Illinois upset at home, suffer consecutive overtime losses

Following Illinois' loss to Michigan State in a game where the Illini could not buy a made field goal, Illinois got to come home for the entire week. The first test was against Wisconsin. The Badgers were always going to be nightmare matchup personnel wise. Nick Boyd and John Blackwell make up one of the best backcourt duos in the country, and without Kylan Boswell, it was going to be a tall task. To make matters worse, Andrej Stojakovic was announced as questionable before the game and did not play a single second. Illinois was without their two best perimeter defenders and left to a 6-man rotation, with a 57 second cameo from Brandon Lee. Illinois led by 12 with 8 minutes left but tired legs, missed free throws, and horrible turnovers led to their demise in overtime. Wisconsin picked up their second top 10 road win of the season and left Illinois with some questions to answer.

In the first half, Illinois was playing a dangerous game. They were scoring the ball well, but on the other end could not get a single rebound. Rebounding is supposed to be a part of this team's identity, and for the second straight game, no one could tell that. Wisconsin was able to get 9 offensive rebounds in the first half, and it was the main reason Wisconsin was in the game after 20 minutes.

The second half started with a 8-0 Wisconsin run to take a lead. Illinois quickly regrouped and controled the game for the next 10 minutes. At the 8-minute mark, a Keaton Wagler and-one put Illinois up 12 with 8 minutes left. It felt like Illinois was about to blow the game open and even take a 20-point lead. The Illini let Keaton Wagler catch a breather, but it was a costly mistake. Nick Boyd probably heard the "Boyd You Suck" chants from the Orange Krush, who also played a part in the loss, but I will get into that later. Boyd immediately hit a three and then scored on a live ball turnover. Wisconsin clawed their way back into game effortlessly. It also did not help that Illinois could not convert on free throws. Keaton Wagler had an incredible bounce back game with 34 points and 7 assists. He was the only ball handler all night and unfortunately was needed for all 45 minutes, so he gets a pass. With that said, he missed two crucial free throws late that could have won Illinois the game in regulation. It was back-to-back games with costly mistakes to send the game into overtime. It was not grabbing a rebound on Saturday, and it was not making a free throw last night. Free throw struggles continued in overtime as well. David Mirkovic went 1 for 4 in a game where the Illini lost by 3.

Free throws and rebounding were not the only issue. Turnovers were another huge miss from the Illini. Wisconsin does not make teams the turn the ball over, but Illinois must not have gotten the memo. The 8 second half turnovers were deadly. Free throws, rebounding, and turnovers all lead back to one thing: tired legs. Illinois' 6-man rotation had them fatigued after going to overtime on Saturday as well. These mistakes are at least understandable with an explanation. Illinois needs to get healthy soon before these struggles become a real concern long term.

One thing that was not reasonable was the environment in the State Farm Center. I was not able to be in attendance due to illness, so maybe someone that was actually inside the building could correct me if I'm wrong, but on TV it looked lethargic. It feels if the team on the other side does not have a number next to their name, the State Farm Center turns into a library. It's been an ongoing problem, and it was highlighted once again last night. The only time I could hear the building was when the Orange Krush foolishly chanted "Boyd You Suck" as he proceeded to take over the game late. If they were trying to offer Boyd a personal invitation to points, they succeeded in doing so. Orange Krush discourse is at an all-time high, and I don't necessarily disagree with it. I will say one thing to back them up, however. They were not in control of the renovations to the building that also played a part in the downfall of a once electric environment. I'll leave the crowd discourse at this: it's sad to see a once feared upon building to play in become closer and closer to the Bryce Joran Center and Value City Arena in terms of energy. A change is needed.

What This Means:

Illinois falls to 20-5 overall, and 11-3 in Big Ten play.

Illinois' chances for a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament are gone. Even if they were to win out, they would still need plenty of help. This is not the end of the world because remaining on the 2/3 line is still expected and a reasonable expectation. I will only start to panic if they begin flirting with the dreaded 4 seed line.

This one will be hard to forget in the Big Ten Title race picture. To get a share of the conference title, I think Illinois would need to go 17-3, which means they must win out. With Michigan at 12-1 and looks like no one is going to beat them anytime soon, it's hard to expect anyone to catch back up with them. Michigan does not have an easy schedule to close the season, and with matchup in the State Farm Center still looming, I will not say there is a 0% chance of winning the title. I just don't think it would be wise to expect one at this point.

Illinois needs Kylan and Andrej back. It's pretty simple. Hopefully Illinois able to get them back as soon as possible to build some momentum and begin peaking at the right time.

I am also calling Indiana a must win game now.