Fresh off their 85-82 win over the Washington Huskies on Thursday, the No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers are back in action against the No. 4 Illinois Fighting Illini in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals on Friday. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
Wisconsin had a close call on Thursday afternoon, as they nearly blew an 18-point lead in the second half, struggling with defensive rebounding as Washington mounted a comeback and nearly won the game. But they had a couple of clutch possessions and came away with the victory.
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Now, they face a familiar foe with the Fighting Illini, who are the No. 9 team in the country. The two sides faced off in February, and Wisconsin found a way to win 92-90 on the road in overtime, thanks to some clutch buckets from their key players. It was one of the more impressive wins of the season, and one of Wisconsin’s three top-10 victories this year.
But the circumstances were much different in that game. Wisconsin had Nolan Winter to withstand Illinois’s size, while the Fighting Illini were down both Andrej Stojakovic and Kylan Boswell. This time, the Badgers will not have their starting center, a tall task against a team of Illinois’s size. And both of the Illini’s starting guards are back in the fold.
Heading into the game, Wisconsin is an 8.5-point underdog, which is quite significant on a neutral court. The line went as high as 9.5 before settling down at 8.5. While the line was similar when both teams played last time and there are injury differences, the Badgers have proven they can beat the Illini.
They’ll just have to do it again if they want to advance in the Big Ten Tournament. Should Wisconsin win, they’ll have a good shot to climb up to the No. 5 seed line in NCAA Tournament predictions, so there definitely is a good amount on the line.
Can Wisconsin pull it off and find a way to win without a key starter? Or will they fall short and get some rest before the NCAA Tournament?
