DETROIT - This was one of those times when Tanner Bronson's entrance into the game in the closing minutes was not a good thing.
With the Badgers trailing by 17 points with one minute and 15 seconds remaining, Bo Ryan raised the white flag, conceding the 73-56 loss to Davidson at Ford Field, bringing a sudden end to the winningest season in Wisconsin basketball history.
It's hard to go out with a loss,"" said senior Michael Flowers, who scored a team-high 12 points. ""We expected a lot of ourselves. To know that this was the last 40 minutes of your collegiate career, it's going to take a while to get over.""
Nothing went right for the Badgers Friday night in front of a regional record 57,027 fans. They could not touch the post, they failed to get back on defense and in the second half they only managed five buckets. The nation's top scoring defense suddenly looked penetrable in the Motor City, and Davidson's talented backcourt was the reason why.
All week the matchup between Flowers and Stephen Curry was well documented, and Curry proved to be everything that was advertised. The sophomore scored a game-high 33 points and outscored the entire Wisconsin team 22-20 in the second half. In his four tournament games, Curry had 128 points.
""His confidence is through the roof,"" UW junior guard Joe Krabbenhoft said. ""He thinks he's Kobe Bryant out there, and that's not a knock, that's a compliment. Every time he put up a shot it went in, it seemed like. He's unbelievable and it's going to be fun to watch him play throughout his career.""
That's high praise for a player from the Southern Conference, but as LeBron James looked on from his courtside seat, Curry put on a performance that got even the Cleveland Cavaliers' star out of his seat numerous times.
One of those instances was after a ridiculous layup on a fastbreak where Curry was fouled and spun the ball off the glass after his body had already passed the hoop. Like everything else he threw up Friday night, the ball went in, leaving the massive crowd stuck in one of those ""How did he do that?"" moments that rivaled some of King James' best.
""He is a phenomenal player and when he is in a rhythm like that, he is probably one of the toughest players in the country to stop,"" sophomore guard Jason Bohannon said.
Curry finished the night on 11-for-22 shooting while hitting 6-of-11 3-pointers. Even though Davidson thoroughly outplayed the Badgers in the final minutes, Wisconsin still stood a chance with 14 minutes to play.
After junior Marcus Landry hit his only field goal of the night with 13 minutes and 46 seconds to go, Wisconsin was only down 48-45 and had seized the momentum after being down by as many as eight points just minutes earlier.
But as all great players do, Curry took it back immediately. The sophomore needed only 43 seconds to hit two more threes, and the second proved to be the dagger.
After Krabbenhoft committed a turnover, Davidson point guard Jason Richards led the break and found a wide open Curry along the sideline. Krabbenhoft did all he could to disrupt the shot, but with an effortless pump fake, UW's only hope flew right past the guard, and Curry easily stretched the lead to nine. Six minutes later, Davidson was up 62-46 and in the midst of a 15-1 run in which Curry scored 12 points.
""He has the quickest release I have ever guarded,"" Flowers said, just days after listing the future NBA players he has guarded in his collegiate career.
But that's all Flowers and the Badgers could say after Davidson fully dismantled the winning equation that so many other teams could not figure out this season. Just like that, Wisconsin was on its way home and the Wildcats' winning streak was extended to 25 games.
