The only motor running at Ford Field for the last 15 minutes of the Badgers' regional semifinal loss was that of this year's bona fide Cinderella, Davidson.
It's understandable that Bo Ryan's club was a touch shell-shocked as the Wildcats, particularly Dell Curry's even deadlier son, Stephen, buried bomb after bomb against the converted venue's strange shooting backdrop.
But the Badgers got mesmerized watching the Davidson backcourt duo. As a result, with three-eighths of a Sweet 16 game to be played, the Badgers already were beaten.
Worse yet, they acted the part flawlessly. Virtually every catch was made feet beyond the arc. Trevon Hughes' bum wheel all but ended any hopes of Wisconsin getting the corner off the dribble.
On defense, Wisconsin surrendered sequences of offensive boards. The bigger, more physical Badgers were being pummeled despite having been battle-tested in the allegedly rough and tumble Big Ten Conference.
The salt in the wound of Badger fans will be that their club may have been the last one analysts would have picked to have a veritable self-destruction in all phases.
While Wisconsin was a darkhorse at best to make the final dance floor, the Badgers also emerged as a faceless club to which onlookers eventually clung. Bucky finally got his national dap as a defensive juggernaut and staunch ball-protecting club.
Even Davidson fans, whose institution foots the bill to send their enrollment to the now-historic ballgame, may have felt a bit gipped afterward.
They too only got a half's worth of basketball, as the Wildcats' opponent simply never emerged from the locker room in the second half.
- Christopher Heimerman is sports editor of The Monroe Times. He can be reached at sportseditor@themonroetimes.com.
It's understandable that Bo Ryan's club was a touch shell-shocked as the Wildcats, particularly Dell Curry's even deadlier son, Stephen, buried bomb after bomb against the converted venue's strange shooting backdrop.
But the Badgers got mesmerized watching the Davidson backcourt duo. As a result, with three-eighths of a Sweet 16 game to be played, the Badgers already were beaten.
Worse yet, they acted the part flawlessly. Virtually every catch was made feet beyond the arc. Trevon Hughes' bum wheel all but ended any hopes of Wisconsin getting the corner off the dribble.
On defense, Wisconsin surrendered sequences of offensive boards. The bigger, more physical Badgers were being pummeled despite having been battle-tested in the allegedly rough and tumble Big Ten Conference.
The salt in the wound of Badger fans will be that their club may have been the last one analysts would have picked to have a veritable self-destruction in all phases.
While Wisconsin was a darkhorse at best to make the final dance floor, the Badgers also emerged as a faceless club to which onlookers eventually clung. Bucky finally got his national dap as a defensive juggernaut and staunch ball-protecting club.
Even Davidson fans, whose institution foots the bill to send their enrollment to the now-historic ballgame, may have felt a bit gipped afterward.
They too only got a half's worth of basketball, as the Wildcats' opponent simply never emerged from the locker room in the second half.
- Christopher Heimerman is sports editor of The Monroe Times. He can be reached at sportseditor@themonroetimes.com.
