Simply, the Wisconsin men’s basketball season comes down to tonight. With a win, the No. 24 Badgers claim their first outright Big Ten title in over 55 years and their first back-to-back titles in 80 years. It has all boiled down to one game against No. 14 Illinois at the Kohl Center, where the Badgers have not lost a conference game in almost two seasons.

Working against UW is that they have not defeated a nationally ranked team on the season. Losses to Marquette, Illinois and a then-ranked Purdue team have left a glaring hole on the Badgers’ post-season resume. A win tonight would undoubtedly improve UW’s March status.

Standing in front of the Badgers is a tall and talented Illinois team that boasts one of the best players in the conference — Brian Cook. Cook leads the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 19.8 points per clip, while his rebounding average of 7.1 is good enough for fourth best among conference players. His size and range make him a player to defend.

Cook dropped 31 points against the Badgers in their 69-63 loss to the Illini Jan. 11. Freshman Dan Augustine put in 17 points for Illinois, who used a high-low set to take advantage of the smaller Badger post players.

Kirk Penney accounted for 18 points and 12 rebounds against Illinois but only shot 8-of-20. The Badgers shot 35.3 percent in the second half after connecting on an electric 12-of-20 in the first half. Alando Tucker chipped in 12 points for UW but had a hard time getting his shot off against the taller Illini players.

Last season at the Kohl Center, the Badgers upset Illinois 72-66 for a court-rushing victory over a team then ranked No. 10 in the country. Charlie Wills scored 19 points for the Badgers. Then freshmen Devin Harris and Mike Wilkinson scored 17 and 11, respectively, as UW moved over .500 for the first time on the season. Dave Mader scored 9 big points for the Badgers, hitting key shots down the stretch on the way to defeating an Illinois team full of senior leadership.

This season’s Illini team is much younger. At point guard, Illinois boasts one of the best freshmen in the Big Ten in Dee Brown. Brown is averaging 12.1 points per game, blowing past defenders with his great quickness to make easy moves to the hoop. Augustine has been a tremendous addition to the Illini frontcourt, averaging 7.3 points and 5.9 rebounds. Fellow freshman guard Deron Williams has performed admirably as the team’s backup point guard.

The balance on Bill Self’s team comes from seniors Cook and Sean Harrington. Harrington is averaging 7.8 points per game and brings a strong presence to the backcourt from a man who has played with both Frank Williams and Corey Bradford.

The Illini just received a positive push with the return of sophomore guard Luther Head, who had been averaging 8.1 points per game before falling to injury.

Starting forward Roger Powell is third on the team in scoring, averaging 8.8 points per game, while fellow sophomore Nick Smith brings depth and added height to the frontcourt, chipping in 5.5 points and three boards per contest.

Tall and talented, the Illini have been the one consistent national presence for the Big Ten. If they are allowed to get the high-low set working, the Badgers may be in for a long night.

But, the Badgers will be playing in the Kohl Center, a floor Cook has never won in his career. The home-court advantage has been a big part of the Badgers’ success this season and might prove to be enough to lead UW to another Big Ten title.