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Illinois Basketball: 5 takeaways from the Illini loss to Wisconsin part two

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 08: Ethan Happ
CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 08: Ethan Happ /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – FEBRUARY 08: Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood shouts to players during the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 8, 2018, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL – FEBRUARY 08: Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood shouts to players during the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 8, 2018, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

2. Wisconsin is a terrible matchup

The game on Thursday night just wasn’t good for the Illini. They played a bad Wisconsin team that just hit win No. 11 on the season but seems to have Illinois’ number.

Honestly, Wisconsin is just a terrible matchup for this Illinois basketball team. Their best player is a 6-foot-10, 235-pound big man who can shoot the three-point shot, drive the ball, post up and rebound. He does everything on the basketball court. He is by far their best player.

What is one of the main Illinois weaknesses? It just happens to be that they don’t have a Big Ten caliber big man on the roster right now. Leron Black isn’t tall enough. Michael Finke doesn’t have the skills. And Greg Eboigbodin is way too young and raw to start for the Illini. This all spells disaster when going up against an athletic capable big man who can shoot the deep ball.

In the first game this season against Wisconsin, the Badgers drubbed the Illini by 25 points. Ethan Happ – Wisconsin’s big man – dominated that game as well. He finished the night with 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. He was spectacular on Thursday night as well. He finished the second game with 27 points, eight assists, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

Illinois doesn’t have a good team right now and they went up against a Badgers program that specializes in an area the Illini fall short in. This was not a good matchup.

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