe Krabbenhoft said. ""We owed it to them in the second half to go out there and start playing better.""
A Blissful Homecoming?
While the trip to the Kohl Center may have been just another road game for most of the Bulldogs, for senior center Dave Bliss Saturday night's contest represented a homecoming.
The Wausau West graduate tallied six points and six rebounds in 21 minutes of play against the Badgers.
""Whenever we have a guy that's from outside our area, we are always interested in trying to get him home sometime during his career,"" Felton said. ""I know that David was really, really excited about coming home and playing this game.""
Bliss averaged 19.2 points and 14.1 rebounds per game during his senior season at Wausau West. He also set eight school records during his high school career.
""He had a ton of folks here at the game,"" Felton said. ""We always want to win the game, but we especially wanted to win it for Dave because he has been such a cornerstone to our program and means so much to all his teammates.
