DETROIT — Joe Krabbenhoft clearly bleeds red and white, but the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team's junior swingman certainly doesn't bleed green and gold.

That was evident after Badgers assistant coach Greg Gard put a makeshift "Favre" nameplate above Krabbenhoft's locker inside UW's dressing room prior to Thursday's open practice at Ford Field.

According to his teammates, Krabbenhoft — a Minnesota Vikings fan — immediately removed the reference to recently retired Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre.

"I respect (Favre). He's one of the greats of all-time. But I think because I'm in this locker room with all of these Packer fans all the time. It gets on me because I bleed purple and gold during the football season," Krabbenhoft said.

"Coach Gard ... he's always giving me a hard time. I don't want any Wisconsin people not to like me now because I'm not a Packer fan, but hopefully they won't hold a grudge against me. My family grew up Viking (fans). My dad was a ballboy when he was a young kid for the Vikings. So it just came natural."

Senior center Greg Stiemsma, a Randolph native, said it wasn't the first time Krabbenhoft has fielded Favre-related grief during his UW career.

That comes as no surprise, since 11 of the 16 Badgers hail from Wisconsin.

"They were having a good time when I walked in," Krabbenhoft said of his teammates. "They said, 'Joe, this is where Brett Favre sat the last time he played here. This is where you should be sitting, because this is where the winners sit.'

"(They're) right, Brett Favre's a winner, so maybe if I can get a little bit of that love, that would be great. But I'm a Viking fan, for sure."

Court in session

The configuration of the basketball court at Ford Field was a major topic of discussion among the four teams at the Midwest Regional.

The playing surface — which is directly in the center of the stadium's football field — is elevated 27 inches off the arena floor, leaving the team benches and courtside media area slightly below floor level.

There also is expansive room behind both baskets in the arena, which is designed to hold 72,000 fans.

"It's very unique," Davidson guard Jason Richards said. "I think the practice helped us get adjusted to the depth perception with the court and the seats being below the sidelines. It's going to be different, but, hey, it's going to be fun. What can you say, you played in a football arena for a basketball game."

The Badgers, who face Davidson on Friday night, didn't appear to have any issues with the shooting background during their 50-minute open practice.

UW coach Bo Ryan, however, did stumble on the edge of the playing surface, the edges of which sit a few inches above platform it's placed upon.

"I'm just glad it was me and not one of my players," Ryan said to some courtside observers while pointing out that the black edges of the court are the same color as the top of the platform. "We've got to hope I'm the only one."

Villanova sophomore guard Scottie Reynolds, meanwhile, voiced a concern about playing on an elevated floor.

"What about we go for a loose ball, dive and go off the court? I mean, that's the thing I was scared about," said Reynolds, whose team plays top-seeded Kansas in tonight's second semifinal. "Other than that, we're fine."

UW's media session was before its practice, so players weren't available to give their reactions to practicing on the elevated floor.

The Badgers have some experience with such a set-up, as Minnesota plays on an elevated court at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.