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MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Dick Bennett is no longer on the sideline,
yet his signature defense persists on the court, as pesky as ever.
"I didn't have time to screw it up," Brad Soderberg said after
No. 23 Wisconsin routed previously unbeaten Xavier 61-46 on
Saturday in his first game as Bennett's replacement.
Soderberg, 38, had pledged the Badgers (3-1) wouldn't deviate
from the disciplined, defense-minded style instilled by Bennett,
who retired Thursday after losing his zeal for the game.
|  | | Brad Soderberg directs the Badgers during his first day on the sidelines as interim head coach. |
And they didn't, holding the Musketeers (4-1) to 27 percent
shooting and keeping them scoreless after halftime for more than
eight minutes.
"I didn't have time to change anything," Soderberg said. "The
system worked today and our guys just played hard."
Xavier coach Skip Prosser said he didn't expect anything else.
"They looked like a Wisconsin team to me," Prosser said. "I
didn't notice any difference."
The victory capped a tumultuous 72 hours for the Badgers'
program.
"I'm thankful for the way our guys played today because they
lifted me up in a big way," Soderberg said. "I was really nervous
and just thankful that I had a senior group and I'm glad they
defended the way they did today because they made it pretty
miserable for Xavier."
After the game, Soderberg called Bennett, who watched the game
on TV.
"He was nice and I apologized for the 20 turnovers," Soderberg
said.
His displeasure was actually welcomed by the Badgers.
"When I made a turnover, I turned around" expecting to see and
hear Bennett hollering, guard Ray Boone said. "It was kid of weird
for me at first. I told Coach Sody he could get on me just like
Coach Bennett when I make a turnover."
And Soderberg happily obliged.
"I already told the guys that I can't accept what we got in a
nice win that's not going to be acceptable when we lose,"
Soderberg said. "So, on Monday they're going to hear about that
and we're going to get it fixed. We're not going to win a lot of
games if we commit 20 turnovers."
The Badgers stretched their six-point halftime lead to 44-27
before David West's three-point play with 11:50 remaining. West
finished with 11 points, one fewer than Maurice McAfee, who scored
five of his points after Soderberg emptied the bench with the
Badgers on top 61-40.
The Badgers found themselves in the bonus less than eight
minutes into the first half, but they also found themselves without
senior point guard Mike Kelley, who picked up two quick fouls.
Kelley, who played 120 of a possible 125 minutes in the Badgers'
first three games, sat out the final 13:45 of the first half.
Wisconsin was down 11-9 when Kelley took a seat, but led 33-27 at
halftime lead behind Roy Boone's 12 points. Boone finished with 16,
and Andy Kowske added 10.
"The first win for Brad was great," said Kirk Penney, who
scored a career-high 24 points. "I know he was really nervous and
to start out like that was really nice."
Penney's previous career high was 18 points against Maryland on
Wednesday night in Milwaukee, after which Bennett gathered his
players to tell them was resigning. The next day, Soderberg was
named acting coach.
"It's a great first game for him," Prosser said. "And he
deserves a lot of credit for stepping into a tough situation and
doing extremely well."
Soderberg played two years for Bennett in college and coached
with him for five seasons.
He actually coached one game at Wisconsin before Saturday.
Bennett missed a game at Illinois on Feb. 3, 1996, because of a
death in his family, and Soderberg guided the Badgers past the
Illini, 57-56, a victory that went on Bennett's record.
Soderberg, a native of Wausau, Wis., didn't walk on the floor
with his team, concerned that he'd get emotional as the band played
"On, Wisconsin!" Instead, he came in minutes later during warmups
to a standing ovation.
"I'll bet you I shed a tear tonight, quite honestly,"
Soderberg said.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Xavier Clubhouse
Wisconsin Clubhouse
Soderberg sets sites on success, maybe permanent position
Bennett cites burnout, quits as Wisconsin hoops coach
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Wisconsin's Roy Boone emphatically dunks against Xavier.
avi: 514 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Kirk Penney drives hard towards the hoop with a layup.
avi: 471 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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