Wisconsin vs Illinois: 2020-21 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Joey Loose
Wisconsin and Illinois meet in an important Big Ten showdown; which teams gets the huge boost from this big win?
TV schedule: Saturday, February 6, 2:30 pm ET.
Arena: State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois
No game in the Big Ten is a breeze, and Wisconsin (14-5) has seen that first hand over the course of the season. Ranked as high as #4 this season, they recently suffered a rough loss on the road at Penn State, only to avenge it with a victory three days later. They’ll need to use that momentum moving forward, as the schedule gets no easier.
The Badgers have had a balanced scoring attack, though senior guard D’Mitrik Trice (13.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.9 apg) has been the offensive leader, scoring a season-high 29 points back when the Badgers won in East Lansing a month ago. Freshman guard Jonathan Davis (6.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg) had a career-high 17 points in the Badgers’ most recent win, while a trio of senior forwards, including Micah Potter (12.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Nate Reuvers (9.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg) play an important role on both sides of the ball.
Wisconsin currently sits at 19th in the AP Top 25, 16th in the NET, and 11th on KenPom. Their ranking has slowly been dropping through the season, but this is still a tough team. They rank 7th in the nation in defensive efficiency and you can excuse any team for not stomping through the gauntlet of Big Ten play. The offense hasn’t exactly been elite lately, but the defense has done more than enough, limited opponents to under 60 points in each of their last four wins.
On the other side, Illinois (12-5) is another team with high expectations that has struggled at times this season. They’ve dropped winnable games, including a rough home loss to Maryland last month, but have really bounced back these last few weeks. They are fresh off wins against #7 Iowa and on the road in overtime at Indiana.
For most of the year, the two-headed monster of junior guard Ayo Dosunmu (21.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4.6 apg) and sophomore center Kofi Cockburn (16.8 ppg, 10.2 rpg) has carried the Fighting Illini. The pair are two of the best players in the Big Ten, let alone the entire nation. In that overtime win against the Hoosiers, it was 19 points from senior guard Trent Frazier (10.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg) that got the job done for the Illini. There’s talent behind their studs, with freshman guard Andre Curbelo (8.8 ppg, 4.6 apg) really standing out in his first collegiate season.
Illinois sits at 12th in the AP Top 25, at 5th in the NET, and 7th in KenPom’s rankings. The metrics see a team that is extremely talented and capable, ranked ninth in offensive efficiency. However, this team has struggled with consistency, and sometimes you don’t know which Illinois team you’re going to get.
For the Badgers, they need to find a way to limit Cockburn, as his ability to dominate in the interior will only open up shots for Frazier, Dosunmu, and the other guards. For the Illini, they’ll have to play a consistent 40 minutes, as even in their wins there are some poor stretches of play, especially on the offensive end. Wisconsin has a great defense, and they can’t just depend on Dosunmu to play hero ball to get the job done.
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These teams both really need this win to prove their elite status and to stay near the top of the Big Ten rankings, just behind Michigan. Both these teams have had their fair share of struggles, but there’s certainly more talent on this Illini squad. Potter and Reuvers are both fantastic forwards, but there’s a reason Cockburn is one of the best big men in college basketball. The home team survives, but this should be yet another instant classic in Big Ten play.