MADISON, Wis. -- Vitto Brown hadnt even broken a sweat when Wisconsin coach Greg Gard pulled the forward and fellow starter Ethan Happ just more than a minute into Thursday nights game with Chicago State.But the move sent a message.Brown ending up scoring 12 points to lead No. 9 Wisconsin as the Badgers shook off some uneven play from their starters to beat the Cougars 69-51.Its always important to send a message with your leaders like us because they know if we mess up and can be taken out, the other guys will be held to the same standard, Brown said.Gard said he figured some of his starters would be sluggish two days after a 79-67 loss to No. 22 Creighton. But after seeing a couple of careless turnovers to start the game and a quick 8-0 deficit, he had enough.Gards move paid off. Khalil Iverson came off the bench to add 11 points, and freshman guard DMitrik Trice dished out seven assists in 23 minutes. Meanwhile, Bronson Koenig added 10 points, though he was 1 of 6 from 3-point range.Thats the nice thing about having guys on the bench who will go in and play as hard as you can, as smart as you can, for as long as you can, Gard said.The Badgers (2-1) were just 11 of 39 from beyond the 3-point line against Creighton. They again struggled from deep Thursday, hitting 5 of 19. But they had little trouble with the Cougars (1-1) inside as they pulled away. They hit almost 54 percent of their two-point attempts, outscoring Chicago State 34-10 in the paint.Fred Sims scored 26 points to lead Chicago State, which came out in a zone and pressed Wisconsin early.Coach Tracy Dildy said his staff saw Wisconsins shooting troubles in Tuesdays game and decided to go with a zone to see where it can take us. With the Badgers struggles continuing, he added, it likely made the Cougars zone look better than it was.But they stopped settling for 3s and really were able to have their way pounding it inside, he said.BIG PICTUREChicago State: Hey, its a paycheck. The Panthers went 4-28 last season, including 0-14 in the Western Athletic Conference. They were a tune up for a bigger, deeper and more talented team.Wisconsin: It wasnt always pretty but Wisconsin played better inside than it did in Tuesdays loss and now moves onto bigger challenges.TOUGH NIGHT AT THE OFFICEWisconsins Nigel Hayes, who scored 16 points in Tuesdays loss, was a non-factor. He was 1 for 8 from the field, including 1 for 4 from 3-point range, and 0 for 2 from the free throw line. He finished with three points. He wasnt the only one who struggled. Fellow starter Zak Showalter missed all five shots he took, including four from behind the 3-point line.PROTEST CONTINUESHayes and and fellow Badger Jordan Hill continued their protest during the national anthem. Both stood a step behind the rest of their teammates while it was played. Hayes stood with his hands clasped behind his back, head down with the collar of his warm-up shirt pulled up over the bottom half of his face.POLL IMPLICATIONSIts not going to make up for Tuesdays loss to Creighton. But the Badgers largely took care of business and have a chance to redeem themselves in the eyes of pollsters when they head to Maui next week.UP NEXTChicago State: The Cougars travel to Oakland on Saturday as they play 14 of their 16 pre-conference games on the road. That includes two games next month in Nevada as part of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic.Wisconsin: The Badgers will get some stiffer competition against No. 21 Tennessee on Monday in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. Early Wynn White Sox Jersey . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Jon Jay White Sox Jersey . The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup. https://www.cheapwhitesox.com/3034e-bobby-jenks-jersey-white-sox.html . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. White Sox Jerseys China . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. Dylan Cease Jersey .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams underwent knee surgery this week and could miss at least a few weeks, a source confirmed to ESPN.DKPittsburghSports.com was the first to report the news.The surgery was characterized as a clean out, a source told ESPN.Williams, 33, ran for more than 300 yards from scrimmage to start the season with LeVeon Bell out because of a suspension. Once Bell returned, Williams has carried the ball only nine times since October.Williams missed the Week 7 game against the New England Patriots with a knee injury, and he has missed practices since while dealing with the injury. Fitzgerald Toussaint was the backup for Bell against New EnglandWilliams ranks 51st on the NFLs all-time rushhing list with 8,029 yards.dddddddddddd After nine seasons in Carolina, Williams signed a two-year, $4 million deal with the Steelers. Since 2015, Williams has produced 12 touchdowns and nearly 1,300 yards for Pittsburgh.Williams is considered a Mike Tomlin favorite because of his team-first mentality and willingness to handle the dirty work such as aggressive chip-blocking.For a third running back option, the Steelers can promote Daryl Richardson or Karlos Williams from the practice squadThe Steelers (4-4) host the Dallas Cowboys (7-1) on Sunday.ESPNs Jeremy Fowler contributed to this report. ' ' '