Wisconsin (18-10, 10-7 Big Ten) vs. No. 13 Illinois (21-7, 12-5)

Game: Saturday, March 2 at the Kohl Center

Time: 12:00 P.M. CT

Watch: BTN

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

Prediction: Illinois 82, Wisconsin 74

Follow Online: The Badgers' Den

Twitter: @Badger_Blitz

Betting line: Wisconsin -3 (according to FanDuel)

The Wisconsin Badgers will kick off their March by hosting the Illinois Fighting Illini in a crucial Saturday afternoon matchup with less than two weeks remaining in the regular season.

Saturday feels especially important for a Badgers team coming off of perhaps the most disappointing and frustrating month of Greg Gard’s tenure.

In February, they went 2-6, dropped four spots in the Big Ten standings and went from top-10 in the AP Poll to nowhere near it. To put it simply — they’re reeling.

They’ll face an Illinois team on the opposite end of the momentum spectrum. They went 5-2 in February, sit just behind Purdue in the Big Ten and are looking better and better as the season progresses.

Illinois is led by one of the best players in all of college basketball in Terrence Shannon Jr., whose 21.9 points per game average is the fifth-highest in the country.

February was the first full month he’d played since being suspended from the team in December for a rape charge, and he’s seemingly returned to form.

In the seven games he played in February, Shannon averaged 25.7 points on 47.6% shooting from the field. If he continues his current pace, he could play his way into the NBA Draft lottery.

The Badgers have generally done a solid job handling the Big Ten’s best scorers.

They recently held Maryland’s Jahmir Young — third in the conference averaging 20.9 points per game — to 20 points on just 6-for-17 shooting.

Yet Shannon is as skilled as any guard in the Big Ten, and is more physically imposing than most of them, too — standing at 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds.

It’ll be another heavy-burden night for Chucky Hepburn, who’s been perhaps Wisconsin’s best defender this season.

However, Shannon isn’t their only dangerous scorer.

Senior wing Marcus Domask transferred to Illinois after spending four seasons at Southern Illinois, and quickly became an immensely reliable second option. He’s averaging 15.5 points per game — 14th in the Big Ten — and scored 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting in their most recent win over Minnesota.

Saturday will also be a homecoming for Domask, a native of Waupun, Wisconsin — which lies about 60 miles northeast of Madison.

Yet the most pressure may be on Wisconsin’s frontcourt, who are coming off of an absolutely embarrassing performance against Indiana’s big men.

They allowed Hoosier center Kel’el Ware to finish with 27 points — two shy of a career high — on an absurd 11-for-12 shooting.

None of Illinois’ big men appear as threatening as Ware on paper, but anything feels possible after such a poor defensive outing for Wisconsin.

Six-foot-10 Illinois forward Coleman Hawkins scored 50 points combined in his two most recent games, which is the most he’s ever scored over a two-game span in his career. He could continue his hot streak Saturday.

Given Wisconsin’s recent stretch, no single strategy seems like enough to dig themselves out of the hole they’ve found themselves in. All they can really do is lean on their best and most reliable players.

However, that’s easier said than done after the Badgers frontcourt — seemingly the cornerstone of the team — played the way they did against Indiana. Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl combined for a mere 19 points on 9-for-20 shooting, mostly due to Ware’s defensive presence.

A.J. Storr seemed similarly affected by the Indiana big man. He finished with 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting, but after getting multiple shots either blocked or contested by Ware, he eventually hesitated to drive into the paint.

Storr’s aggressive slashing is what makes him so dangerous, not his shooting. In a game as crucial as Saturday’s, he can’t afford to hedge.

Luckily for Wisconsin’s veterans, Hepburn is becoming a true scoring threat once again. After a 15-point performance against the Hoosiers, he’s now scored in double digits in three consecutive games for the first time this season.

But, as mentioned, he could expend all of his energy guarding Shannon, which may be more impactful than a double-digit scoring night.

A silver lining in the Indiana game was the performance of John Blackwell. He’s been Wisconsin’s most impressive freshman this season, but like any first-year player, he hasn’t been the most consistent scorer. Blackwell’s 11 points in 23 minutes were both his highest totals in over a month.

There’s no telling how much Gard will rely on him as the postseason nears, but he’s also looking for production anywhere he can get it.

The bottom line is that Wisconsin needs confidence. A win against a top Big Ten team would be a substantial spirit-boost after the month they just had.

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