The Wisconsin Badgers take on the eighth-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini at the State Farm Center in Champaign this Tuesday. Tip-off is at 7:00 PM on Peacock, and the Fighting Ilini are 11.5-point favorites.
The Badgers are coming off a 78-77 overtime loss at Indiana that featured two controversial foul calls in the final twenty seconds on Wisconsin. That latter of which gave the Hoosiers’ shooting guard Lamar Wilkerson two free throws to give Indiana the victory. In the loss, Nolan Winter turned in his best game of the season with a career-high 26 points and 12 rebounds.
What should Badger fans know about the Illinois Fighting Illini?
Opponent Preview
Brad Underwood once again leads a solid Illinois squad that is challenging for another regular-season conference title. The Illini are 20-4 on the season with a stellar 11-2 record in Big Ten games. A big reason for that is an offense that ranks second in the conference with 84.5 points per game.
Leading the way for the Illini is freshman phenom guard Keaton Wagler. Wagler leads Illinois with 17.8 points, 4.2 assists, and 0.8 steals per game. In addition, Wagler is the Illini’s top three-point shooter among starters with a 43.3 percent rate from deep. Wagler, one of the top 10 freshman basketball players according to ESPN, made headlines across the nation with an outstanding 46-point performance over then-No. 4 Purdue at Mackey Arena on January 24th.
Accompanying Wagler in the backcourt is Cal transfer guard Andrej Stojakovic. Stojakovic averages 13.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. With the loss of guard Kylan Boswell to a broken hand, forward Jake Davis was inserted into the lineup. Davis averages 5.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game.
In the frontcourt with Davis are freshman David Mirkovic and returning starter Tomislav Ivisic. Mirkovic is one of the best rebounders in the Big Ten, averaging 8.1 rebounds a contest and ranking fourth in the conference with 5.6 defensive rebounds per game. Ivisic, the second-tallest player on Illinois’ roster behind his brother (and leading shotblocker) Zvonimir Ivisic, averages 10.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.
Score Prediction
For Wisconsin to pull off another top-10 win on the road, it must keep Illinois off the offensive glass. The Illini are first in the Big Ten with 13.3 offensive rebounds per game. If the Badgers can hold their own on the glass, they have a chance.
The last time Wisconsin won at the State Farm Center was in 2019 in Brad Underwood’s second season at Illinois. Badgers have lost their last four games in Champaign and are playing an Illini team that is none too pleased with its overtime loss to Michigan State over the weekend.
Prediction: Illinois 81-66
