MINNEAPOLIS â Wisconsin played Illinois neck-and-neck, but ultimately didn’t have enough firepower to close out the second half. The Badgers stood their ground in a shootout, but Illinois’ offense proved too much for Wisconsin to handle for a second time this season.
Here are my takeaways from the Target Center:
Wisconsin was right there with the Illini. The two teams traded blows into the late afternoon. Runs were answered by both squads; momentum swung both ways. But when it mattered the most, the Badgers faltered and Illinois held serve.
Down the stretch, Wisconsin hit just one of its final seven shots. Some of those were desperation shots with time winding down and Illinois up multiple possessions, but the Badgers didn’t have the same late-game magic they did against Purdue. In the closing minutes, you could feel the Illini running away with the game.
“Just come up with a couple more loose balls and rebounds today, one less turnover, two less turnovers and we’re in a good position,’ head coach Greg Gard said.
The margin for error was already incredibly slim against a team like Illinois, who can seemingly score at will. Thus, it’s no surprise that several guffaws cost Wisconsin severely.
Forward Tyler Wahl fouled out with 3:23 on the game clock after what at least appeared to be a clean block. The Badgers were forced to turn to Carter Gilmore in his stead. Gilmore started the game hot, scoring seven points in his first five minutes. Needless to say, Wisconsin missed Wahl’s veteran presence down the stretch.
After Terrence Shannon hit a go-ahead three with about 90 seconds to play, Wisconsin desperately needed to answer. AJ Storr flew down the court, but lost his dribble and turned it over,. Shannon ran the floor, got fouled and hit two crucial free throws. The late-game moxie simply wasn’t there.
Illinois has two of the best scoring guards not only in the conference, but in the nation. Shannon and Marcus Domask poured it on for the Illini; they were brilliant.
Shannon finished with 34 points, while Domask notched 26. Not only did they account for nearly a third of Illinois’ points, they did it with staggering efficiency. Combined, the pair shot 62 percent from the field, 57 percent from deep and 89 percent from the free throw line. That’s borderline unfair.
“Man, Illinois scores the ball at a high level. It’s hard to stop those guys,” Max Klesmit said.
Shannon is deadly off the dribble, terrifying in transition and an absolute sniper from long range. Domask, meanwhile, has the strength to post up most defenders, from which he has a dizzying array of post moves and fading floaters that reliably fall. They’re quite the handful, and arguably a tougher guard than any duo in the entire nation when they’re both clicking.
“He’s a tough guard, he’s a big guard,” said Klesmit, who was matched up with Domask for much of the afternoon. “He’s good with both hands, I was just trying to pick him up in the full court, make his life a little more difficult. Thought I did a decent job early on, but getting two fouls kinda hurts…He’s a really good player; you’re not gonna stop him. Just slow him down.”
“He’s good, he’s really explosive, he’s downhill and at ya,” Wahl said of Shannon. “Shot a lot of free throws today.”
Wisconsin handled Illinois’ other players well, but sometimes there’s little to be done against an offensive juggernaut like the Illini. There’s no shame in this performance for Wisconsin, but a failure to limit Shannon and Domask is undoubtably a major reason the Badgers dropped the title game.
There’s no moral victories; the Badgers were playing for a championship. And judging from how intense this game was, they wanted it badly. But even with the loss, a 3-1 showing in the conference tournament after a catastrophic collapse to close out the regular season is an extremely encouraging sign as Wisconsin turns its focus to March Madness.
“I’m so proud of these two guys to my right (Storr and Chucky Hepburn) and the other 15 guys in that locker room. We’re leaving here today a much better team than when we came in on Wednesday and started this tournament on Thursday,” Gard said. “We got to the game we wanted to get to, and we weren’t able to completely get across the finish line, but it doesn’t diminish the pride I have in these guys and how they’ve committed and grown over the last — you know, this whole season, actually.”
The Badgers kicked their competitiveness up a notch in Minneapolis. It resulted in a blowout win over Maryland, a convincing win over Northwestern, a thrilling takedown of Purdue and a razor-thin loss to Illinois. It’s hard to come away from those four results without thinking net positive.
“Like I said, you want to be playing your best basketball in March, and we are. Looking forward to these guys getting more opportunities to go show how good they are,” Gard added.
Of course, there’s no longer any time to falter. Wisconsin is back in the big dance after a one-year hiatus, still with plenty to prove. Wisconsin hasn’t made it to the second weekend of March Madness since the 2016-2017 season, and the Badgers drew a rather daunting first-round opponent in 31-3 James Madison. The Big Ten tournament allowed the Badgers to get their swagger back. They once again look capable of making a deep run in the NCAAs. Can they finally get back to the Sweet 16?
60 – Shannon and Domask combined to drop 60 points on Wisconsin.
35 – Each team shot the three at a 35 percent clip Sunday afternoon; both went 7-for-20 from deep.
22.5 – Storr averaged 22.5 points in the conference tournament after averaging 16.7 in the regular season.
1.431 – Illinois’ staggering points-per-possession.
10 – Wisconsin’s largest lead Sunday afternoon.
37 – Illinois’ total rebounds, compared to Wisconsin’s 30.
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Manuel Franco claims his $768 million Powerball jackpot
Manuel Franco, 24, of West Allis was revealed Tuesday as the winner of the $768.4 million Powerball jackpot.
Mark Hoffman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Wisconsin Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 25, 2024, results for each game:
05-35-45-60-63, Powerball: 12, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
0-9-4
8-1-4
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
3-2-7-4
0-0-7-7
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Midday: 02-03-04-05-08-10-11-13-15-19-22
Evening: 01-02-03-04-09-11-12-14-17-18-20
Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.
03-06-15-18-25
Check Badger 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
08-17-28-30-32-34, Doubler: N
Check SuperCash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
No, according to the Wisconsin Lottery. Due to the state’s open records laws, the lottery must, upon request, release the name and city of the winner. Other information about the winner is released only with the winner’s consent.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Wisconsin editor. You can send feedback using this form.
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Gas prices are the cheapest they’ve been since the pandemic, just as people prepare to travel for the holidays.
According to AAA Wisconsin, the average gas prices is $2.86 per gallon in the state, a new low since 2020.
”We’ve had so many disruptions in the last four to five years between Covid and then the Ukraine conflict that has sent prices either far down or bringing them to historic highs,” AAA Director of Public Affairs Nick Jarmusz said. “We kind of forget what normal is.”
He said the low cost at the pump is a result of peak summer travel season ending, an even supply and demand for fuel and fewer global crises.
”Right now we’re in a pretty favorable balance between lower demand and pretty plentiful supply and no real disruptions to speak of,” he said.
People can save more money at the pump if they drive the speed limit.
”By sticking closer to the speed limit, avoiding aggressive driving in situations, you can actually increase your fuel efficiency by about 40% or up to 40%,” Jarmusz said. “Which can add up to pretty significant savings.”
If trends continue, he also said prices might drop even more. ”Really, I would not be surprised to see these prices continue to go down,” Jarmusz said. “I don’t think we’ve seen the lowest prices we’ll see this year yet.”
According to AAA the best times to travel before Thanksgiving on Thursday is in the morning hours on Tuesday and Wednesday. Roads will be busiest in the afternoons.
Click here to download the WMTV15 News app or our WMTV15 First Alert weather app.
Copyright 2024 WMTV. All rights reserved.
MADISON – A look at the unofficial two-deep for the Wisconsin football team heading into its game against Minnesota at 11 a.m. Friday at Camp Randall Stadium.
1 – Braedyn Locke, 6-1, 205, redshirt-soph.
2 – Mabrey Mettauer, 6-4, 230, fr.
1 – Tawee Walker, 5-9, 218, sr.
2 – Darrion Dupree, 5-10, 205, fr.
1 – Bryson Green, 6-3, 213, sr.
2 – C.J. Williams, 6-2, 196, jr.
1 – Vinny Anthony II, 6-0, 188, jr.
2 – Quincy Burroughs, 6-2, 212, r-soph.
1 – Will Pauling, 5-10, 187, r-jr.
2 – Trech Kekahuna, 5-10, 187, r-fr.
1 – Riley Nowakowski, 6-1, 243, r-sr.
2 – Tucker Ashcraft, 6-5, 255, soph.
1 – Jack Nelson, 6-7, 316, sr.
2 – Barrett Nelson, 6-6, 302, r-soph.
1 – Joe Brunner, 6-5, 313- r-soph.
2. – James Durand, 6-5, 305, r-fr.
1 – Jake Renfro, 6-3, 302, r-sr.
2. – Kerry Kodanko, 6-2, 308, r-sr.
1 – Joe Huber, 6-5, 310, r-sr.
2 – JP Benzschawel, 6-6, 312, r-jr.
1 – Riley Mahlman, 6-8, 308, r-jr.
2 – Kevin Heywood, 6-8, 325, fr.
1 – Ben Barten, 6-5, 308, r-sr.
2 – Elijah Hills, 6-3, 282, sr.
1 – Curt Neal, 6-0, 290, r-soph.
2 – Cade McDonald, 6-6, 285, r-sr.
1 – Darryl Peterson, 6-1, 248, r-jr.
2 – Aaron Witt, 6-6, 247, r-jr.
1 – Jake Chaney, 5-11, 233, sr.
2 – Tackett Curtis, 6-2, 228, soph.
1 – Christian Alliegro, 6-4, 240, soph.
2 – Jaheim Thomas, 6-4, 245, r-sr.
1 – Leon Lowery, 6-3, 252, r-sr.
2 – Sebastian Cheeks, 6-3, 230, r-soph., or John Pius, 6-4, 250, r-sr.
1 – Ricardo Hallman, 5-10, 185, r-jr.
2 – R.J. Delancy III, 5-11, 193, r-sr., or Jonas Duclona, 5-10, 190, soph.
1 – Hunter Wohler, 6-2, 218, sr.
2 – Owen Arnett, 5-11, 210, r-jr.
1 – Preston Zachman, 6-1, 212, r-sr.
2 – Austin Brown, 6-1, 210, jr.
1 – Nyzier Fourqurean, 6-1, 190, r-sr.
2 – R.J. Delancy, 5-11, 193, r-sr., or Xavier Lucas, 6-2, 198, fr.
1 – Austin Brown, 6-1, 210, jr.
2 – Max Lofy, 5-10, 188, r-sr.
1 – Atticus Bertrams, 6-3, 225, soph.
2 – Gavin Meyers, 6-1, 198, r-sr.
1 – Nathanial Vakos, 6-1, 205, jr.
2 – Gavin Lahm, 6-0, 213, jr.
1 – Gavin Lahm, 6-10, 213, jr.
2 – Nathanial Vakos, 6-1, 205, jr.
1 – Cayson Pfeiffer, 6-0, 205, sr.
2 – Duncan McKinley, 6-2, 222, r-sr.
1 – Gavin Meyers, 6-1, 198, r-sr.
2 – Atticus Bertrams, 6-2, 225, soph.
1 – Vinny Anthony II, 6-0, 188, jr.
2 – Hunter Wohler, 6-2, 218, sr.
1 – Vinny Anthony II, 6-0, 188, jr.
2 – Trech Kekahuna, 5-10, 197, r-fr.
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