CHAMPAIGN, Ill.—Momentum can be a powerful force in basketball, especially on the road. All it takes is a few things to go right for the home team before the squad gains confidence, the crowd gets into it and the balance of the game shifts.
But Sunday, the Badgers ensured momentum would not factor into the contest for Illinois and downed the Illini 72-57 to grab a crucial road victory for the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee to look at and send the home team off their court with a devastating loss.
The Badgers struggled mightily on the road this season, failing to defeat a Big Ten squad with a winning conference record before Sunday. Previously the Badgers only had wins over Michigan (7-11), Northwestern (7-11), Indiana (4-14) and Penn State (3-15) to show for their efforts away from Madison in the Big Ten. Now Wisconsin has an impressive road win under its belt, and it was because any time the Illini threatened to swing the momentum of the game, there was an answer.
Early in the second half, Illinois junior guard Demetri McCamey went up high with his arms sprawled, trying to slam the ball down with a dunk and inject some energy into the Illini. Instead, freshman forward Ryan Evans impeded his progress by fouling McCamey, who made one his two free throws. McCamey slamming down that dunk would have brought down the house and instilled confidence in Illinois. The Badgers kept the momentum with McCamey sinking an unexciting foul shot.
In that case the Badgers made their own luck, but later in the game Wisconsin may have gotten a gift. Halfway through the second half with UW up by double digits, Evans lost the ball to McCamey to start a runout for the Illini, or so they thought. The ball was called dead on a shot-clock violation by UW to halt play. Regardless of whether the correct call was made, it was a missed opportunity for Illinois to score an easy basket on a fast break.
Perhaps the greatest lost chance for a momentum shift in Illinois' favor came with just over five minutes left in the game. After free throws by junior forward Mike Tisdale cut the UW lead to five, Hughes was at the line shooting a one-and-one and missed the front end, but junior forward Keaton Nankivil jumped in for an offensive rebound and a put-back to extend the lead to seven. Then on the other end of the floor, McCamey was stripped by sophomore guard Jordan Taylor, and McCamey immediately grabbed Taylor with both arms, prompting an intentional-foul call.
""You've got to play smart,"" said Illinois head coach Bruce Weber, who said the foul was caused by frustration.
Finally Wisconsin threw the final dagger into the Illini with 2:20 remaining in the contest. Illinois was making its final run to catch the Badgers once and for all. Junior forward Bill Cole connected on his fourth 3 of the afternoon to close the gap to seven, but Wisconsin came right back, setting up Leuer in the low post, where the forward drew a foul and finished a layup for a 3-point play. The made foul shot extended the lead back to 10, and Illinois did not close the margin to any less than that.
