"It was surgical," athletic director Pat Richter told the Badgers of their 61-48 victory for the ages just moments before Bennett entered the postgame locker room.

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Eighth-seeded Wisconsin confounded and confused fourth-seeded Louisiana State.

Neither talented LSU forward Stromile Swift nor the rest of the Tigers had seen or played against such a team that features such a water-torture offense and pesky defense. Bennett has patents on both.

"It's not real complicated," said LSU coach John Brady, whose team had only 14 points at halftime, shot only 36.2 percent for the game and turned it over 23 times to the Badgers' nine.

That textbook effort gives Wisconsin (21-13) a fourth meeting of the season with Purdue, with a spot in the Final Four on the line Saturday. That winner has a good chance to face Michigan State in a national semifinal game at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis on April 1.

The Big Ten is big and bad, and Bennett said the league's slew of upperclass, stellar guards is a main reason for its success.

"Mateen Cleaves, Scoonie Penn .. and whatchamacallit for Purdue," said Bennett, laughing, of Boilermakers guard Carson Cunningham. "That'll come back to hurt me, but he's good."

So are the Badgers, when a young guard from another team has to figure out how to operate against the sticky Wisconsin defense.

Arizona freshman guard Jason Gardner struggled against the Badgers, which was one of the many reasons why Wisconsin eliminated the top-seeded Wildcats from the tournament last Saturday in Salt Lake City.

This time around, LSU rookie Torris Bright had the honor of looking like a deer in the headlights. Bright made one of seven shots, missing all six from 3-point land. He scored four points, dished out no assists and turned it over five times.

"They had a freshman at the point," Bennett said. "We've been able to capitalize on that during the season. They didn't have that leadership today, and that was a key."

LSU finished with only six assists in the game, and Swift often hung his head as low at the postgame press conference as he did walking off the court at halftime. A steep tunnel leads both teams to their locker rooms, and Wisconsin sprinted up that ramp at the half.

Gravity got the better of the Tigers, who turned that trail into mile-high misery.

Former Michigan coach Bill Frieder, now a radio commentator, marveled at what took place before him.

"Those guys just execute," Frieder said of the Badgers. "They were unbelievable on defense and offense, so unselfish. LSU didn't keep the ball low, which was their strength. They always passed it back out on the perimeter. Wisconsin kept them from setting up inside."

Brady has seen worse. In a six-season stint at Crowley (La.) High, he once had a nightmare game in which he trailed 52-12 at the half.

"I know what it's like," Bennett said, "to score 14 or 12 points in a half."

Mostly, Brady blamed "that offense," which relies on at least nine or 10 passes before a Badger even considers looking for a shot. The Tigers relied on too many one-on-one plays, and then there was that double-teaming malady in the post.

"We knew (the Badgers) would do that," Brady said, "but we passed too quickly out of it."

Also, LSU didn't set a lot of screens. Bennett could have gone on and on about how the Tigers played into his, and his Badgers' hands. It all translated into one of the best defensive performances by any team he's coached.

And he's been in the business for 35 years. This is his fifth season in Madison, and Clintonville, Ripon, West Bend, Eau Claire, Stevens Point and Green Bay were other Wisconsin hot spots where Bennett, 56, has spent some time.

Tough, hard-nosed Wisconsin produces some tough, hard-nosed players; you just have to find them.

Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett knows how to find quality players in the state -- he has coached all over it for 35 years.(AP)

"If you find them, the (Mike) Kelleys, the (Andy) Kowskes," Bennett said, "you'll never be embarrassed."

Bennett sits and listens to his players talk about not being surprised at beating Arizona, and not being surprised at beating LSU, and he wonders about them.

"Is it arrogance, or confidence?" Bennett said. "I think it's genuine confidence. You're not confident unless you can end it right. They got that feeling tonight, that defensive intensity. And that helps."

Richter wonders about his old-school hoops coach who has finally mined some incredible success out of his throwback system. Nobody is tougher on Bennett than himself, and Richter knows Bennett will know when it's time to walk away long before Richter has any clue.

"He has so much integrity, and he'd never do anything to hurt the program," said Richter, a former Badgers wide receiver. "He does everything you expect out of a coach, and I have no idea how much time he really puts into it. I don't want to know. And I'm sure he'll know when it's time to walk away."

Right now, it's time for Dick Bennett to walk into the spotlight. His black-and-white system has been colorized.