MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Mike Kelley somehow found a sliver of
sunshine in Wisconsin's (No. 16 ESPN/USA Today, No. 10 AP) stunning 58-44 loss to Butler on
Tuesday night.
"We have the consolation of a loss in the middle of the Big Ten
season that has no bearing on that race, and that's a plus,"
Kelley argued.
|  | | Butler's Joel Cornette slams Wisconsin's Charlie Wills for an easy two in the Bulldogs' upset win over the Badgers. |
His coach wasn't buying it.
"I don't know if I can turn it into a positive," Brad
Soderberg said. "The only thing that came to my mind when I talked
to the guys is that what it's all about right now is their attitude
tomorrow.
"We can't do anything about this embarrassment. We can't have
this game over. It's a loss. And I'm going to try to draw whatever
correctable things I can out of the tape."
There will be plenty, such as the single offensive rebound in
the second half, the 6-for-16 foul shooting, and center Mark Vershaw's
terrible play in the low post.
Truth be told, though, Soderberg simply didn't have an answer
for Butler's trio of small, quick guards.
"They did what I feared they would do," Soderberg said. "The
bottom line is their three perimeter guys were quicker with the
dribble than we were able to defend."
And Soderberg can't fault his players for not matching up well.
"I didn't get the feeling that our guys were overlooking them
or that they didn't respect the quality of their players,"
Soderberg said. "Sometimes we're just not good enough to beat
certain teams because they have weapons that we can't defend. They
beat us soundly. There's no way around it."
Brandon Miller scored 17 points and Thomas Jackson added 14 as
Butler handed the Badgers their first non-conference home loss in
more than three years, ended Wisconsin's streak of 20 straight
non-conference victories and its 11-game unbeaten streak at the
Kohl Center.
Wisconsin (13-5) lost a non-league game in Madison for the first
time since falling to Temple on Dec. 6, 1997.
This week, the Badgers cracked the AP Top 10 for the first time
since Dec. 11, 1962, and Vershaw said that only made
them bigger targets.
"What might have made it tougher was that you add the 10th
ranking along with the Final Four and it was a chance for them to
be extra excited to come in here and play us," said Vershaw, who
was limited to six points.
Butler (14-6), a member of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference,
hadn't beaten a ranked team since upsetting No. 19 Oklahoma in the
1997 Big Island Invitational.
"This is a huge win for us, to beat a Top 10 team in the
country on their home court," said Butler's first-year coach, Thad
Matta.
The Bulldogs got into the lane for easy buckets all night with
the same formula: penetrate off the dribble after the big man sets
a high pick.
"We just couldn't defend their offensive set," Kelley said.
The Bulldogs weren't bad from long-range, either.
"Zone might have been the way to go, but they're 43 percent
shooters from three-point range," Soderberg explained.
Butler began to pull away from a 20-20 halftime tie when Darnell
Archey's 25-footer made it 33-28 lead with 12½ minutes left.
Miller's fourth and final 3-pointer made it 46-37 with 6:27 left,
and Jackson capped the 8-0 run with another 3 for a 49-37 lead.
Kirk Penney led the Badgers with nine points.
Things were so bad for the Badgers that Travon Davis -- their
worst free throw shooter at 50 percent -- saved them from an even
worse exhibit by hitting all four of his foul shots.
Come to think of it, maybe something positive can come of this
after all.
"Yeah, it was embarrassing," Soderberg said. "But sometimes
embarrassing isn't so bad. Maybe this is what we needed."
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Butler Clubhouse
Wisconsin Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Brandon Miller drains a long-range 3-pointer as the shot clock runs down.
avi: 651 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
The Badgers turn the ball over and Rylan Hainje takes it in for the slam.
avi: 739 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Joel Cornette with the follow-up jam on the LaVall Jordan miss.
avi: 967 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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