After a nail-biting loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Wisconsin Badgers (3-11 Big Ten, 12-14 overall) look for revenge against Illinois (2-13 Big Ten, 10-16 overall). In their earlier matchup this season, the Illini throttled the Badgers in a 78-68 victory.
If they hope to avoid another loss, this one in front of their home fans, the Badgers will need to keep their intensity up and their play disciplined for all 40 minutes.
In their previous game against the Buckeyes, the Badgers blew a fourteen point lead and ended up trailing by as much as eleven. Lulls like that won’t do against a team that’s as familiar with the Badgers’ strengths and weaknesses as the Illini are.
Wisconsin would do well to aim to replicate their efforts against the Michigan State Spartans in a game they won 79-62. In that showdown, Wisconsin started off with an 8-0 run, but then let Michigan State crawl back and pull within two to make it 8-6. However, the Badgers quickly responded by with a 14-2 run and never looked back as they were successfully able to counter the Spartans’ potential runs.
Playing with that sense of urgency and confidence will help likely prevent Illinois from running off with the game late again. Additionally, Wisconsin has had an issue of playing down to their weaker opponents. Narrow losses to Arkansas, Green Bay, Illinois, and Penn State and confident victories against Purdue and Michigan State show that this team is capable of winning against top-tier teams, but that same quality of play hasn’t always shown up in games against lesser opponents
On the other side of the court are the Illini who have had a similar season to the Badgers. After a strong start in non-conference play, the team sported an 8-3 record. Since the start of Big Ten Play, they have gone 2-13 and look to salvage what they can as they head to the Kohl Center.
The similarities continue as both squads have regularly found themselves trailing from early in games, forced to play catch-up after slow starts.
Usually leading the charge for these Illinois rallies are senior Alex Wittinger and juniors Courtney Joens and Brandi Beasley who dice up the paint three ways. Wisconsin will especially remember Beasley and Wittinger who combined for 40 of the team’s 78 points against the Badgers in their previous matchup.
Tip-off is Wednesday at 7:00 pm.
