The postseason road starts on Wednesday night, as the women’s Illinois basketball team tips off the Big Ten Tournament.
This needs to be a win for the Illini. It is a must-win in my book. Illinois ended the season with back-to-back losses against good teams, but I want to notch win No. 20 on the season. We also need some positive vibes heading into the NCAA tournament.
Wisconsin is a scrappy bunch, though. They aren’t going to go down easily. Illinois has to be ready for everything they throw at us.
Here are three crucial keys for Illinois basketball to beat Wisconsin the Big Ten Tournament
1. Illinois needs to get everyone involved
The Illini enter the first round of the Big Ten Tournament as a No. 10 seed. That means we don’t get a bye. First up is No. 15 Wisconsin.
I loved how Illinois played in the first matchup between these two teams this season. We dominated the Badgers, winning the game 92-60. Illinois is clearly the better team, and we dismantled Wisconsin the first time by playing great team basketball.
Six different Illinois players scored double-digit points in that game just weeks ago. This includes getting 15 points off the bench from Maddie Webber.
There are times throughout games when Illinois’ players just let Berry Wallace go to work, or we dump the ball down to Cearah Parchment. Let’s get everyone involved early and often. The more players who are engaged, the better chance Illinois can send Wisconsin home packing early.
2. Dominating the glass will keep Wisconsin in check
Coming into the game on Wednesday night, Illinois and Wisconsin are two bad rebounding squads.
Illinois leads the charge with 35.9 rebounds per game, which ranks No. 220 in the country. Wisconsin is trailing the Orange and Blue with 34.9 rebounds per game, which ranks No. 262 in the nation.
With that being said, rebounding mattered greatly in the first game. Illinois was able to jump out to a big lead because we dominated on the glass.
The Illini won the rebounding battle over Wisconsin 39-31 the first time around. That margin needs to stay the same if we want to get another victory over the Badgers.
Parchment tore up the glass in that game a few weeks ago. She pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds. When she rebounds well, Illinois plays well. In fact, the Illini are 8-3 when she hits double-digit rebounds in a game.
If Illinois keeps crashing the glass, we should be able to move on to the second round. This shouldn’t be a problem on Wednesday night.
3. The Illini need to keep playing tough perimeter defense
Illinois is going up against a average-to-below average Wisconsin team in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. The Badgers can sneak up on teams, but the Illini should be able to win this game.
A big way to bring home the victory is to continue playing tough defense on the perimeter. Illinois held Wisconsin to 5-of-23, 22%, shooting from three-point range in the lone game the two teams have played this season.
Here is the thing, though. Wisconsin isn’t a terrible three-point shooting team. They average hitting 34.3% from three-point range this season, led by Destiny Howell, who hits her three-pointers at a clip of 39.7%.
This is an area where Illinois excels this season. We have held opponents to just 29.2% from three-point range during the 2025-26 campaign. That is good enough to rank No. 102 in the country.
I attribute the great three-point defense to Illinois’ speed. We have quick guards like Destiny Jackson out there on the perimeter. I also love the size of Wallace, who plays on the wing and is a tough mismatch.
Let’s shut down Wisconsin from the outside. That will help keep their score low and for us to cruise to a nice opening win in the Big Ten Tournament.