Despite notching a 24-point victory in their last meeting with Illinois, the Badgers were anything but comfortable heading to Champaign to face a desperate Illini team. But on the strength of breakout performances from Illinois natives junior Ben Brust and sophomore Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin was able to get back into the win column with a 74-68 victory.
Having failed to reach the 50-point mark in each of their last three games, the Badgers (6-3 Big Ten, 15-7 overall) had to be seeing flashbacks when they rushed out to a sub-par 5-for-22 start from the field.
The Illini (2-7 Big Ten, 15-8 overall) however, were dealing with struggles of their own in the early going. Notoriously reliant on jump shots, Illinois couldn’t find the bottom of the basket for most of the first half, and went into the locker room down 33-24 thanks in large part to a 29.6% shooting effort.
With senior forward Jared Berggren and sophomore guard Traevon Jackson and redshirt-freshman George Marshall all in foul trouble, it was up to the duo of Brust and Kaminsky to pick up the slack.
The Illinois natives certainly achieved that goal, with Brust scoring a game-high 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting and Kaminsky adding a career-high 19 of his own coming off the bench, highlighted by an 11-for-13 effort at the free throw line.
“I think it was the flow,” UW head coach Bo Ryan said of Brust. “He got himself some scoring opportunities but the ball has to go through the net.”
The Badgers had been without Kaminsky for the better part of the past five contests and benefitted tremendously from his presence, especially with the foul trouble Berggren had to deal with most of the afternoon.
“He was playing really well [before the injury],” Brust said of Kaminsky. “It was good to see him get some confidence back, knock down free throws and knock down a couple of shots. He is really active and that helps.”
Just a few days after failing to shoot a single free throw against Ohio State, the Badgers went to the line 42 times against Illinois, converting those opportunities into 28 points.
After a nine point disadvantage at the line in Columbus, the 18-point UW advantage at the free throw line was enough to put the Badgers over the top on Sunday.
“Last game, we didn’t shoot any free throws,” Kaminsky noted. “Definitely cutting hard, getting fouled, and getting into the bonus was a big emphasis in practice.”
While Wisconsin never lost the lead after regaining it on a Brust three-pointer with 5:54 left in the first half, Illinois had plenty of opportunity to climb back. After UW came up empty on its first two possessions of the second half, Illinois found itself within five and carrying all the momentum.
Still trailing 35-30, the Illini got out on a rare fast break courtesy of a steal by junior guard Joseph Bertrand, but ultimately failed to convert when sophomore guard Myke Henry missed a wide-open attempt at a thunderous dunk.
Wisconsin responded on the next possession as Brust hit a three after the media timeout, effectively shutting the door on the hopes of an Illinois victory.
“It was definitely a fortunate break because we converted,” Brust said. “There are a lot of plays that happen like that during a game but that was a critical one.”
Wisconsin was more aggressive on both ends of the floor, resulting in numerous chances both in the post and inside-out looks from the perimeter.
The penetration UW was able to have on a fairly weak Illini defensive unit was crucial in allowing for the breakout efforts of Brust and Kaminsky as well as the 15 points from senior forward Ryan Evans.
“Getting to the foul line and getting to the post you also have easier shots for your shooters,” Evans said. “I definitely think Ben benefitted from that.”
While Badger fans may be tempted to now shift their attention to Saturday’s matchup with Michigan, Wisconsin still has work to do before the Wolverines head into Madison.
Having already lost to Iowa, the Badgers need to find a way to split the season series with a victory on Wednesday in order to maintain their spot in the Big Ten title race and keep the momentum earned in Champaign heading into the upcoming weekend.
