CHICAGO — With less than a minute left in overtime, a swarm of Orange players poured out of the United Center and erupted into a thunderous chant of “Go Badgers.” Illinois suffered its most obvious disaster, losing to Wisconsin 91-88.
Blowing leads has been a theme of Illinois’ season since February. That trait debuted at Illinois on the Birch and Pine courses of the Big Ten Tournament, one of the biggest stages.
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To make matters worse, the Illini are now 0-4 in overtime.
Now, Illinois will have to find out over the weekend and will be forced to switch to the NCAA Tournament.
Badger’s barrage
Despite leading by 15 points in the second half, the Badgers seized a thrilling comeback opportunity. They put together a series of moments where suddenly – euphoria – all they need is a big run.
The moment came, and Illinois fans inside the United Center held their breath. Keaton Wagler lost a possession and threw him to the ground, pinning his right leg. Boyd caught the ball and made an easy layup, cutting Illinois’ second-half lead by six points and the Wisconsin Badgers went on a 9-0 run.
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From there, the real March drama ensued.
Boyd gave the Badgers their first lead since early in the first half with back-to-back 3-pointers and a foul call.
Last month, Wisconsin walked into State Farm Center on Jake Davis Wig Night and handed Illinois its second straight overtime loss.
Wisconsin has a perfect opportunity to shock again.
On that cold February night in Champaign, guards Andrei Stojakovic and Kylan Powell were on the sidelines, forced into a limited six-man rotation. But on a windy spring day in Chicago, the Illini walked into the United Center armed and confident.
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Nick Boyd and John Blackwell, Illini Killers
He can’t help but cheer on the Chicago crowd any chance he gets.
Although a technical foul was awarded shortly after the game started. Boyd was outstanding for Illinois, scoring 36 points and dishing out six assists.
The last time Boyd faced the Illini, he went against a team without its best outside linebacker and scored 25 points in overtime to lead the Badgers to a thrilling victory.
Boyd is Illinois’ primary opponent.
John Backwell, Batman’s Robin, finished the night with 31 points and 6 rebounds. In the last game, he scored 26 points in a thrilling overtime win over the Illini.
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The beginning of the collapse
Kylan Boswell’s postseason shock was palpable, getting dynamic on Illinois’ first defensive possession. He almost emphasized it so much that officials gave him a technical check. But Boswell was efficient enough to earn a technical foul on Wisconsin’s Nick Boyd.
There is no doubt that this quarter-final matchup is on the horizon, no, the chance of a revenge match will be valid.
But as tends to happen in Big Ten games, that energy was later heightened by questionable officiating.
Despite the juice spilling, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood had to deal with Boswell being charged with two fouls in the first 90 seconds of the game.
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Underwood’s remedy?
Andrej Stojakovic was outstanding in the final moments of a thrilling game. He concentrated and kissed the glass for a layup to take a two-point lead with 62 seconds left.
Stojakovic had a somewhat tumultuous regular season, but he quickly and comfortably settled into his role as an outside linebacker for Illinois. Stojakovic played 32 minutes and had 17 points and 7 rebounds.
But it wasn’t until early in the second half that the Illini felt like everything was falling into place. At least in the third quarter, Boswell’s service is a luxury, not a necessity. Despite some early mistakes, Keaton Wagler was back to his normal self. The bench comes to life.
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Wagler scored 19 points, 1 rebound and 4 assists that night.
The bench collectively outscored the Badgers’ bench 26-5.
What to do next?
Illinois will face Michigan State in Saturday’s tournament semifinals.
After making a name for themselves in the Big Ten Tournament, Illinois will stick to its do-or-die mentality in the biggest tournament.
