Illinois will look to taste sweet revenge over Wisconsin in Madison

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois loves to play the villain. But against the Wisconsin Badgers, the Illini will be out for blood.

The Illini suffered two heartbreaking losses to the Badgers in overtime last season, one at home and one in the Big Ten Tournament.

“Sometimes I think when we make shots, we get casual on the other end and we think it’s just easy. I had that feeling today.”

This time around, after reflecting on those losses for some time, Underwood will do all he can to stop Wisconsin from stealing its third straight win over Illinois at the Kohl Center Jan. 2.

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The Illini boasted a surprising 8-2 record away from home last season, and on top of that, the Badgers lost two of their game-changers: guards Nick Boyd and John Blackwell. Across both overtime losses last year, the two combined for 118 points.

Mar 13, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard Nick Boyd (2) reacts during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Greg Gard’s Badgers retained a few key playmakers in Austin Rapp and Nolan Winter, but it likely won’t be enough to compete with the Ivisic twins, Stojakovic, Mirkovic and Jake Davis—who will be full of motivation after they failed last time out—and the additions of soon-to-be Illinois stars Quentin Coleman and Stefan Vaaks.

The Badgers traveled to State Farm Center on Feb. 10, 2025, to face an Illinois team coming off an overtime loss in East Lansing to the Michigan State Spartans. The loss to the Spartans had snapped the Illini’s 12-game winning streak, which marked the longest streak of the Brad Underwood era.

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After leading Wisconsin by 12 with eight minutes to go, Illinois collapsed late in the second half, turning the ball over to the Badgers eight times and missing seven free throws. Wisconsin guards John Blackwell and Nick Boyd torched the Illini defense and combined for 49 points, which was enough to eventually steal the 92-90 win in overtime and…

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Publish date : 2026-09-29 16:50:00

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