ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Coming into the Michigan game, Bo Ryan said his team was headed into a "hornets’ nest."

While it remains unclear whether the UW coach was referring to the Wolverines' style of play or the frenzied Ann Arbor crowd, one could certainly make a solid argument for either factor.

The most telling statistic in the 85-76 win for UM was the rebound differential, with Michigan bringing down 36 rebounds to No. 23 Wisconsin's 27.

Though Michigan barely edged out UW in offensive rebounds (12-11), the Wolverines were able to cash in more often, outscoring the Badgers 9-4 on second-chance opportunities.

"I thought we did a terrific job of getting on the offensive glass," Michigan head coach Tommy Amaker said. "Sometimes, you can play hard defense and give up a second-chance opportunity, but when they score, boy, does it deflate you. I thought we did a pretty solid job, for the most part, of keeping them off the backboard."

The Wolverines took advantage of an energized bench, which dominated Wisconsin's reserves 20-6, due largely to 15 points from senior forward Chris Hunter.

"We've been able to get pretty solid production off our bench," Amaker said. "Hunter, in particular, has given us incredible minutes here as of late. His production, his energy and his experience have … been the spark from the bench that has given us things that we have needed [lately]."

Amaker also praised the fans inside the sold-out Crisler Arena for their intensity, which seemed to fuel the Wolverines along to the upset victory.

"I can't say enough about our crowd today. I really thought that they gave us the extra energy and the boost that we needed at various moments to push us forward, to possibly get us over the edge this game."

Injuries abound: The Badger lineup has certainly taken its share of hits this season, and injury trouble may have increased in the wake of Saturday's loss.

Sophomore guard Michael Flowers suffered what appeared to be a right leg injury during the second half against Michigan. Down 68-58 with just under five minutes to go, Flowers scrambled for a loose ball and immediately held his leg in pain.

The officials halted play, and Flowers was able to leave the court under his own power, but he was noticeably limping on the way to the UW bench. Flowers did not return for the remainder of the game.

The Madison native, who finished with two points and two rebounds in nine minutes, has been one of Ryan's first options off the bench all season. The guard has played all 19 UW games this year and is averaging 5.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in 25.1 minutes per game.

If Flowers is unavailable for Tuesday night's home matchup with Illinois, and for any future game, Ryan will be forced to dig deep into his bench just to find sufficient reserves to continue employing at least a seven-man rotation.

Flowers, along with freshman forward Joe Krabbenhoft (left leg), has been listed day-to-day on the injury report. Junior guard Kammron Taylor, who hit the court after a hard pick from Michigan's Graham Brown, is undergoing evaluation for his head injury.

Gullikson called on early, often: The Badgers may have inadvertently, yet successfully, prepared for such costly injuries, as Kevin Gullikson saw considerable court action for the first time all season against the Wolverines.

The freshman forward had played a career-high six minutes during Wisconsin's rout of Penn State last Wednesday, but he was called upon in a much higher role in the Michigan game.

Gullikson, a walk-on, logged 20 minutes, contributing four points and two rebounds as well as an assist and a steal in his first real game within the UW rotation.

"I just [tried] to get some energy, just [tried] to get things going however I could, whatever I could do to help the team," Gullikson said of his goals for Saturday.

Ryan seemed to care more about Gullikson's overall performance rather than any immediate role he played coming off the bench for the first time in the game.

"We're not looking for somebody to make an instant impact. We're just looking for someone to play hard and smart for the minutes that they're on [the court], and that's Kevin."