Friday afternoon in Chicago did not go as planned for No. 4 Illinois (24-8,15-5), as it dropped its Big Ten tournament quarterfinal game in overtime to No. 5 Wisconsin (24-9,14-6), 91-88. The loss very closely resembled the Illini’s two-point overtime loss to the Badgers at home on Feb. 10.
A 23-3 run in the first half put Illinois up big, but a 12-0 Wisconsin run heading into the break cut Illinois’ lead to just six at halftime. The Illini rebuilt a 15-point lead after the break, but they again let the Badgers get back into the game and tie it up, leading to another overtime battle between the two programs.
Unfortunately for Illinois, Wisconsin once again pulled through due to a dominant performance from its backcourt and a lack of fight from Illinois.
“Sometimes I think, when we make shots, we get casual on the other end, and we think it’s just easy,” said Illini head coach Brad Underwood. “I had that feeling today. Then all of a sudden (the Badgers) get going, and now it’s a shootout. I don’t want shootouts.”
Boswell tries to set tone early
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From the first play of the game, the emotions were high. Wisconsin’s 92-90 overtime win over Illinois in Champaign was not forgotten, especially by senior guard Kylan Boswell, who was not able to play in the game due to injury. He wanted the Badgers to know that he was back and ready to bring intensity.
Badgers senior guard Nick Boyd was forced into a shot clock violation on their first possession, and Boswell got all up in his face, flexing on and chirping at Boyd. Double technical fouls ensued, as the two continued to jaw at each other. Moments later, Boswell committed another foul, giving him two in under a minute. Underwood was forced to pull his starting guard from the game, and Boswell only ended up playing 18 minutes, a team-low amongst Illinois’ rotation players. He fouled out for the first time in his college career.
“From when they beat us at home, I just had a lot of energy,” Boswell said. “The technical I was completely fine with off rip. It just sucked that I got a second one off rip, and then I had to sit out. I was pretty much in foul trouble throughout the game, and my time and my increments, how much I would usually play got affected. So it was kind of hard for me to get into a rhythm and actually get to guard (Boyd) the way I wanted to.”
Boyd and Blackwell lift Badgers to victory
With Boswell out, Illinois was without its best defender, who was recently named to the All-Big Ten Defensive team. Boyd was able to get loose and dominate, scoring 38 points on 12 for 20 shooting.
“He fried us all night basically,” Boswell said. “And then it just made me very frustrated getting those fouls because this matchup was something I was preparing for. I watched a lot of film and all that. I didn’t really get the opportunity to play against him much. Seeing him score when I was out was making me frustrated.”
Boyd’s backcourt teammate, junior guard John Blackwell, also went off, dropping an impressive 31 points on 9 of 17 shooting. Boyd and Blackwell hunted fouls, and it paid off for them – they shot a combined 21 for 22 from the free throw line. Their focus on getting downhill was elite, and Illinois had no answer besides fouling them.
“Whether (Boyd) has zero points and there’s a minute left or he has 30, he’s constantly staying aggressive trying to get to the paint,” Blackwell said of his teammate.
For an Illini squad that doesn’t foul a lot, Friday was an off night for a usually by-the-book defensive team. The free throw discrepancy was 28-7 in the second half and overtime, fueled by the Badgers’ duo in the backcourt.
Boswell being out for extended periods didn’t help with defense at the point of attack, and once Blackwell and Boyd got in the lane, they drew contact with ease. The Illini shot better than their opponents all game, but the Badgers lived at the line, allowing them to chip away at the Illini’s early lead and eventually pull ahead.
“Tonight I think it was just us fouling them,” said freshman guard Keaton Wagler. “Even if, say, we’re shooting the ball well, but even if they’re not, that just gets them going. Just gives them confidence.”
Wisconsin fights back on boards
Even with Boyd and Blackwell each having massive games, Illinois was ahead by six at halftime due to 12 points from junior wing Andrej Stojaković off the bench. A strong scoring start to the second half helped extend the Illini lead to 15, and all looked well. Until it didn’t.
In a turn of events, the Badgers fought back, and the Illini provided little resistance. Blackwell and Boyd certainly drove that effort, with 41 of their 69 points coming after halftime, but Wisconsin’s energy on the glass was also a key factor. The Badgers outrebounded the Illini 22-15 in the second half and overtime, tipping the overall margin in their favor by one.
Wisconsin was without its starting center and leading rebounder, 7-foot junior Nolan Winter. A disadvantage on the glass was no issue for the Badgers though, because the Illini seemed to not want to assert themselves there.
It’s not a size issue – the Illini have twin 7-footers and great positional size throughout their lineup. Rather, it’s a simple lack of urgency to continue doing the little things when their offense has allowed them to build a lead. Scoring can take them far, but a lack of urgency on the glass or on defense can quickly render the No. 1 offense in the country helpless, and it did on Friday.
“During a game when we start playing good and hitting shots, we just stop defending their players,” said freshman forward David Mirković. “You can’t let the team without their big man from starting lineup to outrebound you. And that was the worst thing from today.”
Stojaković and junior center Zvonimir Ivišić each had six boards in the first half, but only grabbed one a piece after halftime. Junior center Tomislav Ivišić only grabbed two rebounds in 24 minutes of play, Wagler had just one and Mirković only had two defensive boards.
“I wish I knew,” Underwood said when asked why Illinois let up on the glass. “That’s all we talked about for two days. I wish I know. That’s a question for (the players). We’ve got to get it figured out. We’re getting very, very few rebounds on a consistent basis from anyone. We got to have somebody nasty enough and give a s— enough to want to go grab a rebound.”
Illinois last played on Sunday, and it had all week to refocus and “reset” ahead of the Big Ten tournament. The players and Underwood have spoken all year about how they need to bring a high energy level, but even with the time off, that was absent after the first half. Once a lead was built, complacency set in, as it has multiple times in the last month, and Wisconsin took full advantage.
Lose again, season’s over
After a bevy of losses over the past month to NCAA tournament teams, and now exiting the conference tournament after just one game, Illinois finds itself in a tough spot.
Losing close games because of a lack of focus and consistency cannot happen, but it’s March, and it’s at the point where the Illini should know that. For a program that is led by a head coach that preaches mental focus and grit, that “dog” mindset has not been there as of late, and it’s getting frustrating.
“Yeah, it pisses me off,” Underwood said. “We got to be tired of – we could have five more wins, six more wins.”
Selection Sunday will almost certainly reveal that Illinois will be a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament, especially after this loss and No. 7 Purdue (25-8, 13-7) beating No. 2 Nebraska (26-6, 15-5) in its quarterfinal game. It’s win or go home time. Another let up after a strong start or failing to rebound again, and the Illini can say hello to a plane or bus back to Champaign.
“Next time that happens we’re going home,” Boswell said. “I think it will be good to just dwell on this, sit in this loss right now. Remember this feeling when you’re losing and you have to talk to the media still. Just everything that goes into it. You don’t want to have the losing feeling when you’re doing all this. And especially in a game like this where we should have won it I think. We did things that we don’t normally do which caused them to get back into the game. We just can’t let that happen.”
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