Preview: Wisconsin travels to Illinois in top 20 battle of 1st place teams
No. 11 Wisconsin (17-3, 8-2) vs. No. 18 Illinois (15-5, 8-2)
Game: Wednesday, Feb. 2 inside the State Farm Center
Time: 8:00 PM CT
Watch: BTN (Brandon Gaudin and Robbie Hummel)
Listen: 1310 WIBA AM and 101.5 FM (Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas on the call); stream online on iHeartRadio
Prediction: Illinois 76, Wisconsin 70
Follow Online: The Badgers' Den
Twitter: @Badger_Blitz
PRE-GAME NOTES
No. 11 Wisconsin faces one of its toughest tests of the season as it travels to Champaign for a matchup with No. 18 Illinois. The Illini come into Wednesday evening's contest having won the last three games in the series.
Illinois has not lived up to lofty preseason expectations to this point, but Brad Underwood's group is one of the most talented teams in the nation, let alone the Big Ten.
It all begins in the paint with big man Kofi Cockburn. The junior was recently named to the late season top 20 watch list for the John R. Wooden Award. Cockburn is one of just two players averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, and is the only player in the nation in the top 10 in both points and rebounds per contest. When prepping for the matchup, head coach Greg Gard admitted that it's impossible to truly simulate his presence in practice.
The 7-foot, 285-pound center, who returned against Northwestern after he missed the previous two games, is a physical force in the paint. Cockburn's game revolves around playing with his back to the basket and being on the receiving end paint touches. Down low, he also averages 3.5 offensive rebounds per game, which translates to some easy second-chance points.
Illinois also welcome back guard Andre Curbelo, who returned to practice Monday after being cleared from health and safety protocols. Curbelo leads the Illini in assists (4.3) and has the ability to put pressure on a defense by getting into the paint and creating for others. His teammate in the backcourt, Trent Frazier, has been one of the few constants throughout the season for Illinois. Frazier has logged the most minutes this for year for Underwood and played all 40 minutes in the team's win over Northwestern.
Filling out the rotation are wings Jacob Grandison and Da'monte Williams. The duo are examples of the traditional "3 and D" forwards who can be pests on the defensive end and step outside to knock down a three as well. UW's guards will also have to stay attached to Alfonso Plummer, who is shooting 41 percent from three. Wisconsin native Brandin Podziemski has also earned some recent playing time and was a part of the group that helped close out a win over the Wildcats.
Steven Crowl has been playing his best basketball recently but will face his toughest test yet. After struggling to contain the likes of EJ Liddell, Nate Watson and Zach Edey, Crowl will be asked to hold his own on the defensive end and on the glass. Along with his post defense, Crowl's keys will be his ability to defend the pick and roll and stay out of foul trouble. The sophomore center has hit his stride on the offensive end, though, having finished in double figures in three of the past four games.
Johnny Davis has received legitimate attention as a national player of the year candidate, and rightfully so. But the sophomore sensation hasn't been quite as dominant recently. After scoring at least 20 points in nine of the team's first 12 games, Davis has done that just twice in the last six contests. If Wisconsin wants to remain in a tie for first, it may need another signature performance from Davis.
Wednesday night will be the 204th all-time meeting between the two schools with Illinois leading the series, 113-90, including a 69-28 edge at home. The Illini have won the past three meetings but prior to that, Wisconsin had won the previous 15 matchups.
| Pos. | Wisconsin | HT/WT | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
G |
Chucky Hepburn (Fr.) |
6-2, 211 |
7.3 |
2.2 |
2.0 |
|
G |
Brad Davison (Sr.) |
6-4, 200 |
15.7 |
4.2 |
2.2 |
|
W |
Jonathan Davis (So.) |
6-5, 194 |
21.4 |
7.9 |
2.4 |
|
F |
Tyler Wahl (Jr.) |
6-9, 221 |
10.8 |
5.8 |
1.7 |
|
F |
Steven Crowl (So.) |
7-0, 234 |
9.1 |
4.6 |
1.3 |
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| Pos. | Illinois | HT/WT | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
G |
Alfonso Plummer (Sr.) |
6-2, 175 |
13.1 |
3.1 |
3.6 |
|
G |
Trent Frazier (Gr.) |
6-1, 180 |
15.8 |
2.7 |
1.2 |
|
F |
Da'monte Williams (Sr.) |
6-3, 215 |
3.9 |
5.6 |
3.1 |
|
F |
Jacob Grandison (Gr.) |
6-6, 210 |
10.7 |
3.9 |
2.1 |
|
C |
Kofi Cockburn (Jr.) |
7-0, 285 |
21.1 |
11.6 |
1.0 |
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