Less than two weeks ago, the Wisconsin men's basketball team made the trip to the University of Illinois to try to pull itself out of a three-loss rut with a win against the surging No. 25 Illini.
What they got was another tally in the L"" column, after a resounding 64-57 defeat due in large part to a 25 point, seven assist performance by Illinois sophomore guard Demetri McCamey.
Not much has changed since then, as the Badgers (3-6 Big Ten,12-9 overall) have extended their winless rut to six straight games, and the now-No. 23 Illini (6-3, 18-4) have played well enough to remain in the thick of the conference title race. However, with hopes of a post-season bid steadily slipping away for Wisconsin, the team will need to cash in a win Thursday when Illinois hits the floor at the Kohl Center, and the locker room mentality is poised to do just that.
""We're just getting back on our feet,"" junior guard Jason Bohannon said. ""You know, we've had a couple of tough losses, but we're not really worried about that. We're worried about Illinois now and trying [to] get a winning streak going.""
Wisconsin has had plenty of reasons to remain optimistic despite its tough luck in the past month. Of the last six losses, four were by four points or less, and the Badgers' offense has certainly been able to keep pace with its opponents.
They rank third in the Big Ten in field goal percentage, first in free throw percentage and have committed the fewest turnovers of any team during conference play. In addition, they have seen the emergence of freshman guard Jordan Taylor and sophomore forward Keaton Nankivil as major playmakers during their draught, including a career-high 21 point performance from Nankivil last week against Purdue.
But Wisconsin's defense has been lackluster at best since their last win one month ago. Not only has the team allowed its opponents to shoot .458 from the field, but more importantly it has given up the lead within the remaining three minutes of five of their last seven losses.
To prevent a similar fate against Illinois, Wisconsin will need to tighten up against a dangerous Illini offense. Specifically, the Badgers have identified their biggest weakness from the last meeting and know what focus on in Thursday's rematch.
""A lot of McCamey ... He made the big shots. He did a great job. It's a situation where we've got to make sure we take him out of a shooting rhythm,"" assistant coach Howard Moore said. ""Hopefully being in the Kohl Center it will take that aggressiveness away from him. But it's not just about the building and the fans, it's about what we do defensively.""
However, McCamey is not the only Illini player Wisconsin has to put pressure on. Sophomore forward Mike Tisdale's 7'1"" stature had a dominating presence in the post the last time these two teams matched up, scoring six points in the paint and making three blocks. Sophomore forward Mike Davis also came up big, snaring eight rebounds and coming in second on the team in scoring with 10 points against the Badgers in January.
It will take a complete game of improved defense and more consistent offensive play from Wisconsin to take the second game in this year's series.
""We need to be mentally focused for 40 minutes and physically focused for 40 minutes,"" UW senior forward Marcus Landry said. ""I think that will be a key thing to us winning this game.""
Tipoff for Thursday's game at the Kohl Center is set for 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN.
