MADISON, Wis. -- Victories have come so easily this season for Wisconsin's basketball team that any time a game isn't decided by halftime, it creates an unusually high level of intrigue. This is a dominant unit, after all, that entered Sunday night ranked eighth nationally in scoring margin, blowing past opponents by an average of nearly 22 points.
So when Wisconsin trailed Buffalo by one point at halftime at the Kohl Center, a fair number of eyebrows raised. Could a Buffalo team that also led top-ranked Kentucky at halftime one month earlier sustain its play and pull off one of the most stunning upsets of the college basketball season?
Well, no. No. 6 Wisconsin, which certainly did not play its best basketball, showed enough skill to rally for a 68-56 victory Sunday night in the Badgers' final nonconference game of the regular season. But the message, even after another double-digit win --Wisconsin's 11th in 13 games -- was clear. In the quest to capture a national championship, there are always plenty of areas remaining to improve.
"I think it was a good game to play before going into the Big Ten," Badgers forward Nigel Hayes said. "As you saw, it wasn't a cakewalk like most people thought it would be, and I thought that was good for us."
Wisconsin trailed 27-26 at halftime, and the only reason the Badgers were that close was because of center Frank Kaminsky, the Big Ten preseason player of the year. Kaminsky repeatedly punished defenders with shot fakes and connected on 5 of 10 field goals for 14 first-half points. The rest of the team shot 5 of 22 and scored 12 points.
Kaminsky finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks. Badgers forward Sam Dekker and Hayes, who were held scoreless in the first half, combined for 22 points in the second half. Hayes' first points didn't come until he drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing with 16:24 remaining to give Wisconsin a 37-34 lead that brought the Kohl Center crowd to its feet.
"That's why Frank's the All-American best player in college," Hayes said. "That's why it's an honor to play on the team with him. When the other guys are just being their average basketball players, we've got Frank that we can give the ball to, carry us to the promised land. Frank as usual did another great job, had another great game. He got us through and got us a victory."
Kaminsky noted Wisconsin seemed to lack energy in the first half and even went so far as to call the team "kind of dead" during that stretch. UW missed 13 of 14 shots, including nine consecutive attempts, as Buffalo (7-3) built a six-point lead on two separate occasions. Maybe it was a brief holiday break that created the slight malaise. Perhaps a less-than-revved crowd, thanks, in part, to the Green Bay Packers clinching a first-round playoff bye around the same time as tip-off contributed to the lackluster on-court performance.
Whatever the reason, Badgers coach Bo Ryan found enough teaching points to keep his team focused as it prepares for the start of Big Ten play on Wednesday at home against Penn State.
"There's things we still need to get better at," Ryan said. "We're just like everybody else. It's the next 40 minutes that matter. All the little things sometimes that can nip at you, a loose ball here, not a block-out there, all those things. My problem is I remember them. So I'm always trying to correct them. . . .
"But sitting where we are, now the Big Ten starts. So it's all Big Ten games from here on out to the end of the regular season. Let's see how we do in the next 18."
Despite Wisconsin's shortcomings Sunday night, the result was familiar, even if the way Wisconsin reached it was not. And UW, which entered the season with perhaps more hype surrounding the program than any year in history after returning seven rotation players, closed nonconference play 12-1 -- no easy task for any college basketball team.
Ryan pointed out Texas Southern defeated Kansas State 58-56 earlier on Sunday, while Wake Forest required a buzzer beater to hold off Richmond 65-63.
"I'll tell you, college basketball is pretty interesting," Ryan said. "Shows you how things can happen. That's when you don't take care of the little things."
What Wisconsin has achieved thus far this season should not go unnoticed as Big Ten play arrives. UW owns six RPI top-100 victories, which is tied for the highest total in the nation, with wins against Oklahoma (34), Green Bay (40), Boise State (42), Georgetown (59), Cal (69) and Marquette (96). The team ranks second nationally in fewest turnovers per game (8.7), fourth in scoring defense (52.4) and has the talent necessary to surpass even last year's run to the Final Four.
Dekker's ankle injury from October is a thing of the past. Hayes has taken to the starting lineup well. Josh Gasser continues to be a leader that holds the team together. Kaminsky is playing like one of the best in college basketball. And point guard Traevon Jackson has been solid as well -- on Sunday, he finished with six points, four rebounds, five assists and just one turnover.
The lone blemish on Wisconsin's nonconference resume was an 80-70 home loss against second-ranked Duke in one of the most highly anticipated games of the early season. It is a defeat that continues to sting and serve as fuel for what the Badgers hope to achieve.
"We've accomplished a lot of things," Kaminsky said. "We'd obviously like to be undefeated. That's the goal of the season, to win every game. We've gotten better and better as it's progressed, but we've still got a lot to work on.
"I'm glad it's time for Big Ten season because one of our goals is to win a championship. We get the opportunity to go and do that now."
