6 thoughts from Wisconsin basketball's overtime win at No. 8 Illinois
The Badgers get a key win on the road during a crucial February stretch.
What a tale of two overtimes for the University of Wisconsin basketball program in the last four days.
Wisconsin was one possession away, and perhaps one call away, from nearly pulling off a road victory at Indiana on Saturday. The Badgers again saw themselves down by double figures in the second half Tuesday in Champaign, Illinois, but rallied and eventually pulled out a 92-90 overtime win against the Fighting Illini.
It’s the second top-10 win on the road this season for Wisconsin (17-7, 9-4 Big Ten), who have one more vaunted matchup this week with No. 10 Michigan State coming to the Kohl Center on Friday.
Here are some thoughts from Tuesday’s overtime W.
Wisconsin’s star guards shine on the road
John Blackwell and Nick Boyd combined for 49 points and nine assists in the win, with 33 of those points coming after halftime. Blackwell was the consistent force on the offensive end throughout the game when Boyd and others didn’t really come on until the second half.
Boyd answered when Illinois (20-5, 11-3) went up by 12 points twice in the second half, which included scoring eight points in under a minute. He finished with a team-high 25 points to go with five assists and zero turnovers.
Austin Rapp’s return sparked Wisconsin
Junior forward Nolan Winter grabbed 11 rebounds, including a key offensive board with about 14 seconds to play in overtime, but only shot 2 of 8 from the field on way to four points.
Rapp stepped back onto the court after missing Saturday’s game due to illness, registering 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting, five rebounds and three assists. He scored 11 of those points in the second half, and was a key presence down the stretch in that frame by hitting three 3-pointers in the final 6 minutes, 49 seconds before overtime.
Illinois is, uh, good
A “Duh!” moment, but there’s a reason why the Fighting Illini are a top-10 squad and among the best in the conference. Illinois missed junior forward Andrej Stojakovic, who was listed as questionable by the program before the game, and his 13.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
But five players scored in double digits for coach Brad Underwood, and Illinois shot 53.3% from the field (45.5% from 3-point range).
Wisconsin withstood the efforts of freshman guard Keaton Wagler, who led the way for Illinois with a game-high 34 points. That's his second highest-scoring effort of the season behind his 46 at Purdue on Jan. 24. Center Tomislav Ivisic scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half and recorded a double-double thanks to his 11 rebounds.
Wisconsin also played clean on the road
Wisconsin committed only four turnovers, three of them in the first half, that led to only six points for Illinois.
The Badgers, on the flip side, took advantage of 13 turnovers by the Fighting Illini. Wisconsin scored 23 points off of Illinois turnovers. Transfer guard Andrew Rohde recorded three steals inside the State Farm Center.
Wisconsin’s showing a relentlessness at the right time
Badger Observer said during Civic Media’s “On the Call” last weekend that Wisconsin could win all three games against Indiana, Illinois and Michigan State in what was its toughest stretch remaining in the regular season. They could be 2-0 if things went a smidge differently in Bloomington on Saturday.
It’s the effort plays — like Winter’s offensive rebound in overtime, Boyd’s offensive streaks or what Rapp did outside of the scoreboard (see: two steals) — that can make the Badgers a formidable opponent the rest of the regular season and into postseason play.
Other key stats to know
Offensive rebounds: Wisconsin 14, Illinois 8
Second chance points: Wisconsin 12, Illinois 10
Bench points: Wisconsin 26, Illinois 4
Assists: Wisconsin 17, Illinois 15