After defeating the first-place team in the Big Ten a week ago, Illinois has the chance to knock off the renewed No.1 tonight as the University of Wisconsin pays a visit to Assembly Hall.
Practicing through a bye week of anticipation, Illinois (16-5, 7-3) will be looking to avenge its 76-56 loss to the Badgers (17-4, 8-2) back on Jan. 24 and pull even with UW in the Big Ten standings. Since that January loss, the Illini have won four consecutive conference matchups, including victories over Michigan State and on the road against Indiana. With Bruce Weber’s system firmly in place, a victory over UW would put the fate of Illinois in their own hands as the Big Ten season hits its home stretch.
Proving that they are one of the elite teams in the conference, Illinois dominated in its last game, opening up a 15-point halftime lead over MSU before burying them 75-51. Over the past three seasons, only two teams have gone into Assembly Hall and left with a victory.
“I really don’t say anything [in preparation] because I think [if] anybody, any player that walked in there and didn’t see the orange, the wrong guys are playing,” UW head coach Bo Ryan said. “There’s no reason to say anything about it. There’s no reason to address it … we need to take care of business.”
Entering the game as the top-ranked scoring team in league play (74.6 points), Illinois boasts a lineup that includes six players averaging over eight points per game. Led by the sophomore guard tandem of Dee Brown (12.1 points per game) and Deron Williams (13 points per game), the Illini backcourt could pose more problems for the Badgers than in the team’s first meeting, as both Boo Wade and Freddie Owens have visibly lost a step.
Down low, Illinois is anchored by 6-foot-10 sophomore James Augustine, who averages 10.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Earning his seventh double-double of the season against MSU, Augustine was a focal point of the Badgers in their January match-up, which allowed junior Roger Powell to rack up 24 points while posting nine rebounds.
The key for Illinois heading into tonight’s matchup may in fact be junior guard Luther Head. Although Head scored just nine points in 25 minutes of playing time against Wisconsin, his hot shooting touch led Illinois over Michigan State. Hitting five shots from behind the arch, Head could be the catalyst to a fifth straight Illini win.
Besides the 20-point loss to Wisconsin, the last six games have displayed the most tenacious Illinois defense this season. Against Penn State on Jan. 21, the Illini held the Nittany Lions to an Assembly Hall record 21 percent shooting. In the games after they played at Wisconsin, Illinois held Michigan to just 35.3 percent shooting and held Indiana to just 31.23 percent and did not allow a field goal over the final 9:53 of the game. The Illini defense put together impressive stops against Minnesota and Michigan State as well, holding the Gophers to just one field goal over 11:38 of playing time and MSU to no field goals over a span of 8:20.
The Illinois defense may, however, face its toughest task in recent weeks as Wisconsin arrives in Champaign. Prior to the teams’ first meeting of the season, the Badgers’ Devin Harris averaged 16 points per game. Since his 30-point outburst against the Illini, Harris has averaged 27 points per game and has strung together two more 30-plus games, including a career-high 38 against Minnesota.
“He’s done it within the offense,” coach Ryan said of Harris’ increased output. “You get to the free-throw line for a reason. As a point guard, he’s taking care of the ball, he’s taking care of business, he’s taking care of his teammates.”
Few prognosticators predicted that Illinois would beat Michigan State by 24 points and many more would be surprised if they did the same to Wisconsin. With a definite Illini home court advantage, tonight’s match-up between UW and Illinois could be one team’s launching pad to a Big Ten title run.
