Can the Badgers even the season series against Illinois?
Fresh off their biggest win of the season over the Purdue Boilermakers, the No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers are heading back home for their second matchup of the season against the Illinois Fighting Illini, with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. at the Kohl Center on Tuesday.
Wisconsin made national headlines this weekend with a 94-84 victory over Purdue, finishing strong with a 58-point second half to best the Boilermakers on the road for their eighth Quad 1 victory of the year.
John Tonje led the way once again, scoring 32 points on 10/15 shooting, including 22 points in the second half alone, where he hit 6/7 of his shots and 8/9 of his free throws.
But, it was a well-rounded effort for the Badgers, as Max Klesmit, John Blackwell, Nolan Winter, and Jack Janicki all hit double figures in the win, while the team shot 61.5 percent from the field and 20/22 from inside the arc in a highly-efficient victory.
Now, the Badgers enter a matchup against an Illinois Fighting Illini team that has gone 17-9 on the year and 9-7 in conference play, most recently losing a 79-65 game on the road to the Michigan State Spartans.
The Fighting Illini are led by freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis, who has vaulted himself into lottery contention in the 2025 NBA Draft while averaging 16 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game this season.
Behind him, center Tomislav Ivisic has been a consistent force, averaging 12.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from three.
The Illini posed big matchup problems in their first game against Wisconsin back in November, as their starting lineup was all at least 6’6’’ tall. That led to 15 offensive rebounds for the Fighting Illini, which led to their 86-80 victory in Champaign.
Illinois will be without forward Morez Johnson, however, as the freshman broke his wrist and is out indefinitely. He had been Illinois’s second-leading rebounder, so that’ll be a big loss for the Fighting Illini, both with their size and their depth.
The Badgers come into Saturday as a 3.5-point favorite on the road. Will they be able to get another Quad 1 win on their schedule and extend their winning streak to five?