During the opening 12 minutes of last night's game against Penn State, Wisconsin forward Alando Tucker remained calm, almost in a Zen-like state.

Any non-basketball fans present at the Bryce Jordan Center would have thought he was a simply a role-player for the Badgers rather than one of the leading National Player of the Year candidates.

He didn't even record his first field goal until the 8:18 mark of the opening frame.

Then, about the same time Penn State swingman Geary Claxton was forced to the bench with three fouls, Tucker took over and showed why he is the prime candidate for the Naismith Award.

"Forcing things is one of the things I never try to worry about. At times, if I'm a decoy, I'll be the decoy and let my teammates get open shots. I just have to pick my points and spots," Tucker said. "That's one of the things Coach always talks about with me -- pick your opportunities, they're going to come. Just pick the right opportunity and don't let the defense force you into a shot."

Tucker displayed just a fraction of his scoring prowess as he poured in 10 points over the final eight minutes of the opening half and carried his team into the locker room with a five-point lead.

Then, in the second half, he found the spots his coach, Bo Ryan, told him about. He exploded out of the break and lit up the Nittany Lion defense for 14 points while grabbing seven rebounds in the second half alone.

"That's him," Ryan said. "He waited, and he kept working the gaps and the seams. And it was Kevin [Gullikson] and Michael Flowers that ended up getting him the good looks by putting the ball into a position, drawing, dishing and using ball fakes. He was patient."

After the break, Ryan advised Tucker to stop working the perimeter and creep down in the Penn State zone. Tucker routinely found open look after open look -- making easy lay-ups rather than forcing threes.

"Coach was saying, 'Try to sneak in behind the defense,' " Tucker said. "But, it's hard for me to sneak out on the court. I was laughing when coach said that, but we spread the defense out, and it opened it up."

He was waiting for his time, and when Penn State made a run early to tie the game, there was Tucker, willing his team back ahead. And he wasn't the only one waiting, everyone on the court was expecting him to erupt at any moment.

"With him being one of the best players in the nation, you're just waiting and you're wondering when he's going to take over the game," Penn State sophomore Jamelle Cornley said. "And he took over the game at probably the most important time, which was in the second half, early."