The Wisconsin Badgers pulled off yet another stunner on Tuesday night.
Playing in enemy territory against a formidable opponent in the form of the No. 8 Illinois Fighting Illini, Wisconsin basketball appeared to be circling down the drain when it found itself trailing by 12 points in the second half. However, the Badgers refused to go out without a fight, as they forced overtime and pulled off a 92-90 win.
There may not be someone prouder of the way the Badgers pulled off that victory than Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard, who made something clear about his team following the game.
Via Benjamin Worgull of Sports Illustrated
Greg Gard on postgame radio: “We played our hearts out tonight.” “We’re better than our record, and we’re starting to show it.”
The Wisconsin Badgers never surrendered amid big deficit against the Fighting Illini
John Blackwell and Nick Boyd teamed up to carry most of the load for the Badgers. Boyd paced Wisconsin with 25 points, while Blackwell put up 24 points.
They combined for 33 points after halftime, as the Badgers silenced the crowd at State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. Their defense clearly rattled the Fighting Illini, as Illinois turned the ball over 13 times, which were converted into 23 points by Wisconsin.
It was a gutsy win for Wisconsin, which collected yet another huge Quadrant 1 victory and improved to 17-7 overall and 9-4 in Big Ten play.
The victory was also an incredible response by Wisconsin to its heartbreaking 78-77 loss to the Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington last Saturday.
Up next for the Badgers is a game back home at Kohl Center in Madison versus the No. 10 Michigan State Spartans of Tom Izzo.
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