Preview: Badgers back in action against Illinois
Wisconsin (17-8, 9-4) vs. Illinois (10-15, 6-8)
Game: Feb. 18, 2019 at the Kohl Center (Madison, Wis.)
Time: 7:00 PM CT (Monday)
Watch: FS1
Listen: Badger Radio Network (Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas)
Follow Online: The Badgers' Den
Twitter: @Badger_Blitz, @McNamaraRivals, @JohnVeldhuis and @tamiramadsen
PRE-GAME NOTES
-- (4) Illinois is still under .500 on the season overall, but the Fighting Illini are on a bit of a hot streak at the moment and have won four consecutive Big Ten games - including a win over No. 9 Michigan State. The Illini also beat No. 13 Maryland following their loss to Wisconsin at home in January, and have won five of their last six games since their first loss to the Badgers.
-- (1) Illinois is also coming off of their first road win of the season: a 63-56 win over Ohio State in Columbus on Thursday. They will be looking for their fist win at the Kohl Center since Feb. 9, 2010 when they take on the Badgers on Monday night.
-- (14) The Badgers own the longest winning streak against the Illini in their program history, with UW running the streak up to 14 consecutive wins with their 72-60 loss to the Badgers in Champaign earlier this year.
-- (78) Illinois' offense has roared to life during their current winning streak. Starters Trent Frazier, Ayo Dosunmu, and Giorgi Bezhanishvili have all scored at least double digits over their last three games, and the Illini are averaging 78 points per game during their last four games.
-- (35) Bezhanishvili scored 35 points for the Illini against Rutgers earlier this month, making 14 of 18 field goals and hitting 7 of 8 free throws to set a new career-high as the Illini scored 99 points against the Scarlet Knights.
| Position | Wisconsin | HT/WT | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
PG |
D'Mitrik Trice (SO) |
6-0/187 |
12.7 |
2.8 |
2.6 |
|
SG |
Brad Davison (SO) |
6-3/205 |
11.0 |
3.1 |
1.8 |
|
SF |
Khalil Iverson (SR) |
6-5/217 |
4.7 |
3.8 |
0.8 |
|
PF |
Nathan Reuvers (SO) |
6-10/215 |
8.5 |
3.4 |
1.0 |
|
C |
Ethan Happ (SR) |
6-10/237 |
18.4 |
10.5 |
4.8 |
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| Position | Player | HT/WT | Pts | Reb. | Ast. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
G |
Trent Fazier (SO) |
6-1/170 |
14.7 |
2.5 |
3.2 |
|
G |
Ayo Dosunmu (FR) |
6-5/185 |
14.2 |
4.2 |
3.2 |
|
G |
Aaron Jordan (SR) |
6-5/210 |
8.2 |
4.7 |
1.5 |
|
G |
Da'Monte Williams (SO) |
6-3/200 |
3.8 |
3.3 |
1.1 |
|
F |
Giorgi Bezhanishvili (FR) |
6-9/235 |
12.2 |
5.0 |
0.9 |
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| Team | Conference Record | Overall Record |
|---|---|---|
|
No. 6 Michigan |
12-3 |
23-3 |
|
No. 11 Michigan State |
11-3 |
20-5 |
|
No. 12 Purdue |
11-3 |
18-7 |
|
No. 24 Maryland |
10-5 |
19-7 |
|
No. 21 Iowa |
9-5 |
20-5 |
|
No. 20 Wisconsin |
9-5 |
17-8 |
|
Minnesota |
7-8 |
17-9 |
|
Ohio State |
6-7 |
16-8 |
|
Illinois |
6-8 |
16-8 |
|
Nebraska |
5-10 |
15-11 |
|
Rutgers |
5-10 |
12-13 |
|
Indiana |
4-10 |
13-12 |
|
Northwestern |
3-11 |
12-13 |
|
Penn State |
2-12 |
9-16 |
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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.