The Wisconsin Badgers continued their impressive run with a dominant 95-74 victory over the Illinois Fighting Illini at the Kohl Center on Tuesday night. Fresh off a big win against Purdue, Wisconsin put together another high-powered offensive performance, improving to 21-5 on the season and 11-4 in Big Ten play.
Leading the charge was John Tonje, who dropped a game-high 31 points, while Steven Crowl had his best performance of the season. The Badgers controlled the game from start to finish, outscoring Illinois 48-33 in the second half.
Here are three key takeaways from Wisconsin’s latest victory:
1. John Tonje and Steven Crowl Lead the Offensive Charge
Wisconsin’s offense revolved around John Tonje, who delivered his second straight 30+ point game, finishing with 31 points on 9/15 shooting, including 10/12 from the free-throw line.
In the first half, Tonje relied on his ability to draw fouls and control the tempo, while the second half saw him dominate in the post. Wisconsin consistently ran set plays for him, allowing Tonje to get into one-on-one situations near the basket. He capitalized on those opportunities, scoring 21 of his 31 points in the second half.
Meanwhile, Steven Crowl played a breakout game, contributing 20 points on 7/10 shooting, including 3/3 from beyond the arc. Crowl established himself early, using his size to score efficiently in the paint and stepping out to knock down threes when given space. His versatile scoring helped Wisconsin pull away in the second half.
2. Wisconsin Shuts Down Kasparas Jakucionis
Although Illinois is known for its fast-paced offense, Wisconsin’s defense made a significant impact, particularly against Kasparas Jakucionis.
In their previous matchup, Jakucionis torched Wisconsin with 24 points, but this time, the Badgers shut him down completely. The freshman point guard struggled to find a rhythm, finishing with just six points and seven turnovers.
A key factor was Wisconsin’s defensive pressure, which forced Jakucionis into foul trouble in both halves, limiting his playing time to just 24 minutes. Illinois, already dealing with the absence of Morez Johnson and a limited Tomislav Ivisic, failed to find offensive consistency without Jakucionis leading the way.
The Fighting Illini shot just 4/15 from three-point range in the second half, allowing Wisconsin to pull away late.
3. Badgers Eye a No. 2 Seed in the NCAA Tournament
Wisconsin’s victory was crucial for their Big Ten and NCAA Tournament positioning.
With Purdue losing to Michigan State, the Badgers climbed to No. 3 in the conference standings.
Nationally, other top-ranked teams struggled, with No. 9 Texas Tech and No. 7 Texas A&M both suffering losses.
If Wisconsin defeats Oregon on Saturday, they could break into the top 10 of the AP Poll and strengthen their case for a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
With just five games left in the regular season, the Badgers are hitting their stride at the perfect time. If they keep winning, a deep March Madness run could be in the cards.
