Illinois basketball finally has our first opponent of the Big Ten Tournament.
Washington gave Wisconsin everything they could handle, but the Badgers came out on top by three points. Now, the Illini get a rematch from a game that happened just over a month ago.
The last time the two teams faced, Wisconsin made a big comeback down the stretch to take Illinois to overtime. That is where the Badgers got the best of us.
Illinois can’t let that happen again, though. The latest NCAA tournament project has us down a spot to a No. 3 seed, and we need to crawl back up and secure a top-two seed. Beating Wisconsin is a way to accomplish that goal.
Here are three keys for Illinois basketball to exact revenge on Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament
1. Unleash Kylan Boswell on Wisconsin’s backcourt
In the lone game against Wisconsin this season, the Illini surrendered 92 points to the Badgers. That is a massive number.
What most people might not remember is the fact that Illinois didn’t have Kylan Boswell in that game back on February 10.
Boswell hurt his hand and missed about a month of games. The Wisconsin contest was in the middle of that absence. That is a big reason why the Badgers managed to put up 92 points. Their backcourt couldn’t be stopped.
Nick Boyd went for 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 from three-point range. Meanwhile, John Blackwell dropped 24 points on 9-of-22 shooting from the field and 5-of-11 from three-point range.
My guess is that on Thursday, Illinois’ addition of Boswell to the backcourt is going to have an impact on Wisconsin’s ability to put up another 90-spot. Illinois should be able to keep the Badgers in check, and their backcourt will hopefully have fewer than 49 points. Boswell is a difference-maker.
2. Illinois has to dominate the offensive glass
It pains me every time I watch Illinois’ two 7-foot-1 and bigger big men not be able to rebound the basketball. It is one of the most frustrating things in the world.
In the first game against Wisconsin, the Illini did okay in the rebounding department, pulling down 38 rebounds to just 35 rebounds for the Badgers. But that isn’t the part that piqued my interest.
Illinois was outrebounded on the offensive glass 14-8. That is bad in itself, but the Illini have played 31 games this season, and the eight offensive rebounds we had against Wisconsin back in February were the fewest offensive rebounds this program has had all season long.
I honestly believe Illinois shouldn’t get outrebounded in any department at any time due to our size. Tomislav Ivisic at 7-foot-1 is only outsized by his brother, Zvonimir, who is 7-foot-2. They rotate in and out, yet they can’t seem to secure enough rebounds.
Honestly, I think the grit and toughness of David Mirkovic are going to have to shine against the Badgers. I need to see double-digit rebounds out of him again. He is a monster and will likely be the driving force behind Illinois’ intensity when it comes to not allowing Wisconsin to get offensive rebounds.
3. The Illini bench has to be a bigger help
I already touched on the fact that Illinois didn’t have Boswell back on February 10 against Wisconsin. That was a big missing piece in the overtime loss.
What we haven’t mentioned is the fact that Boswell wasn’t the only key Illinois player who was out in that game. We were also missing Andrej Stojakovic.
Illinois went with six guys against the Badgers. That is tough to do, and legs are going to get tired if you can’t get rest. We had two players go at least 43 minutes in that game.
Also, off the bench, Illinois’ long minutes-eater was Zvonimir Ivisic. He logged 30 minutes but only gave the Orange and Blue four points and nine rebounds. He was 2-of-5 from the field and had a turnover, too.
The insertion of Boswell and Stojakovic back into the rotation, that gives Illinois so much more depth. It also builds out the bench, which has to be big against the Badgers.
Illinois’ bench is now going to consist of Ivisic, Stojakovic, and Ben Humrichous. That is a lot more firepower than we had just over a month ago.
The bench is going to be so important. I am glad we can get everyone healthy again. Wisconsin got lucky that we let them off the hook shorthanded the first time. I would bet that doesn’t happen again.