Three major keys to Wisconsin basketball ending its losing streak against Illinois

[ad_1]

Illinois has won nine straight games against the Wisconsin Badgers, entering Tuesday night’s matchup at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin’s last win against Illinois came on February 18th, 2019, a 64-58 home triumph led by 18 points from then-sophomore Brad Davison.

The Badgers are currently favored to end that streak. They should still have their work cut out for them, however, as Illinois remains one of the better teams both in the Big Ten and the entire sport.

The Fighting Illini currently sit in seventh in the Big Ten standings. They are looking to return to their top form, with three losses in their last six games. The latest defeat came on Saturday at home to Michigan State. That dropped the team to 17-9 on the season and 9-7 in Big Ten play.

Wisconsin, meanwhile, has won four straight games since the start of the month. That has the team in fourth in the conference standings, just two games behind first-place Michigan. Another string of wins is needed for the Badgers to contend for a conference crown.

With tip-off between the Badgers and Fighting Illini fast approaching, here are three keys to Wisconsin pulling off a much-needed victory:

Force Illinois to make threes

Illinois has struggled from beyond the arc as of late. The Fighting Illini are only shooting 31.1% from three-point range this season, which is their lowest mark in three years. Additionally, Illinois is only shooting 28.8% from outside during Big Ten Conference play, which ranks last of the 18 conference members.

Wisconsin has improved defensively since dropping its first matchup against Illinois on Dec. 10. Entering Tuesday, the Badgers cannot let a player like Kylan Boswell or Tre White get comfortable from beyond the arc.

Limit Illinois’ ability to crash the offensive glass

Illinois killed Wisconsin on the offensive glass during the December matchup between these two teams, grabbing 15 total offensive rebounds. Brad Underwood’s squad ranks second in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage (36.1%). Greg Gard…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/three-major-keys-wisconsin-basketball-103111828.html

Author : Badgers Wire

Publish date : 2025-02-18 10:31:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.