MADISON, Wis. _ With final exams just completed and more than a week having passed since Wisconsin last played a game, Greg Gard's players appeared ripe for a sluggish performance.
The No. 14 Badgers, facing a depleted Florida A&M team, didn't fall into that trap Friday night at the Kohl Center.
Gard used nine players in the first half and all nine scored in helping UW build a 21-point cushion en route to a 90-37 victory over the Rattlers.
"When we do what we do well, we're pretty good," Gard told the Big Ten Network after UW extended its winning streak to seven games. "When we deviate, we struggle a little bit ... .
"The league is going to be ... the mountain is going to get a lot steeper here real quick."
UW (11-2) won its final nonconference tune-up before its Big Ten opener Tuesday against visiting Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights suffered a 72-61 loss Friday night at Seton Hall but are 11-2 under first-year coach Steve Pikiell.
Florida A&M (2-11) was without leading scorer Desmond Williams, who was hurt the night before in an 83-63 loss at Samford, and had just eight players available.
The loss to UW concluded a brutal mini-trip with its second consecutive road loss in two nights.
After the 20-point loss at Samford on Thursday night in Birmingham, Ala., the Rattlers traveled to Atlanta by bus _ nearly 150 miles _ and flew from Atlanta to Milwaukee on Friday morning. They arrived in Madison about 10 a.m. after another bus ride.
"This has not been easy," BTN analyst Jon Crispin said during the telecast.
Bronson Koenig and Vitto Brown scored eight points apiece in the first half when UW recorded 11 assists on 15 field goals, shot 46.9 percent overall and hit all eight free-throw attempts in building a 43-22 advantage. UW finished with 23 assists on 34 field goals.
Thirteen players scored for UW, led by freshman guard D'Mitrik Trice, who hit 4 of 5 3-pointers and finished with 14 points. He is 18 of 30 from 3-point range (60 percent).
Brown finished with 11 points, a season-high eight rebounds and two assists. Koenig did not score after halftime but his offense wasn't needed Friday.
Nigel Hayes, who averaged 17.7 points in the previous six games, finished with only six points. However, he contributed six rebounds and four assists in 20 minutes.
"They get open shots because of what Nigel Hayes can do," Crispin said.
UW entered the night shooting just 67 percent from the free-throw line. Ethan Happ (50 percent) and Hayes (60.8 percent) had struggled more than the other starters.
The Badgers hit 8 of 8 attempts in the first half and finished 10 of 11 overall.
UW's fast start eliminated any questions about the layoff since the Badgers dispatched UW-Green Bay on Dec. 14.
Happ (eight points, nine rebounds and three assists) scored inside off a feed from Hayes just 15 seconds into the game and UW hit four of its first five shots in building an 8-0 lead in the first 2 minutes 20 seconds.
The sluggish start that might have been expected came in the first few minutes of the second half.
UW had five turnovers in the first 3:17 of the half, including offensive fouls against Hayes, Brown and Charlie Thomas.
The Badgers settled down and provided the fans with two memorable moments.
Happ stole the ball, drove hard down the court on the right wing and whipped a behind-the-back bounce pass to Trice for a lay-in.
A few seconds later, Brevin Pritzl stole the ball and drove in for a left-handed tomahawk dunk.
Crowd favorite Andy Van Vliet hit 3 of 3 3-pointers in the second half and finished with nine points, five rebounds and two assists in eight minutes.
"I do think they're a team that is built for a good run in Big Ten play," Crispin said, "and in postseason."
