A wintery matchup between two Midwest teams did not end very competitively. Wisconsin (21-5, 11-4) dominated the final minutes of the matchup and ended a nine-game losing streak to Illinois (17-10, 9-8). A depleted Illinois roster was outmatched in the 94-75 defeat but didn’t show up without a fight.
Bringing the energy
This week, the Illini were the subject of an overall negative discourse, with many fans seemingly packing up the season and looking toward next year. While some factors may warrant doubt about the current roster’s ceiling, this group isn’t done yet.
With freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. announced out indefinitely on Monday and sophomore center Tomislav Ivišić sick and coming off the bench, Illinois played yet another game with limited healthy bodies. Despite this, the roster never wavered.
As expected, Illinois faltered early and took some time to adjust to its new lineup. Wisconsin jumped to a 13-point lead with six minutes left in the first half, but Illinois responded. The bench was energetic, even though Illinois was trailing by double digits, and the players on the court showed passion.
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Junior guard Kylan Boswell could be heard yelling over the broadcast after a and-one. Multiple players crashed the hardwood like it was a ball pit, led by freshman forward Will Riley diving after loose balls. Sophomore guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn joined the fun and was his usual self, covering every inch of the court. In the preseason, this might have been an unlikely trio, but midway through February, this is what the Illini have to work with.
“We’re a good basketball team, and we know that.” said graduate student forward Ben Humrichous. “We’re going through a stretch that’s just difficult, but we’re a good basketball team, and we know it.”
Shooting the rock
Whether it’s a good explanation for Illinois’ losses or not, all eyes were on the three-point shooting on Tuesday. Shot selection and shot-making have drawn criticism over the ever-extending rough stretch for Illinois, but both seemed satisfactory against Wisconsin.
The 33.3% doesn’t perfectly capture the shooting against the Badgers. A solid start from long-range continued into the second half, and the Illini were still in the upper 30% range for much of the game. Late situations required quicker possessions, but turnovers, defense and poor rebounding were much larger issues against the Badgers.
2 months later
When the Badgers came to Champaign in December, these teams were on different paths than they are now. Regardless of the factors that led these teams to their current state, the Badgers looked better for much of the night in Madison.
Wisconsin’s best player, graduate student guard John Tonje, was downright bad in the first matchup. He shot 5-15, turned it over four times and was the only real “under-performer” for the visitors. Now, on home turf, Tonje was the best player on the floor, and it wasn’t particularly close.
He utilized a lethal mix of attacking the rim with his linebacker frame and step-back three-point jumpers, and the Illini couldn’t defend any of it. Tonje has looked like one of the best scorers in the conference lately, and his 31-point game won’t change that.
“We experienced that last year when you have a 24-year-old who is a really good player,” said head coach Brad Underwood. “Tonje was terrific.”
Other notes
With Illinois missing one center and the other suffering an illness, it couldn’t afford a poor game from freshman guard Kasparas Jakučionis. However, the turnover-prone first-year could not protect the basketball at all.
Seven turnovers just killed Illinois at every potential moment it held momentum. A lot rides on the Lithuanian guard for the rest of the season, but he hasn’t been great lately when the Illini needed him to be.
On another note, Gibbs-Lawhorn had a terrific night. After not playing much on Saturday, the only returner from last year stepped up. He was an efficient 7-12 from the field on his way to 17 points. Gibbs-Lawhorn added four rebounds and five assists with zero turnovers, one of the few bright spots for Illinois.
“No matter what, if I touch the court or not, I’ll always have my confidence through the work I put on off the court,” Gibbs-Lawhorn said.
Sophomore forward Jake Davis left the game in the first half and didn’t return after hitting two threes. Davis only adds to the list of players who are not 100%.
“At the end of the day guys, we don’t have very many healthy bodies,” Underwood said. “Tomi didn’t make the trip with us … Jake Davis got sick right after pregame … in 38 years, I’ve never seen anything like what’s gone through our team.”
At the end of the day, the Badgers were just too much for the beaten-down Illini. They rebounded better, showed better chemistry with their passing and simply made more baskets. The Illini are back in action against No. 3 Duke (23-3) at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
@benfader7
