The Badgers have been on a tear recently on the offensive side of the ball.
The Wisconsin Badgers swiftly defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini 95-74 on Tuesday night, riding behind another 30-point performance from John Tonje en route to a blowout victory.
It was a tight game throughout the first half, as the Badgers managed to put up 47 points, but faced some resistance as the Illini shot well from deep to score 41 points in the period.
However, Wisconsin climbed away in the second half as Tonje got going, while also relying on center Steven Crowl, who had a season-high 20 points in the win.
Let’s break down the Badgers win and what it means for the team going forward.
1st Half
The Badgers were going up against a beaten-down Fighting Illini team, with starting center Ivisic battling a calf injury and freshman forward Morez Johnson out with a wrist injury.
Without their two main big men, the Badgers held the clear advantage in the interior early and needed to capitalize. Nolan Winter scored the first two buckets for Wisconsin on assists from Crowl and Max Klesmit.
Coming off the bench, Carter Gilmore provided a quick spark, scoring five early points, including a big three, to put the Badgers up 13-10. From there, the Badgers continued to pour it on, going on a 13-4 where Klesmit tacked on five points, while John Blackwell put up six straight.
Offensively, the Badgers stayed mostly in their five-out set, opening up the driving lanes and stretching the defense out. The Badgers totaled nine first-half assists, and John Blackwell alone had three dimes. While only shooting his first shot at the five-minute mark of the first half, John Tonje got to the free throw all half long, totaling seven free throw attempts in the period and converting on five.
With two stretch bigs in Nolan Winter and Steven Crowl, Wisconsin really had options when stretching the floor. While Winter had been on fire from beyond the arc in recent games, it was Steven Crowl today who went 2/2 from deep in the first half.
Crowl finished the half with a team-high 12 points and five boards, Tonje followed up next with 10 of his own.
But, Wisconsin did face some turnover woes of their own, totaling eight in the first period alone, as Tonje, Blackwell, and Xavier Amos each had two a piece, which leveled the playing field and kept Illinois in the midst of things.
The Badgers’ defense during the first 15 minutes was resilient and quick, getting their hands in the passing lanes and fighting down low for rebounds. The Badgers totaled 21 rebounds compared to only 11 for Illinois, really putting the pressure on Illinois to hit their shots.
With Illinois going high tempo and really moving around on their half-court sets, the defensive rotations had to stay quick and in sync, which they were for the most part.
Wisconsin was also able to put Illinois star player Jakucionis in dilemmas, forcing five first-half turnovers. As the half went on, the fatigue in the players began to show, rotations slowed down and Illinois was able to hit their three-point shots. Ben Humrichous hit threes on back-to-back possessions, and freshman Will Riley tacked one on as well.
In the end, the Badgers took a 47-41 lead into the break, which is where things started to turn around.
2nd Half
The Badgers came out the gates immediately forcing a turnover and scoring quick on a fast break, but the Badgers still came out a little slow offensively.
What Wisconsin did really well was get to the foul line and put Illinois into bonus trouble early. Tonje continued his stretch of great games by scoring 21 points in the second half, totaling 31 on the day. The senior used his size and strength to his advantage, getting inside, scoring on smaller defenders, and hitting multiple contested threes.
Steven Crowl was second in the team in scoring with 20 points and three threes on the night. Illinois attempted to respond with strong perimeter shooting, particularly from Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, but Wisconsin’s ability to control the paint and draw fouls kept them in command. Crowl and Blackwell played key roles inside, securing rebounds and making crucial second-chance points.
Despite Illinois cutting the lead to single digits at times, Wisconsin consistently responded. Tonje’s dominant second half and the ability to get to the line consistently ultimately pushed the Badgers’ lead past 20.
As the game continued to get out of hand for Illinois, their offense regressed dramatically, struggling with turnovers late, leading to easy baskets for Wisconsin. Blackwell’s layups and Crowl’s presence inside sealed the deal, as Wisconsin cruised to a convincing 95-74 victory.
Personal Thoughts
The Badgers are offensively one of the biggest threats in college basketball, tallying above 90 points in four games this season, including in back-to-back wins.
The Badgers continue to hone in on the rebounding, out-rebounding Illinois tonight by nine and getting 13 offensive boards. Secondly, the two seven-footer lineup continues to shine with either Crowl or Winter being able to stretch the floor and get open looks at the three.
If the Badgers can continue to play lights out offensively and get better as a team defensively, watch out because Wisconsin might be a dark horse in March.