The Wisconsin Badgers played their second overtime game in three days and found themselves on the other side of the result, beating the No. 8 Illinois Fighting Illini 92-90. It’s a huge victory for the Badgers, who secured their second Quad 1 victory on the season and earned their second top-10 win on the road.
Illinois
3 quick takeaways from Wisconsin’s overtime thriller win over Illinois: What A Game
These types of games have become a theme under Greg Gard, as the Badgers got their second marquee win of the season following their 91-88 win over Michigan back in January. With the win, the Badgers improved to 17-7 on the season and 9-4 in conference play. They now have wins over the top two teams in the Big Ten.
Here are three quick takeaways from the Badgers 92-90 win over Illinois on Tuesday evening.
To win this game, Wisconsin was going to have to hit threes at near or above a 40 percent rate. That’s just the way they needed to do things, given how good Illinois’s interior presence was and the way the Badgers play basketball.
Well, the Badgers hit a whopping 16 threes and shot 44.4 percent from deep and still only won by two. That tells you the difficulty of the matchup, but also the impressiveness and resolve Wisconsin had from deep. The Badgers started this game strong, which is exactly what they needed, hitting four straight three-pointers to take an early 18-10 lead.
They hit seven threes in the first half, scoring at a 35 percent clip from deep. Then, they started the second half shooting well and then found their stroke after the long drought, hitting eight more threes in the second half. The Badgers have won big games this year when they’ve hit threes, and Tuesday’s win was one of those.
The Badgers don’t win this game without John Blackwell’s mentality. Wisconsin had a huge scoring drought of 5:13 in the second half and scored only one point over a 7:07 stretch where Illinois went on a 14-1 run to take a nine-point lead.
If the Badgers were going to find their way back, it was going to have to be one of their star players taking over. And that’s what John Blackwell did. Yes, he shot 9 of 22 from the field and missed some shots at the rim, but it was the mentality that really started things for the Badgers.
Wisconsin was really struggling to get shots at the rim against Illinois’s rim protectors, and their attacking efforts weren’t there as much during the cold stretch. But Blackwell was relentless and kept looking to find his way to the rim, either going up with the shot or kicking out for teammates. And like that, the comeback started.
Blackwell started things with a pair of threes before the cold stretch, but then looked to attack and kick, with Nick Boyd and Austin Rapp hitting a number of threes off the catch. With the Badgers down seven with under seven minutes to go, Blackwell’s attacking finally started to pay off, as he got a pair of layups. Then, he got a defensive steal, which parlayed into an assist for an Austin Rapp three to tie the game with 2:19.
Then, in arguably the most important possession of regulation for Wisconsin with under a minute left, Blackwell attacked hard again and drew two, kicking out for a Rapp three to give Wisconsin an 81-80 lead. Then, in overtime, Blackwell hit another three and the final free throws to finish with 24 points and four assists.
But it wasn’t just those moments. Blackwell’s mentality started to resonate with the team, which had a stellar second half defensively forcing turnovers. Additionally, Nick Boyd, who really struggled to start the game, started to see his layups go down, which were crucial for the Badgers.
The Badgers don’t pull this incredible win off without Blackwell.
This Badgers team just doesn’t give up.
Wisconsin started this one strong, which was crucial, as they were hitting their shots and staying out ahead of the Illini. They did go through some lulls offensively as Illinois started to get ahead, having a two and four-minute scoreless stretch in the period, but still went into halftime down only six.
The Badgers also responded really well out of the gate in the second half, which was just as crucial as their opening start. They started the period with an 8-0 run, with good defense turning into a pair of triples on the other side, and led 51-49 after the first two and a half minutes.
From there, though, things got rough as Wisconsin scored just one point over the next seven minutes, which allowed Illinois to flip the script and take an 11-point lead with 11:40 left in the game. But this Badgers team has shown several times this season that they can engineer a double-digit second-half comeback.
In six of their last nine games, they’ve done so, winning five of those, with the exception being Saturday’s overtime loss to Indiana. That was the case again on Tuesday, as the Badgers found their form again and slowly started to chip away at the lead against a team that you don’t want to be trailing by double digits against.
Still, after some back-and-forth action, the Badgers trailed by 10 with seven minutes left, but found success as John Blackwell started to take over, while Austin Rapp started hitting some pick-and-pop threes. But it was the defensive end where Wisconsin really impressed.
Illinois was still shooting the ball at a high rate, but Wisconsin forced eight turnovers in the second half, which allowed them to mount the comeback and take a lead late in regulation before the game went to overtime. Then, in the final five minutes, the Badgers found a way to steal the game by getting ahead early once again.
Playing deep minutes with two overtime games in three days, the Badgers showed great resilience and just found a way once again.
Illinois
More César Chavez murals, memorials taken down as Illinois Senate honors Dolores Huerta
Murals and memorials of César Chavez are continuing to come down across Chicago after allegations emerged last week that the Latino civil rights activist groomed and sexually assaulted girls and women.
The allegations were revealed in a New York Times investigation published March 18.
Some artworks are being repainted with murals of Dolores Huerta, the longtime ally of Chavez in the labor rights movement. Huerta, 95, told the New York Times that Chavez had sexually assaulted her.
The Illinois Senate adopted a resolution Wednesday honoring Huerta and declaring April 10 as “Dolores Huerta Day” in Illinois.
“In recent months, Dolores Huerta has shown profound resilience and courage in sharing her own experience of harm, doing so in order to uplift the stories of countless women whose voices were overlooked or silenced,” the resolution states.
One of the resolution’s sponsors, State Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago, said she is also working on a plan to rescind César Chavez Day, which is next week on March 31st.
At Cafe Tola in Lake View, a Chavez mural outside the restaurant’s building was replaced this week with a painting of Huerta, who coined the phrase, “Sí, se puede,” which loosely translates to, “Yes, we can.”
“We are deeply saddened by this news, yet we stand in unwavering support and admiration for Dolores Huerta and every woman who has found the courage to come forward,” Cafe Tola said in a social media post. “This moment is powerful — proof that truth cannot be silenced and that it is never too late to reclaim your voice. We honor that strength.”
A plaque dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the death of César Chavez, honoring him and Sister Dolores Huerta, before it was taped over at the Haymarket Memorial in the West Loop.
In the West Loop, a plaque honoring Chavez’s labor rights movement has been covered with black tape at the Haymarket Memorial. According to the Chicago Federation of Labor, the organization is planning to fully remove it.
“We will be discussing with all our partners on how to best honor both the survivors of Cesar Chavez’s horrific abuse and the workers that were betrayed by Chavez,” a spokesperson for the Chicago Federation of Labor said in a statement.
Black tape covers up a plaque (left) that commemorates the 30th anniversary of César Chavez’s death on the base of the Haymarket Memorial in the West Loop, Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Last week, Bob Reiter, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, said the allegations that Chavez sexually assaulted children, women, workers and labor organizers “is a betrayal to our movement.”
Chavez, who died in 1993, has long been revered in Chicago’s Latino community. In addition to numerous murals of him across the city, a public elementary school in Back of the Yards and a post office in Pilsen are both named after him.
The school, César E. Chavez Multicultural Academic Center, has initiated the process that could lead to a new name. It is receiving community feedback about a possible new name, according to Chicago Public Schools officials. Any recommendation would need approval from the Local School Council and the school board.
Another school in Pilsen, Peter Cooper Dual Language Academy, has a mosaic of Chavez and Huerta side by side. It’s unclear if the school plans to remove the mosaic of Chavez.
The Sun-Times was the first to report that Chavez’s face had been painted over last week on the “Libertad” mural across a long wall at Barrett Park in Pilsen.
A splotch of green paint initially covered the portion where Chavez was depicted, but Park District officials have since painted over that with a continuation of the mural’s background design, a Park District spokesperson said.
Other historical figures on the mural, including Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. remain visible on the wall.
Paint covers Cesar Chavez’s face on a mural depicting civil rights figures that can be seen an exterior wall of Barrett Park in the Pilsen neighborhood, Friday, March 20, 2026.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Time
“The Chicago Park District takes recent allegations of misconduct by Cesar Chavez seriously … and are conducting a district-wide review of any other park features that may honor him,” a Park District spokesperson said previously. “Where appropriate, we will take further action consistent with our values and standards.”
The Park District has not identified any other murals or memorials of Chavez on any of its properties, the spokesperson said Wednesday.
Contributing: Isabela Nieto
Illinois
‘Urgent warning:’ DMV scam texts appear more official than before, Giannoulias says
Did you get a strange text claiming to be from the Illinois DMV, demanding money? It’s a trick, the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office says, with Alexi Giannoulias issuing an “urgent warning” about a new wave of threatening scam texts going out.
The unsolicited texts, which falsely claim to be from the Illinois Secretary of State or DMV, prompted the office to issue several messages about it this week, saying “scammers have recently escalated their tactics” with texts that look even more official with fake fines and regulations, deadlines or penalty dates.
“Many of the texts cite an upcoming enforcement date and list severe consequences to pressure recipients into acting quickly,” a press release from Giannoulias’ office said Tuesday. “These schemes are designed to create panic and trick individuals into surrendering money or personal information.”
Suburban police departments and even Chicago officials have also warned of the scam.
In a March 20 message posted to Facebook, the Oswego Police Department shared a photo of what one scam text may look like, saying “it includes a photo of what appears to be an official notice for a traffic violation hearing.”
“The document may look legit at first glance, even listing Illinois statutes, but there are some clear red flags,” the department said.
Below is a photo the department shared of what some of the texts may look like or contain:
The Illinois Secretary of State’s office says it will never send a text message demanding payment or threatening to suspend a license. The only time the office will send a text, Giannoulias said, is to remind someone of a scheduled DMV appointment.
“If you receive a message like this, remember it’s a scam – plain and simple. Do not click the link and please report the message to scamalert@ilsos.gov,” the release said.
Wednesday at 2 p.m., Giannoulias will hold a news conference about the scam, saying “don’t click it’s a trick.” Giannoulias is expected to break down how it works, and what to watch out for.
If you do receive a text, here’s what the Secretary of State’s office recommends:
-NEVER to click a link
-Do not reply
-Do not provide personal information
-Forward the message to the SOS’ scam alert email
Illinois
Lottery-winning ticket worth $5.6 million sold in downstate Illinois
One lucky Illinois Lottery player is a whole lot richer after they captured the jackpot in Monday’s Lotto drawing.
According to the Illinois Lottery, the ticket captured a jackpot worth $5.6 million in the Monday draw of the Lotto game, and the winner has not yet come forward.
Officials say the ticket was sold at Royals Liquor, located in Belleville, located just southeast of St. Louis.
“I got a call early this morning from a customer saying we sold the winning jackpot ticket,” said Bhavik Patel, co-owner of the store. “At first, I thought it was a prank—it can be hard to believe something like that over the phone. I checked the Lottery’s website and was shocked to see our store listed as the retailer that sold the winning ticket.”
The store will receive a 1% bonus from the sale of the winning ticket, which was the second-largest awarded in the Lotto game this year.
The winning ticket matched numbers 5-18-27-33-40-49 in the drawing, according to officials.
Lotto is drawn on Monday, Thursday and Saturday, and is an Illinois-only game. Tickets can be purchased at participating retailers or via the Lottery’s website and mobile app.
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