As Wisconsin whipped the ball around the perimeter of the Penn State defense during the first minute of play Saturday, it fell into the hands of lanky No. 23 in red. The sophomore made a quick spin move past a guard wearing blue and white and like a red blur -- resembling the Flash -- he was by the Penn State defense for an easy lay-up.

Everyone in the arena soon found out that No. 23 was Wisconsin's Kammron Taylor. Throughout the entire game, Taylor was just too quick for anyone on the Penn State defense as he racked up 11 points in the first half.

"Most of the time in the first half they were running out toward me, so I just used my quickness to get to the basket," Taylor said. "I used my first step to go baseline as the guy was running toward me. It worked tonight."

The 6-foot-2 guard was inserted into the starting lineup after the Badgers' leading scorer, Alando Tucker, was sidelined with a foot injury, and Taylor paid dividends early and often. He finished shooting 7-for-14 from the field, including 2-for-4 from behind the arc and finishing with 20 points.

"[Taylor's] a good player," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. "He's quick, he can penetrate. Those are things we saw in him a couple of years ago so now you have to take that and channel it. ... It will be very difficult to do that every night. He took advantage of his opportunities and took care of the ball. He got to places that not too many players on our team can get to when he puts it on the floor and penetrates."

No stranger to the Badgers lineup, Taylor -- who started the first four games of the season -- is averaging 20 minutes after barely playing his freshman year.

He also seems to have something against the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisc., as he has been a much better road player than he has been at home. In his last three road games he has averaged 18 points per game, compared to six points at home, including his top career scoring performances (21 at Indiana and 20 at Penn State on Saturday).

"This was probably my best game by far," Taylor said. "It is not just the points. I don't think I had a turnover until the charge they gave me at the end of the game. ... That's been something I've really been working on."

One turnover is a huge accomplishment for the young guard, who had 39 coming into Saturday's game. He was the catalyst for the entire Wisconsin starting backcourt when it came to handling the basketball. The three starters combined for only three turnovers in the entire game and zero in the first half.

The play of Taylor was a welcome sight to the Badgers, who needed the boost on the offensive end, and also to one guard who might have needed some pressure lifted off of his shoulder.

"Kam played great tonight," Wisconsin guard Sharif Chambliss said. "He showed a lot of athleticism and leadership out there tonight. He's progressing as a player and I'm real proud of him."