MADISON - A telling quality of Jordan Taylor came to light in the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team's final exhibition game earlier this month.

In his second collegiate game, the freshman point guard had committed three turnovers against a veteran UW-Whitewater team before he recorded his first assist with 2 minutes, 46 seconds left.

By the time it was finished - the Badgers came away with a 64-47 win - Taylor had three helpers to offset the three blemishes.

"A lot of the older guys and coaches always stress that if you do make a mistake, just kind of don't let it bug you, because it's one play," the Bloomington, Minn., native said.

"You've just got to try and get it back on the other end or the next play try and make something happen. So if you sit out and let it compound, then you're obviously distracted from what's going on in the rest of the game."

Taylor isn't the flashiest point guard you'll ever see.

But it's his steadiness and toughness - both in physically and mentally - that have made him stand out early on as a freshman.

That kind of rare reliability for a first-year player is at least part of the reason why Taylor played 15 minutes in relief of junior Trevon Hughes in the Badgers' season-opening win over Long Beach State on Sunday and why he'll likely see action again tonight when 25th-ranked UW (1-0) hosts Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (1-2) at the Kohl Center.

"I think physically he's beyond where a freshman typically is, just looking at his body and the time he's put in," Badgers associate head coach Greg Gard said of the muscular 6-foot-1, 190-pound Taylor.

"But he has the moxie and the mind-set of an upperclassman. He definitely understands the game and understands what we want from that position, that aside from scoring he just knows how to play the game and makes great decisions and is a very good leader out there."

Smart and tough

Taylor, last year's Minnesota Mr. Basketball, averaged 22.3 points and 7.1 assists per game in leading his Benilde-St. Margaret's team to the Class AAA state title as a senior.

He showed his court vision Sunday against Long Beach State on an alley-oop lob to senior forward Marcus Landry late in the first half.

Taylor finished with two points - they came on runner in the lane that he banked in just before the shot clock expired - on 1-for-3 shooting to go along with four rebounds, two assists and one turnover, which came against a half court trap.

"Jordan's just a bulldog," Landry said. "As a freshman, he's coming in here and he's able to contribute right away and he's a very smart freshman. He's able to make plays and do the right thing, and that's why he's on the floor. That's why (UW coach Bo Ryan) likes him a lot."

Of course, to get on the court for Ryan, you have to be able to play defense. And Taylor has shown early on that he could have the makings of a shutdown defender.

He had two steals in the team's Red-White scrimmage last month, two more in the Badgers' exhibition opener against Augustana (S.D.) and one against Whitewater. He also impressed while guarding Warhawks All-American senior guard Matt Goodwin for several stretches.