Illinois @ Wisconsin preview
Kohl Center
Last Meeting ( Dec 10, 2024 ) Wisconsin 80, Illinois 86
Coming off its most impressive road win of the season, No. 11 Wisconsin will be out to avenge an early Big Ten loss when it hosts Illinois on Tuesday in Madison, Wis.
Wisconsin (20-5, 10-4 Big Ten) took down then-No. 7 Purdue, 94-84, on Saturday behind John Tonje's 32-point performance.
Illinois (17-9, 9-7) lost at home Saturday to then-No. 11 Michigan State, 79-65, as the Spartans closed with a 15-0 run over the final 8 1/2 minutes. The Illini missed their final 19 shots.
The Illini have won nine straight against Wisconsin, including an 86-60 home victory on Dec. 10. Since then, the Badgers are 12-2.
Wisconsin, picked to finish in a tie for 12th in the conference preseason poll, has won four straight, including three on the road. The Badgers, who open a three-game homestand vs. Illinois, are 12-1 at home this season.
Tonje had plenty of support at Purdue as Max Klesmit added 17 points, Nolan Winter had 12 and John Blackwell and Jack Janicki scored 11 apiece. Wisconsin shot 61.5 percent, including 72 percent in the second half, making 18 of 25 shots.
Wisconsin had 18 assists and just three turnovers against the Boilermakers.
"We're a really good team and I think we're getting better," Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. "That's the exciting part. They know there's a lot more left to come and that starts with our next game."
Wisconsin averages 81.5 points and has scored at least 80 points in 14 games this season, each the most since 1970-71. But the Badgers also are still solid defensively. Dating back to last season, they are 30-1 when holding opponents to 70 points or fewer.
Wisconsin leads the nation in free-throw shooting at 83.7 percent and has made the same number of free throws (430) as its opponents have attempted.
Tonje averages 19.2 points per game, with Blackwell adding 15.2. Klesmit averages 10.4 and Winter 10.0, along with a team-high 5.6 rebounds.
Illinois, which has been hampered by injuries, has lost six of its last 11 games.
"Ultimately it's me," coach Brad Underwood said after the Michigan State game. "We've got to get back to -- we're running the same plays, a lot of the same actions -- and when it gets harder, we've still got to make sure we're finding that balance."
Illinois averages 84.3 points and allows 71.6. The Illini are 16-1 when scoring 80 points or more.
The Illini rank second in rebound margin and in total rebounds per game with 44.3. In the first meeting, Illinois hammered Wisconsin on the boards, 40-29, including a 15-11 edge on the offensive glass.
Kasparas Jakucionis leads with 16.0 points per game and has an Illini freshman record of 10 20-point games. Tomislav Ivisic adds 12.7 points and a team-leading 8.5 boards per game, with nine double-doubles.
Jakucionis had 24 points, Tre White 23 and Kylan Boswell 19 in the earlier win over the Badgers.
White, averaging 9.3 points and 5.3 rebounds, started the first 22 games, but has not played in three of the last five games, including Michigan State.
Illinois will be without Morez Johnson Jr., who broke his wrist blocking a shot on Saturday and is out indefinitely. The freshman is averaging 7.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks.
--Field Level Media