A top-20 matchup in snow-swamped Champaign did not deter a hot crowd inside the State Farm Center. However, Wisconsin's ice cold shooting from deep, along with a dominant performance from Illinois center Kofi Cockburn, contributed to a 80-67 loss to the Fighting Illini on Wednesday evening.
Cockburn overwhelmed UW (17-4 overall, 8-3 Big Ten) with 37 points and 12 rebounds, and the center connected on 16-of-19 attempts from the field to lead Illinois (16-5, 9-2) into sole possession of first place in the conference.
Sophomore guard Johnny Davis added another double-double to his player of the year resume, posting 22 points and 15 rebounds. However, he made only five of 19 field goal attempts, including one of five from deep. Wisconsin finished with only a trio of three-pointers in 24 attempts.
Junior forward Tyler Wahl complemented Davis with 14 points and seven rebounds for UW. The Minnesota native made seven of his 11 attempts on Wednesday. Outside of that duo, however, no other Badger scored in double digits.
Guards Brad Davison, Chucky Hepburn and Lorne Bowman all contributed seven points each. Davison also reeled in six rebounds, but he connected on just 3-of-12 shots -- missing six three-pointers in the process.
Guard/forward Jacob Grandison was the only other Illini player in double figures with 14 points and seven rebounds. He and Cockburn combined to make 21 of 28 attempts, but the rest of the team shot 32.4% from the field.
The advantage for Illinois extended from four points at halftime to 12 (54-42) with 15:40 to play, but Wisconsin whittled the deficit to six twice within the final 10 minutes. However, the Illini outscored the Badgers 15-8 within the final eight minutes of the second half. UW's scoring drought from the 8:40 to 4:04 mark aided in the defeat.
Wisconsin trailed 42-38 at halftime. Cockburn entered the locker room with 20 points and 7 rebounds while Davis countered with 13 points and nine rebounds before intermission. The Badgers' ice-cold shooting from deep -- not hitting a three-pointer in nine attempts in the half -- began early.
UW shot 41.7% overall (15 of 36) in the first 20 minutes. Take away the 0-of-9 from three-point range, it connected on 55.5% of its two-point attempts. Illinois hit on 19-of-34 attempts from the field, greatly added by Cockburn making 10 of his 12 of shots. The home program drained 4-of-8 from deep in that timeframe.
What it means: Wisconsin drops out of a tie for first place in the Big Ten and into a tie for third with Purdue in the conference standings. Michigan State now sits second at 8-2, 17-4 overall.
Star of the game: Cockburn by far. No one could stop the imposing big man on Wednesday night, and from the opening possession, Illinois targeted the interior for scoring opportunities.
Stat of the game: Obviously, Wisconsin's three-point shooting. As noted earlier, UW hit on 12.5% of its opportunities from deep. Guard Lorne Bowman connected on the Badgers' first triple with over 10 minutes remaining ... in the second half. Perhaps a close-second stat of the game, Cockburn's 16-of-19 shooting performance on the interior, decimating Wisconsin's defense.
Turning point: Illinois expanded its advantage to 11 points in the first 2:51 of the second half, thanks in part to the Illini connecting on four of its first five shots. The Badgers connected on just 1-of-6 attempts in that stretch as Brad Underwood's program created a 9-0 run.
Don’t overlook ... Wisconsin actually out-rebounding Illinois 38-36 and only committing six turnovers on the road in a hyped environment. However, only two Badgers scored in double figures, and UW was called for 12 fouls in the second half, leading to more opportunities for the Illini from the charity stripe.
What’s next: Wisconsin hosts Penn State on Saturday inside the Kohl Center. The Nittany Lions (9-9, 4-6) have won just one of six games on the road as of Wednesday evening, but they come off a double-overtime victory at home over the Hawkeyes of Iowa. The Badgers will need to prepare for four players averaging double figures in scoring, led by junior forward Seth Lundy (13.4 points per game). Guards Jalen Pickett and Sam Sessions contribute 13.3 and 11.2 points per contest, respectively. Forward John Harrar averages nearly a double-double per outing (10.8 points, 9.6 rebounds per game).
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