The No. 8 University of Illinois men’s basketball team (20-5, 11-3) lost against the University of Wisconsin (17-7, 9-4) 92-90 in overtime after leading by 12 points in the second half.
Takeaways
Illinois: After their overtime loss to Michigan State, Illinois came into this game looking to get back on a new winning streak. Before the game, junior guard Andrej Stojakovic was reported as questionable to play against the Badgers, alongside senior guard Kylan Boswell, who has been recovering from a hand injury. The first half had the Illini and Badgers in a back-and-forth battle. Junior center Tomislav Ivisic led the way for Illinois with 17 points, only missing two shots. The Illini went into halftime with a six-point lead.
In the second half, Illinois continued the momentum and started to pull away from the Badgers. The Illini would go on a ten-point run mid-way through the second half to give them an 11-point lead. But, after two missed free throws by freshman guard Keaton Wagler, Wisconsin was able to force overtime. In the extra period, Illinois’ missed free throws started to carry over, and they found themselves down by eight points with two minutes left. Even with a late surge at the end of the game, Wagler had a shot at the win but missed the potential three pointer.
Wagler led Illinois with 34 points and seven assists, while Ivisic had a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Wisconsin: The Badgers looked like they were going to shock Champaign and give Illinois their first loss against an unranked opponent in 20 games. The Badgers controlled the game early as they did not allow Wagler to get comfortable early in the game. This allowed them to get an early eight-point lead. But as Illinois started to slowly open up its offense, Wisconsin would give up the lead in the first half and be down by six at the break.
In the second half, the Badgers continued to fall behind as Wagler started to get his rhythm. Wisconsin senior guard Nick Boyd scored 14 points to help slowly erase Illinois’ lead. Heading into the final minute, Wisconsin capped off the comeback with a three-pointer by sophomore forward Austin Rapp. Going into overtime, the Badgers continued to have the momentum as they did not let the Illini get a chance to score in the first three minutes.
Boyd finished the game with 25 points and five assists, while junior guard John Blackwell had 24 points and the game-clinching free throws on the night.
Key Stat
Near the end of the game, Illinois seemed to have the game won in regulation. But, Illinois started to miss crucial free throws that kept the Badgers in the game. The four missed free throws in the second half cost Illinois its lead, and the additional three free throws cost the chance at coming back in overtime. In total, Illinois shot 57% from the free-throw line, which was the lowest against a Big Ten team this season.
Up Next
The Fighting Illini Men’s Basketball team will host Indiana at State Farm Center on Sunday at 12 PM.