MADISON, Wis. – Out toughed and out-muscled on the boards, the University of Wisconsin left the State Farm Center more than two months ago knowing that Illinois was the tougher, grittier, more physical team.
No.11 Wisconsin took advantage of an undermanned Illini team in freefall and conquered the glass, setting the stage for the Badgers’ 95-74 victory at the Kohl Center.
John Tonje continued his torrid pace with 31 points, his fourth 30-point game of the season, as Wisconsin (21-5, 11-4 Big Ten) pushed its winning streak to five. The Badgers also ended one of their more embarrassing skids of nine consecutive losses to Illinois. It was Wisconsin’s first victory in exactly six years.
Senior Steven Crowl had a season-high 20 points while sophomore John Blackwell added 16 on a night where UW didn’t play nearly as clean as it did in its Saturday upset at Purdue but made up for it by controlling the glass.
Outrebounded, 40-29, in the first meeting that included giving up 15 offensive rebounds, Wisconsin flipped the script with a 39-30 rebounding advantage that included a 13-9 edge on the offensive glass.
Reserve Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn had 17 points for the Illini (17-10, 9-8), which put three players in double figures but undermanned in the post with forward and second-leading rebounder Morez Johnson Jr. (broken wrist) out and center Tomislav Ivisic not playing at 100 percent.
Illinois made consecutive field goals only three times against UW’s defense, as the Badgers held the Illini to 43.3 percent from the field and 1.088 points per possession.
Wisconsin sits alone in third place in the Big Ten and controls its path to a double bye in the conference tournament. With five games remaining, the Badgers sit 1.5 games behind first-place Michigan.
What it means: Gard was excited to see his team's growth in the two months and eight days since the first meeting with Illinois. While UW didn’t play nearly as cleanly as it did on Saturday, the Badgers took care of business to add another Quad-1 win to their resume.
Star of the game: Crowl was publicly called out following his zero-rebound performance at Illinois, a low point in a string of subpar performances. Crowl has been more aggressive since the public shaming and delivered for UW with 12 points (4-for-4) and five rebounds in the first half. In addition to his scoring, Crowl had seven rebounds, five assists, two steals, one turnover, and no fouls.
Stat of the game: Not only did Wisconsin dominate the rebounding, but the Badgers also got a ton of production from the paint. UW outscored Illinois, 48-28, in the lane and outshot them from the free-throw line (17-for-22 for UW, 12-for-14 for Illinois).
Reason to be Concerned: Wisconsin went from committing zero turnovers in the second half against Purdue to having eight against Illinois. The Illini entered last in the Big Ten in steals (4.46) but had four in the first half. The most egregious mistakes were simple careless travel calls outside the perimeter. Those were cleaned up in the second half, as UW committed two turnovers in 34 second-half possessions.
Don’t overlook: Kasparas Jakucionis had 24 points, six rebounds, and five assists in the first meeting but the Badgers took advantage of his lax ball security. The freshman committed seven turnovers (five in the first half) which UW turned into nine points.
What’s next: Wisconsin plays its first Saturday home game since November 30 when the Badgers welcome Oregon to the Kohl Center for the first time as Big Ten opponents. The Ducks (18-8, 7-8) are in the middle of the road in the conference in scoring offense (11th, 76.42) and scoring defense (10th, 71.50).
Although this will be just the 10th meeting all-time, Wisconsin and Oregon have squared off four times in the postseason in the last 10 seasons. The Badgers have won three of them, all of which were on their road to a Final Four. The tip time is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT and will be televised on FOX.
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