SALT LAKE CITY -- Jerry Tarkanian, we hardly knew you.

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Making his first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1991, when he was at glitzy UNLV and known as Tark the Shark, he and his Fresno State Bulldogs didn't last long in the West Regional. Crowd favorites from the start against Wisconsin, the attention-starved Bulldogs weren't equal to the task. The towel was gone and so was Tarkanian's bite.

Doomed by turnovers, Fresno State squandered a four-point halftime lead against the Badgers, who remained patient, executed and pounded the boards. They pulled away in the final 10 minutes with textbook basketball Thursday night, handing the 69-year-old Tarkanian a 66-56 loss, his first opening-round defeat in 17 appearances.

No doubt the NCAA is breathing easier. The selection committee didn't exactly send out the welcome wagon for him, but had no choice but to invite the Bulldogs after they won their last eight games and finished 24-9. Had Tarkanian beaten Wisconsin, top-seeded Arizona was next.

It's a moot point now. Even standout guard Courtney Alexander, the nation's leading scorer at 25.6 points per game, couldn't save him. He was suffocated by Mike Kelley, who held him to 11 points on 5-of-19 shooting.

"He's an excellent defender,'' Alexander said. "I make no excuses when I play bad. I missed some tough shots that normally go in.''

Kelley was a big reason.

"I thought the Kelley kid played a great ballgame,'' said Tarkanian. "He got in the passing lanes as well as anybody I've ever seen.''

According to Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett, it was nothing new. Even when he gets burned, Kelley doesn't rattle and works twice as hard.

"Mike has one of the greatest capacities of concentration I've worked with in 35 years,'' he said. "If a guy beats him, he doesn't alter his intensity. His ability to focus is superb.''

Kelley's tenacity rubbed off on his teammates. Trailing 44-38 with 13:21 remaining, Bennett called a timeout. The Badgers went on a 23-2 run and held Fresno State scoreless for nearly 7½ minutes.

"I don't know if that had anything to do with it except make me feel better,'' said Bennett.

Senior guard Jon Bryant broke the game open with four consecutive 3s, all from the same spot on assists from Ray Boone. By the time he was finished, Wisconsin led 61-48.

Mike McIntyre can't bear to watch as Fresno State falls to Wisconsin.(AP)

"Jon just simply destroyed that zone from the left side,'' Bennett said. "That was pretty much the story of it.''

You've heard of being in the zone? Bryant was in the stratosphere.

"I couldn't ask for any more than that,'' he said. "It's the biggest game I've ever played in. Hopefully it will carry over to Saturday.''

Why did he get such clean looks? Partly from execution and partly because the Bulldogs were dragging their tongues. Tarkanian has no depth and essentially goes with a five-man rotation.

"We quit moving defensively,' he said. "I know we were tired. It just seemed like we died.''

No one was happier than Bennett, who lost first-round NCAA games in 1997 and 1999 and was feeling the heat, especially after the Badgers managed only 32 points last year against Southwest Missouri State.

"We've had that on our backs all year,'' said forward Andy Kowske. "This is the greatest feeling in the world.''

Bennett agreed and felt a ton of cheese lifted off his back.

"I'm relieved,'' he said. "I've been the master of one and out. I guess if it's a monkey, it's off.''

Speaking of gone, so are Tarkanian and Fresno State. Any last remarks, Tark?

"It was great being back,'' he said.