Badgers know porous defense won’t cut it against high-flying Illini

Indeed, Saturday’s matchup with No. 13 Illinois doesn’t bode particularly well for the Badgers. They’ve struggled mightily since February rolled around, and have been particularly lackluster on defense. Illinois, meanwhile, boasts one of the most dangerous offenses in the nation.

It goes without saying that this is a massive game for Wisconsin. During their tailspin, the Badgers have fallen from the No. 6 spot in the nation, perched atop the Big Ten to unranked and in serious jeopardy of failing to secure a top-four seed, and thus a double bye, in the conference tournament. A win over the Illini could jettison Wisconsin back into national relevancy and be the catalyst for the strong finish this team desperately needs.

A loss, however, would be the Badgers’ seventh in their last nine games, constituting what can only be described as a complete collapse. To avoid that grisly fate, Wisconsin must contend with one of the most potent offenses in the nation.

“It’s a completely different look from Indiana,” forward Tyler Wahl said. “They post up their guards a lot more than their bigs. They’ve got bigs out on the three point line spacing the floor everywhere. They’ve got shooters everywhere.”

The Illini offense checks in at third nationally in terms of adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom. Their offense is characterized by unorthodox spacing, with guards in the post often working the ball to bigs out on the perimeter. They stretch defenses thin, and proceed to make them pay with their litany of shooters.

Five Illini average at least one three made each game. But what makes them so difficult to guard is that all of those players are at least 6-foot-6. One of them, Quincy Guerrier, is 6-foot-8, while their most intriguing offensive weapon Coleman Hawkins is 6-foot-10. It’s a kind of position-less basketball that at times feels more like you’re watching the NBA than the Big Ten.

“Obviously, their ability to spread the ball. It’s unique, in terms of, they’re playing through the post with guards. Between (Marcus) Domask, (Terrence) Shannon, to a degree Hawkins, (Ty) Rodgers, getting to those spots where they can facilitate or score, and they surround them with shooters,” head coach Greg Gard said.

Illinois’ metrics, predictably, are impressive. That includes the 17th-best offensive rebounding percentage in the nation, as well as the 26th-best two-point percentage. They’ve scored at least 80 points in eight straight games. But it’s the individual players they deploy that keep you up at night.

Pending rape charge aside, Shannon is one of the most dynamic players in the conference. He’s second to only Zach Edey in points-per-game at 21.9, and he does it with efficiency, shooting 47.7 percent from the field. His athleticism will remind Wisconsin fans of AJ Storr, particularly when he’s running the floor in transition.

“In transition, they come at you, like most great teams do. Specifically Shannon,” Gard said. “If he’s out in transition, he’s hard to stop.”

Shannon missed six games from the end of December to mid-January with his legal issues, but that hasn’t altered his game at all. He has yet to score less than 12 points in a game this season, and is coming off a 29-point outing against Minnesota. The Illini’s leading scorer will give Wisconsin headaches if it can’t play some semblance of defense.

Hawkins, meanwhile, is only the third-leading scorer for the Illini. But as mentioned, he’s their most intriguing player offensively. For his 6-foot-10 stature, his 39.3 percent clip from long range is ridiculous. Hawkins moves and shoots like a guard, but in the body of a rim-protecting forward.

“He’s a guy you’d like to have on your team. He’s played good defense, he’s getting his hands on balls, he’s moving, he’s got a good presence in the post,” Wahl said. “He’s been shooting (at a higher clip) this year; that adds a little different dimension.”

“The length, at the rim with that mobility, they play him like a quasi-hybrid forward. He’s sliding out of screens, hitting threes. And just how he’s improved his game,” Gard said. “He’s putting the ball on the floor more now too than he ever has. I know he went through the NBA, tested the waters and all that, got feedback. My assumption is you gotta add more things to your game other than just being a catch-and-shoot guy, and he’s done that with how he’s attacked the basket.”

Wisconsin’s defense clearly has its hands full. The Badgers have struggled in just about every area defensively during their recent abysmal stretch. Dribble-penetration, three-point shooting, screening and rolling, these have all been issues for them. It won’t get any easier when the dynamic offense from Champaign rolls into town, but Wisconsin knows its put-up or shut-up time.

“With where we’re at in the season, and where we’ve been, this is a game where we’ve gotta stop them on defense,” Wahl said. “We’ve only got so much time left here, we’ve only got a few more weeks guaranteed, so we’ve gotta go out there and that’s what we’ve gotta focus on.”

“We’ve talked about getting stops and being better on defense, and it’s time to do it.”