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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. ? There’s no place like the Kohl Center for the Wisconsin basketball team, but if the Badgers were ever to need a new home, they might think of calling it Assembly Hall.

One week ago, UW went into Bloomington, Ind. and emerged with a last-second win at the Hoosiers’ Assembly Hall.

Thanks to yet another balanced scoring attack Wednesday, with three players scoring 15 or more points, Wisconsin marched into another Assembly Hall ? this time at the University of Illinois ? and came out on the positive end of a 71-57 game.

The win, coupled with Purdue’s loss to Indiana Tuesday, moves Wisconsin back into a tie for first place in the Big Ten standings with the Boilermakers, with matching 12-2 records. Indiana remained a half-game back with an 11-2 mark.

“The Big Ten, this is what it’s about,” UW head coach Bo Ryan said.

Now well into the stretch run of the conference schedule, every game takes on increased importance.

“We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves,” Joe Krabbenhoft said. “Like I’ve said all year, coach Ryan won’t let us, he really won’t.”

Dealing with the task at hand, Wisconsin shined, showcasing the incredibly balanced scoring that has become the calling card of this year’s team.

Point guard Trevon Hughes led the team in scoring with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field, Marcus Landry added 17 and Jason Bohannon pitched in 15 as three Badgers topped the 15-point plateau for the just the second time this season.

The sophomore guard combination of Bohannon and Hughes, along with senior Michael Flowers, took excellent care of the ball, combining for only two turnovers. For the game, Wisconsin turned the ball over just eight times.

“That’s the game right there,” Illinois guard Trent Meacham said. “They had eight (turnovers). That’s really the game. We outrebounded them, but they’re so disciplined and play well together.”

More than just turnovers alone, the guards got the ball to the right players on offense and clamped down on their counterparts. Meacham and Chester Frazier combined for just 16 points and turned the ball over five times.

“I don’t know what the numbers were or anything, but that doesn’t really matter,” Krabbenhoft said. “They were very effective both offensively and defensively.”

Ahead by nine at halftime, Wisconsin opened the second half with a quick 8-3 run to push the lead to 14 at 42-28 with 16:51 remaining. Marcus Landry and Michael Flowers fueled the quick spurt with a pair of 3-point shots.

Flowers’ three came in transition after Demetri McCamey’s shot was stifled by tough interior defense by Brian Butch.

“[Flowers] got the run started in the first half and just kept going with it,” Butch said.

Despite their best efforts ? and an 18-point second half scoring outburst by McCamey ? the Illini were never able to chip away much at the deficit. The Badgers continued to extend the lead, pushing it to as many as 16 points twice.

“They’re I guess like a wishbone team in football,” Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. “You get behind them and it’s tough to ever catch up because they’re going to ball control and just kind of pick you apart.”

Illinois’ comeback chances were certainly not helped by the loss of forward Brian Randle early in the game. Randle suffered a sprain of his right shoulder on what Weber said he thought was a questionable screen early in the first half and did not return. Following the game, Randle’s right arm was in a sling, and Weber thought the injury could put the remainder of the senior’s season in jeopardy.

Illinois eventually did cut the deficit to nine points on a McCamey three just inside of five minutes left, but Landry responded on the ensuing possession with a three of his own to push the lead back into double digits.

The Illini would never get closer than 10 points the rest of the way.

Bohannon paced the Badgers in the first half, scoring 11 points while not missing a shot in three attempts.

With four minutes left in the first half, Krabbenhoft was called for his second foul and had to go to the bench, where he joined fellow starters Flowers and Butch as observers. In his place, little-used freshman Tim Jarmusz was active defensively as a mismatch unit held and extended the Wisconsin lead from eight to nine points at the half.