Wisconsin headed back on the road, this time facing the Fighting Illini from Illinois in a rowdy atmosphere. Illinois was healthy for the first time, bringing back Kofi Cockburn and Andre Curbelo. The headline matchup was Johnny Davis versus Kofi Cockburn. Both guys with the chance to be both Big Ten Player of the Year and National Player of the Year. In a battle for the top spot in the Big Ten, Wisconsin could not overcome a horrendous shooting night and lost 80-67. Here’s three things from tonight’s loss.
Shooting Struggles
The Badgers have hovered around the bottom of the Big Ten in terms of 3-point percentage. As of late, Wisconsin has improved in this area but tonight did not reflect that. The first half saw the Badgers go 0-9 from 3. This was highlighted by a wide open transition 3 from Brad Davison at the buzzer came up short. Illinois on the other hand, who has been towards the top of the conference, shot 4-8 from behind the arc.
The second half was not much better for the Badgers. In the first three minutes of the half the Badgers missed four good looks from downtown and couldn’t get any to fall. This became the major story of tonight’s game. Wisconsin shot 3-24 from three in this game and just 38.2% from the field. Illinois shot an impressive 51.6% and I think it’s fair to say Cockburn’s 16-19 helped in that area.
One Badger who did not lay an egg on the offensive end was Lorne Bowman. Bowman was a guy I hoped would provide a spark and some scoring off the bench. He had back-to-back timely buckets that kept Wisconsin afloat in the second half. Bowman finished with 7 points, 3 rebounds, and an assist. All while not committing a turnover and fighting hard on the defensive end. I personally would like to see him continue to get minutes especially when shooting the ball confidently.
Star Matchup
Tonight it was evident why Cockburn is also listed in the conversations of National Player of the Year and All-American. He dominated the Badger bigs inside in the first half. He had 20 points and 7 rebounds in the first 20 minutes. On the other side, Johnny Davis didn’t shoot the ball well but had a near double double with 13 points and 9 rebounds just in the first half.
Johnny’s shooting struggles continued. Davis got to his spots all night but had multiple shots rim in and out. Cockburn on the other hand dominated the whole night, getting whatever he wanted on the offensive end. The only area he struggled at was the free throw line. Kofi finished with a monstrous 37 points, 12 rebounds, and a couple of emphatic dunks, finishing one point shy of his career high. Davis on the other hand didn’t shoot the ball efficiently but still worked himself into a good game. He finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Tonight marked back-to-back games having 15 boards which is his career high.
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Sloppy Play
We knew Wisconsin would struggle to match the strength of Cockburn in the paint which would result in fouls. But, the second half as a whole was so uncharacteristic for a Badgers team. Silly fouls had Illinois in the bonus with over 11 minutes left in the half.
Aside from the foul trouble, Wisconsin was even in the turnover battle. The Badgers are number one in the country when it comes to turnovers averaging just 8.4 per game. Contrarily, Illinois is ranked 206th nationally, averaging 13.3 turnovers per game. Tonight, Wisconsin had 6 and Illinois matched them with 7, one thanks to a sportsmanship shot clock violation to end the game. Wisconsin needed to turn Illinois over or they would have a hard time getting stops.
Bounce Back
Tonight was a tough loss but not a demoralizing one at all. To shoot this poorly and still hang around proves the Badgers can get it done in a multitude of ways. An even slightly below average shooting night for Wisconsin and we might be having a different conversation. Moving on from a loss is important in the Big Ten. If you dwell on a loss they will continue to stack up. Wisconsin faces Penn State at home Saturday and at Michigan State next Tuesday.
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