Illinois basketball is doing something we haven’t done in a while; rebound from a loss.
The Illini had won 12 straight before the loss to Michigan State on Saturday. This defeat was a bit jarring, despite Illinois taking the Spartans to overtime in East Lansing.
Illinois only played a C+ game against Michigan State, and we still about beat a top 10 team in the country. If we can get a B game or better against Wisconsin, then I don’t think we will have to sweat the contest on Tuesday night.
Here are three keys for Illinois basketball to get back on track against Wisconsin
1. The Ivisic brothers need to slow down Nolan Winter
Illinois is heading into a game on Tuesday night against a talented Wisconsin program. The Badgers have talent in the frontcourt that could give the Illini some problems.
Nolan Winter is pretty special, averaging 14.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this season. At 7-foot, not a lot of players in college basketball can match up against him. I believe Austin Rapp will be back on Tuesday from an illness as well. He gives the Badgers another 6-foot-10 guy in the paint who averages 8.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest.
While Wisconsin has nice size that can shoot from multiple levels, Illinois has more size and more talent when it comes to the defensive end of the court. I think the Ivisic brothers are going to be crucial in Illinois securing this victory.
Tomislav Ivisic, 7-foot-1, will likely start on Winter. Both have similar games, as they can shoot from the perimeter, and their ability to finish around the rim is solid. The matchup between Ivisic and Winter is going to be key in this game.
Illinois will also be able to bring the most talented defensive Ivisic brother off the bench to help out. Zvonimir Ivisic, 7-foot-2, will be on Winter plenty on Tuesday night. If the Ivisic brothers can shut him down, Wisconsin will struggle.
2. Illinois’ length should be a problem for Wisconsin
This slide kind of goes hand-in-hand with the previous slide. I do think Illinois’ size in the paint will give Wisconsin problems, but with this slide, I am more talking about the size in the backcourt.
Wisconsin’s backcourt is insane. They have Nick Boyd and John Blackwell, who are averaging 20.0 points and 18.5 points, respectively. That is one of the most impressive scoring backcourts in the country.
The Badgers haven’t faced the size Illinois brings to the backcourt, though. Keaton Wager is coming off a bad game, but he is bound to rebound. Wagler is our starting point guard at 6-foot-6. Boyd measures 6-foot-3, and Blackwell is 6-foot-4. That is a nice size advantage.
With Kylan Boswell being out, that is going to force Illinois to use even more size in the backcourt. You are going to see some type of combination of 6-foot-9 Ben Humrichous, 6-foot-6 Jake Davis, and 6-foot-7 Andrej Stojakovic out there guarding Wisconsin’s guards as well.
That type of length by Illinois should hinder the Badgers’ three-point shooting. Four out of their top five scorers all shoot at least 34% from beyond the three-point arc. As a team, they shoot 34.5% from deep. I think the Illini can hold Wisconsin to somewhere lower than their season average. Do that, and we come away with a win.
3. Get Keaton Wagler back on track
This is going to be a massive game for many reasons. Arguably, the biggest reason is to see how Wagler responds to a bad outing.
To beat Wisconsin, Wagler is going to need to get back on track. He had a putrid performance against Michigan State, giving the Illini 16 points, six rebounds, three assists, three turnovers, and one steal on 2-of-16 shooting from the field and 2-of-8 from three-point range.
If Illinois doesn’t get Wagler back on track, it could be a long stretch of games to end the season. Wisconsin has some great guards who can guard, and that worries me a little bit.
My hope is that Wagler just lets the game come to him. He tried to force a lot in the game against the Spartans. Wagler is a true point guard who can light up the scoreboard. He can get his teammates involved early and then turn things on in the scoring department late.
I do believe Wagler’s length, as mentioned in an earlier section, will help when it comes to scoring. He is going to be guarded heavily on the perimeter. I am sure Wisconsin looked at the Jeremy Fears tape, but with 6-foot-6 length, he should be able to create his own shot from deep.
As long as Wagler gets back on track on Tuesday night, Illinois should come away with a solid win. That is the key headline entering the Big Ten tilt.