The UW men's basketball team honored its only National Championship squad Monday by wearing 1941 retro jerseys, but more impressive than the knee-high socks was the 70-43 thumping the No. 23 Badgers laid on Wofford.
After failing to score on its first five possessions, Wisconsin rattled off 38 points on its final 26 possessions of the first half to grab a commanding 38-20 halftime lead. Led by sophomore guard Jason Bohannon's team-high 14 points, Wisconsin took advantage of a thin Wofford lineup that found itself in early foul trouble.
You could have taken a Wofford all-star team from the last 20 years and had a tough time in here tonight,"" Terriers' head coach Mike Young said. ""But playing without [senior guard Shane] Nichols makes it tough for us. He's a very good player.""
Nichols, Wofford's top scorer from a year ago, has not played this season because of a quad injury suffered in the preseason. The Terriers received a boost from the return of senior guard Drew Gibson, who missed the previous two games. Still, Gibson's game-high 16 points could not offset Wofford's 13 first half fouls that left the rotation thin.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin took advantage of the fouls by getting to the line. Bohannon, specifically, found his way to the stripe and hit 6-of-8 free throws.
""I think because [Bohannon's] not going to beat a lot of people off the dribble, he's going to have to get to the free throw line by doing the little things,"" head coach Bo Ryan said. ""A guy reaching in on him, a guy over his back, whatever. However he gets there, we don't care. We just like him to make them when he does.""
Bohannon said the UW coaching staff cited a lack of movement off the ball in last week's loss to Duke, something the entire team worked on before Monday's game against Wofford.
""We had some people who were standing around and coach kind of saw that and wanted us to move a little more off the ball,"" Bohannon said. ""When you move off the ball there are going to be more off-the-ball fouls and that's kind of how it was tonight.""
The Badgers took advantage of a considerable size advantage as well, holding a 40-16 scoring advantage in the paint. The guards constantly found open passing lanes to the big men, especially junior guard Joe Krabbenhoft, who tallied four assists.
After the game, Ryan suggested that Krabbenhoft is having the time of his life and that is helping him do all the little things for a Badger team that can ill afford to make mistakes.
""I think this is all what we dreamed of since we were little kids,"" Krabbenhoft said. ""Just getting the chance to play on ESPN in throwback uniforms. It's what we've all seen on TV since we were little kids and yeah, I am having the time of my life. I'm glad he said that because I haven't really sat down and realized it.""
All teams go retro at some point, but 1941 jerseys are very retro. The white jerseys with red lettering also featured red and white striped knee-high socks. While it was a first for the players, Ryan actually admitted he wore similar socks in his first few years of college ball.
""They itched,"" Ryan said about the socks he wore in college. ""So I asked the guys, I said, 'How many guys itch?' That's why we practiced in them for two days. I think the guys are glad they're not wearing them on a steady basis, but you would have to ask them. I don't think you would have a stripped sock fan club starting around here.""
The Badgers will go back to their regular home jerseys Saturday in a big game against in-state rival No.11 Marquette - a game that could go a long way in building a solid NCAA Tournament résumé.
