The Illinois Fighting Illini carry a four-game
win streak into tonight's Big Ten Conference battle with the 11th-ranked
Wisconsin Badgers, who are tough to beat in Madison.
Illinois has quietly gotten itself into position to contend for the Big Ten
title with its recent winning streak, as the club is 8-3 in league play. The
Illini, who are 16-8 overall, knocked off Michigan State on Saturday by a
78-73 final, avenging a five-point loss to the Spartans last month. All but
one of the club's eight losses this season have come by 10 or fewer points,
proof that Illinois has been competitive even in defeat.
Like Illinois, Wisconsin is 8-3 in conference action thanks to wins in four of
its last five contests. The Badgers defeated Michigan on Saturday by a 62-44
final to move to 18-5 overall, and they carry a 13-0 home record into this
evening's affair.
Illinois owns a 107-74 series advantage over Wisconsin, but the Badgers have
won six of the last seven meetings.
The Illini have achieved strong offensive balance thanks to the contributions
of four double-digit scorers. Demetri McCamey leads the way with 15.4 ppg, and
he has dished out 153 assists against 76 turnovers. Mike Tisdale provides 11.7
ppg on 57.6 percent shooting, and D.J. Richardson provides 11.2 ppg. As for
Mike Davis, he rounds out the foursome with 10.7 ppg and 8.5 rpg. Illinois is
posting 74.2 ppg through 24 games, while opponents are netting 67.0 ppg
against the team. McCamey shot 6-of-9 from three-point range and finished with
22 points against Michigan State last time out, and Richardson added 14
points. The Illini shot 52.5 percent from the field and committed only 10
turnovers, eight fewer than the Spartans. Those positives enabled the Illini
to overcome a 34-24 rebounding deficit.
Trevon Hughes is netting 15.5 ppg this season for Wisconsin, which is scoring
67.8 ppg while limiting opponents to 56.2 ppg on 41.0 percent field goal
efficiency. Jason Bohannon checks in with 11.1 ppg, and Jordan Taylor adds
10.0 ppg. Against Michigan over the weekend, Wisconsin connected on 53.7
percent of its field goal attempts, including a 11-of-21 effort from three-
point range. The Badgers also earned a 29-19 rebounding advantage and played
tremendous team defense in the second half. Bohannon tallied 18 points in that
contest, and he handed out five assists. Hughes pitched in 14 points, and
Jordan Taylor finished with 13.
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