By Morris Phillips

Among other things, losing to sixth-ranked Wisconsin meant Coach Cuonzo Martin had to answer a bunch of ridiculous questions like what’s bugging one of his starters off the court, and was he happy with the margin of defeat in the loss.  But as usual, Martin didn’t snicker at any of the inquiries, he answered them all, many punctuated with the keenest insight he could muster:

Simply, Martin said, “they’re a good team.”

And the visiting Badgers were, from start to finish in a 68-56 win over Cal Monday night that will rightly quiet any talk of the Bears being among the nation’s Top 25 anytime soon.

Wisconsin scored 17 of the game’s first 21 points and cruised from there, rarely posturing or preening before or after pauses in the action.  Besides a technical foul on impressive power forward Nigel Hayes, the Badgers clogged the lanes on defense, played it patient and efficient on offense, and gradually wore down Cal.

“Just being down I felt we rushed a little bit instead of just keeping on pace, flowing with the game and taking what the defense gives us,” Martin said. “They’re a big team.  They make you go over the top or you’ve got to be able to score one-on-one in the post.”

As one of those rare college basketball teams that has been to the Final Four and returns mostly intact with even greater prospects and aspirations, Big Ten favorite Wisconsin didn’t surprise anyone, unless it was with how easy they made it look at a couple of  junctures on Monday.  Lottery-level talent, 7’0″ center Frank Kaminsky drew scouts from more than 20 NBA teams, but didn’t shine with5 of 13 shooting.  But he did a great job of setting up his teammates from just about anywhere on the floor, just a step below the spectacular play he turned in during the NCAA tournament run in March.

Kaminsky’s unselfish play left the Bears vulnerable in their three-guard look that matched up with Wisconsin’s front line that had the All-American teamed with 6’9″ Sam Dekker and the more physical 6’8″ Hayes.  Big point guard Sam Singer, Jordan Mathews  and 5’10” Brandon Chauca often got left to defend Dekker and he was a handful with 14 points and six rebounds.

Still the Bears performed credibly on the defensive end, taking away many of Wisconsin’s back door opportunities as well as getting to shooters around the arc. But in one-on-one situations and in the post, the Badgers found a way to hurt Cal with Dekker and Hayes (17 points, 13 rebounds) on a night where their shooting was uncharacteristically off at 44 percent..

Offensively, the Bears struggled in their sets, and dribble penetration was a hit-or-miss proposition with the Badgers’ physicality and clogging.  Tyrone Wallace got the most done with 17 points and seven rebounds, but even he needed 16 shots to get there.  Cal’s other starters struggled, most notably David Kravish, thus the crazy question about what’s bothering the senior off the court.

Cal’s bench didn’t provide much relief, but against a quality opponent, that figured to be the case as only Roger Moute A Bidias made a dent with five points and four rebounds.  Stat crunchers highlighted the Bears’ meager seven assists, a nod to Wisconsin’s bigger presence.  For Martin, his team’s post defense was a problem on a night where there were few soutions for the home team.

The Bears (10-2) face Cal State Bakersfield after Christmas and then open Pac-12 competition against the Washington schools on January 2.