The Wisconsin men’s basketball team (20-5, 10-4 Big Ten) reached a new high point on the season after they went on the road and upset the No. 7 Purdue Boilermakers 94-84 this past Saturday.
The impressive victory increased the Badgers’ win streak to four games, with three of those four coming on the road.
Wisconsin will look to keep their momentum rolling as they return to the Kohl Center to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini (17-9, 9-7 Big Ten) on Tuesday. This upcoming matchup will be the second time Wisconsin and Illinois have squared off this season. The Badgers lost the first matchup 86-83 in Champaign on Dec. 10.
What’s different this time around?
The December contest marked a three-game skid for Wisconsin and the Badgers’ ninth straight loss against Illinois.
But, since that game, Wisconsin has won 12 of their last 14 games and are two games out of first place in the Big Ten Conference standings.
The story of the Badgers’ season and turnaround has been their incredible offense.
Led by the duo of John Tonje and John Blackwell, Wisconsin has the sixth-highest offensive rating in the country according to KenPom. The Badgers average 81.5 points per game, their highest total in head coach Greg Gard’s era.
“I knew we needed to evolve,” Gard said. “The analytics are such a big part of it. We’ve taken a bigger step into that world, the utilization of the three, the spacing. It’s been about a three-year evolution.”
Last year, Wisconsin ranked 244th in the country with 20.4 3-point attempts per game. This season, the Badgers are shooting 28.1 3-point attempts per game, the 28th-highest rate in the country.
The Badgers’ offensive success also comes from incredible efficiency at the free-throw line, shooting a nation-best 83.7%.
Illinois is also a team fueled by its offense. In fact, the Fighting Illini’s offensive production is better than the Badgers but lacks the same efficiency.
The Illini average 84.3 points per game and 30.4 3-point shot attempts a game, which are both the sixth-highest marks in the country.
The Illini also dominate the boards, as they lead the nation with 29.2 defensive rebounds a game, and rank eighth in the country with 12.1 offensive rebounds per game.
Despite their impressive numbers, Illinois has gone 5-6 in their past 11 games, and are 4-4 on the road this season.
Their struggles are due to streaky shooting, and a young core that is having trouble weathering through tough shooting stretches and opponents’ offensive runs.
This past Saturday, Illinois jumped out to an early 31-15 lead over Michigan State. However, Illinois went ice cold in the last eight minutes of the game, shooting 0-19 from the field and 0-12 from beyond the arc. This stretch would lead to the Illini losing to the Spartans 79-65.
Freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis averages the highest point total for Illinois with 16 points per game. Earlier in the season against Wisconsin, Jakucionis scored 24 points and shot 8-15 from the floor.
Against Michigan State, Jakucionis made 5-15 from the field and 2-9 from three. In the final eight minutes, he shot 0-6.
Illinois thrives off fast, explosive runs, and even though they’ve sputtered and stalled as of late, if the Illini have a consistent night of shooting, they can compete with any team anywhere.
The Badgers, back on their home court, need to make the Illini uncomfortable early and frustrate their rhythm. Wisconsin should also look to win the turnover battle, as they are 11-1 in games where they do so.
Although Wisconsin’s offense is surging, this is far from an easy game, and the Badgers will again be tested as they look to avenge their recent history of woes against the Fighting Illini.
