DETROIT - In the Ford Field locker room Friday night after their 73-56 loss to Davidson, Badger players sat quietly with a subtle look of confusion on their faces.
We'd like to say it was our fault, but they got us into situations we didn't want to be in,"" junior Joe Krabbenhoft said.
Nothing added up right for the Badgers in the loss, and the stat sheet reflected UW's failure to execute the equation that led to a school-record 31 wins this season.
The Badgers had a big height advantage, but Davidson out-rebounded them 21-14 in the second half and outscored UW 22-18 in the paint on the game. The Wildcats denied the post all game, and when the Badgers went cold from outside in the second half, Stephen Curry and Davidson pulled away.
Meanwhile, the nation's top scoring defense failed to get back in transition, and the result was an 18-2 edge in fastbreak points for the Wildcats.
""This game we gave up more transition points than we have the entire year and they took advantage of that,"" senior guard Michael Flowers said.
Hughes' ankle injury keeps him sidelined
After scoring 25 points in UW's second-round win over Kansas State, sophomore guard Trevon Hughes came to Detroit with confidence, and the Badgers were hoping for big things from their point guard.
Eight minutes into Friday's game reality pointed in a different direction as Hughes once again suffered an ankle injury, this time to the right foot. The sophomore briefly returned in the second half but only played 12 minutes in the game and finished 0-for-3 from the field.
""It's always tough when you lose your point guard,"" Krabbenhoft said. ""Bohannon and Flowers filled in at the point and both guys played their hearts out.""
No doubt Bohannon and Flowers played with extra urgency in the second half, but the two combined for only four points on 0-for-10 shooting in the final 20 minutes.
Richards the 'Robin' to Davidson's 'Batman'
While Curry was busy scoring a game-high 33 points, senior guard Jason Richards quietly had an equally impressive performance while dishing out 13 assists and scoring 11 points.
Curry's ability to run off screens to get open is what makes him such a hard player to guard, but Richards' passing ability and vision are what allows Curry to actually get his shots off.
""On this level Richards is as good with the ball as anyone I have seen,"" UW head coach Bo Ryan said.
In addition to his 13 assists, Richards did not commit a single turnover.
