Wisconsin (12-7) vs. Illinois (14-6)

Game: Saturday, Jan. 28 inside the Kohl Center

Time: 2:00 P.M CT

Watch: FOX

Listen: 1310 WIBA AM and 101.5 FM (Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas on the call); stream online on iHeartRadio

Prediction: Illinois 66, Wisconsin 61

Follow Online: The Badgers' Den

Twitter: @Badger_Blitz

Wisconsin dropped another Big Ten game in College Park on Wednesday, falling apart in the second half. Maryland out-shot and out-rebounded the Badgers for most of the night, and defensive breakdowns plagued Wisconsin as they fell to under .500 in Big Ten play for the first time since February of 2018.

Now, the Badgers must gear up for another tough conference foe in the Fighting Illini. Wisconsin's loss to Illinois back on Jan. 7 started its massive skid, which now has them as losers of five of their last six and 4-5 in conference play. It was Wisconsin's first conference loss, as well as its first game without Tyler Wahl.

While the first meeting of these teams set off a downward spiral for the Badgers, it did just the opposite for Illinois. That game in Champaign was Illinois' first conference win, and they proceeded to rip off four Big Ten wins in a row. Much has changed since these programs first met, and Wisconsin is hoping it, like the Fighting Illini did, can use this game to turn around their season.

It's getting dire for the Badgers, but what's maddening is that they've already proven they can compete at a high level. They started 3-0 in the conference, and took Kansas down the the absolute wire in the Bahamas. Wisconsin must get healthy, and get back to playing with the joy and tenacity that had them ranked as high as 14 in the AP poll.

Against Maryland on Wednesday, Chucky Hepburn took three shots. Three. That's a season low for the point guard, and he simply has to be more aggressive to kickstart this floundering offense.

Uncharacteristically, the Badgers have been getting outworked in the paint as of late. Not only have they collected fewer or as many rebounds than every opponent since Lehigh, back in mid-December, they're not finishing nearly as efficiently as they should be. Against Maryland, Wisconsin shot just 8-of-15 on layups.

A few things stand out about Wisconsin's loss to Illinois back in January. For one, they shot an abysmal 27.6% from three, putting up 29 shots from beyond the arc. Illinois, on the other hand, Shot 52.6% from deep on just 19 shots. It's extremely difficult to win when your opponent connects on more than half of their shots from long-range. Add in Coleman Hawkins, the 6-10 forward hitting 6-of-9 threes, and Steven Crowl shooting just 1-of-7 from downtown, and the Fighting Illini had a clear offensive advantage.

Terrence Shannon Jr also had himself a game. The point guard scored 24 points on 7-of-11 from the field. It was an efficient performance all around for Illinois, who took advantage of Wisconsin trying to figure themselves out in their first game without Wahl.

Shannon Jr. is once again the player to watch for Illinois. He's averaging 18 points, a tantalizing number for Badgers fans whose team lacks an elite scorer of his caliber. The Fighting Illini offense runs through their senior point guard, and his off-days usually coincide with Illinois' losses. Shannon Jr. should be priority number one for Wisconsin defensively.

Another key to the game will be if each team's respective big men can hit their threes. As mentioned, Hawkins shot 6-of-9 from downtown in the first meeting, while Crowl shot a measly 1-of-7. Three point shooting will clearly be vital to the outcome, but especially important will be the long-range shooting of the forwards.

Illinois will roll into Madison scorching hot, winners of five of their last six. Wisconsin has lost five of their last six, and is running out of time to salvage their season. Every game in the Big Ten carries enormous magnitude, especially with how tight the conference is this season. But if Wisconsin were to lose this game, falling to 4-6 in conference play, the road to a tournament bid isn't just an uphill battle, it's practically a right angle.

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