Lady Luck denied the U's something from the game as they fell to a single goal defeat at Molineux.
The visitors twice hit the woodwork and, although Wolves also struck the post through Freddy Eastwood, Geraint Williams' men will have felt they did enough to get something out of the match.
However, when you're down the wrong end of the table, fortune does not smile on you and the U's left the West Midlands empty handed.
Their luck was perhaps epitomised by the home team's goal as Dean Gerken pulled off a sensational save from Freddy Eastwood, only for the ball to go straight to Stephen Elliott to head home.
Elliott found himself free in the box after his marker, Bela Balogh, had been felled with an ankle injury in the build up to the only goal of the match.
For the previous half an hour, the U's had contained their hosts in a solid and more than competent away display, but they found themselves a goal down after Mark Yeates had hit the woodwork in the first twenty minutes.
Eastwood nearly doubled the lead when his shot hit the post and went to safety on the hour mark, whilst U's substitute Kevin McLeod twice went close after his introduction.
The clock was winding down but the U's kept probing and they came within inches of clawing their way back into the game.
A fine move in the dying stages saw Granville send over a peach of a cross, which Teddy Sheringham knocked into the path of Izzet.
His first time effort had Wolves keeper Wayne Hennessy beaten, but the ball came back off the woodwork and into the arms of the home shot stopper, with Platt unfortunate the rebound didn't go his way.
Such is the way that things are going for the U's at present, and they will look to replicate their performance - if not the result - when they go to Sheffield on Saturday.
U's boss Geraint Williams made only the enforced change, at centre half due to Pat Baldwin's suspension, with Adam Virgo coming in to partner Bela Balogh at the back.
Virgo was an unused substitute on Saturday as Matt Connolly replaced the red carded Baldwin but Virgo's physical presence was preferred for the first of two away games in quick succession for the U's.
Mick McCarthy's Wolves, who have been in the top ten since the beginning of October, would have been confident of beating the U's despite McCarthy's pre-match warning to his players not to underestimate the U's.
The Irishman made three changes to his line-up, also enforced, with Elliott, Potter and Eastwood replacing the injured trio of Olofinjana, Kightly and Bothroyd.
Keeping the home crowd quiet would have been mentioned in the U's dressing room prior to the game and that was exactly what happened for the first half an hour. In fact, it was the U's who had the best of the chances in that early period.
An early free kick from Mark Yeates gave the Irishman a sight of goal but his effort was comfortably saved before Kevin Lisbie had a shot go wide of the home goal.
With eleven minutes gone, Yeates came within inches of giving the U's the lead but his effort from outside the box thudded back off the post and was cleared by a stunned Wolves defence.
Johnnie Jackson then saw a wide free kick whistle past the far post without a U's attacker managing to get onto his set piece. It was looking comfortable for the U's as they were keeping the pacy duo of Eastwood and Elliott quiet for the first thirty minutes.
But they combined to give the home side the lead as that clock ticked over to the half hour.
A corner was cleared back out wide and Ward clipped another ball into the U's area. Eastwood lost his marker and thought he had scored but Dean Gerken made a fantastic save to keep the former Southend striker's header out.
Unfortunately, Elliott was on hand to head the rebound into the unguarded net with Gerken unable to repeat his heroics.
It was a blow to the U's who had produced an almost perfect away performance prior to the goal and immediately after the goal, Bela Balogh had to be replaced after twisting an ankle.
He was lying prone as the cross came in for the goal and that probably meant one of the Wolves players having a free header. Matt Connolly came on as a first half substitute for the second game in succession as he replaced the Hungarian international.
Eastwood had a couple of tame shots after the opener but that was as exciting as it got in the fifteen minutes up until the half time whistle.
Geraint Williams would have been keen to impress on his troops that chances would come if they continued in the same vein as the first forty five minutes.
The U's started the second half brightly but Jackson couldn't get his free kick on target and the Wolves defence were holding firm as the U's tried to get back in the game.
Wolves themselves hit the post in the sixtieth minute before Kevin McCleod came on for Kevin Watson. McCleod had an instant impact, shooting narrowly over and then having a shot well saved.
Jackson was the next U's player to miss out as he couldn't connect properly and got the ball caught under him.
It was a quiet half generally and it was injury time before the U's got their next chance with Izzet striking the post. A Danny Granville cross was cushioned down by Teddy Sheringham but Izzet couldn't find the net.
