MADISON, Wis. – Marcus Domask won a state title on the Kohl Center floor years ago. He returned one final time Saturday and showed that the arena’s sightlines suit him.
The Illinois graduate wing, and Waupun native, dazzled with 31 points as No.13 Illinois continued its recent mastery over Wisconsin with a 91-83 victory to keep itself in the Big Ten title race.
Terrence Shannon Jr. added 23 for Illinois (22-7, 13-6 Big Ten), which moved 1.5 games behind first-place Purdue and continued to get the best of Wisconsin. The Illini have won seven straight games in the series and are the first Big Ten team to win four straight games at the Kohl Center.
Senior Tyler Wahl scored 20 points for Wisconsin (18-11, 10-8), but the Badgers allowed a Big Ten opponent to shoot over 50 percent from the field for the third time in the last four games (Illinois shot 51.8 and averaged 1.3 points per possession).
Losing for the seventh time in the last nine outings, Wisconsin dropped to a tie for fourth in the conference with idle Nebraska, which holds the seeding tiebreaker. The Huskers host Rutgers – Wisconsin’s next opponent – Sunday night. The top four teams in the conference receive a double bye in the Big Ten Tournament, which begins March 13 in Minneapolis.
The Badgers played like a desperate and inspired team at points, erasing multiple three-possession deficits to keep a capacity crowd engaged, but couldn’t slow Domask.
A.J. Storr’s alley-oop dunk tied the score at 59 but Illinois ripped off seven points in 51 seconds. Domask had his hands in five of them, connecting on a three-pointer on the fast break and assisting on teammate Justin Harmon’s driving layup.
After John Blackwell tied the score with a three-pointer with 5:44 remaining, Domask wasted little time hitting a driving layup 19 seconds later, taking advantage of the void of Steven Crowl being on the bench, limited to 14 minutes because of foul trouble.
Domask and Shannon combined for 13 points on the 15-5 run, putting Illinois up 10 with 1:31 remaining.
Max Klemit (16), Chucky Hepburn (15), and Storr (13) all reached double figures for the Badgers, who shot 50 percent from the field and averaged 1.239 points per possession.
What it means: A chance to register its first Quad-1 win since January 26, Wisconsin continues to regress. And with games coming up against the uber-physical Rutgers and a road game at Big Ten champion Purdue, the Badgers’ woes look like they will worsen.
Star of the game: Domask didn’t generate any high-major interest coming out of Waupun High School, where he was the state’s 2019 Mr. Basketball Winner. However, the Southern Illinois transfer has been terrific for the Illini this season and was in front of a large contingent of family and friends.
Stat of the game: Not only did Illinois shoot 51.8 percent from the field, but the Illini went 56.3 percent from the perimeter (9-for-16) and 80 percent from the free throw line (24-for-30).
Reason to be Concerned: It again comes down to Wisconsin’s defense and the inability to be aggressive in its defense around the rim. Wisconsin led by six with 8:03 left in the first half but went empty on their next seven possessions, three ending with turnovers. The miscues opened the door for Illinois to take control with a 12-0 run. All the points came off paint touches, either converting at the rim or generating a free-throw opportunity. Illinois had just 32 points in the paint, but they came at pivotal moments.
Don’t overlook: Wisconsin got a boost from an unusual lineup at the end of the first half. With Crowl and Storr on the bench because of foul trouble, the Badgers scored 10 points on its final five first-half possessions with guards Blackwall, Hepburn, and Klesmit and forwards Carter Gilmore and Wahl to close the deficit to 39-37 at halftime.
What’s next: Wisconsin will host its final regular-season game Thursday night when it plays Rutgers (6 p.m./FS1). Fighting to get a first-round bye, the Scarlet Knights (15-13, 7-10) ended a three-game losing streak when they beat Michigan by 30 on Thursday. Finishing with 19 points and 15 rebounds against the Wolverines, center Clifford Omoruyi is putting together an all-conference season with 11.0 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game. Omoruyi had 13 and 13 when Rutgers beat UW, 78-56, on February 10.
Rutgers has beaten UW two straight times and three out of four, including winning twice at the Kohl Center.
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