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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Wisconsin’s Una Vajagic is ‘most underrated player in the whole NCAA’
Wisconsin setter Charlie Fuerbringer went out of her way after the Badgers’ win to say that Una Vajagic is the ‘most underrated player in the NCAA.’
AUSTIN, Texas – Wisconsin volleyball will be spending two more days in Austin.
The Badgers ensured that with a four-set win over Stanford on Dec. 12 in the NCAA tournament regional semifinals. It was the eighth consecutive win in the regional semifinals for Kelly Sheffield’s group and its first-ever win over Stanford in program history.
Here’s what to know about Wisconsin’s next match:
Wisconsin’s next match will be against top-seeded Texas in the NCAA tournament regional finals, with the winner advancing to the Final Four.
The Wisconsin-Texas match will be on Sunday, Dec. 14. A time has not yet been announced, but it will either be at 2 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. CT.
Nearly all artificial Christmas trees in the world today are made in China. And with that comes an up to 30 percent tariff rate on imported Christmas products — including artificial trees.
Kris Reisdorf is co-president of the Racine- and Sturtevant-based home and garden store Milaeger’s. On WPR’s “Wisconsin Today,” Reisdorf said tariffs are affecting their prices on artificial trees, but she’s mitigating most of the rate hike through negotiations with manufacturers and by taking on lower profit margins herself.
“We are doing our fair share in making Christmas affordable,” Reisdorf said. “When the average person is thinking 30 percent (tariffs), that’s not by any means what they’re really paying.”
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Milaeger’s “almost real” trees range from under $100 to well over $3,000. Reisdorff said she’s raised prices for all artificial trees by only around $20 compared to last year.
Residorf said tree sales are largely stable despite the uptick in tariff pricing.
An ABC News/Washington Post poll last year found that 58 percent of Americans were buying artificial trees instead of real ones. That’s up from 40 percent in 2010.
Greg Hann owns Hann’s Christmas Farm in Oregon. Hann also sits on the Wisconsin Christmas Tree Producers Association Board and is president-elect of the National Christmas Tree Association.
Hann told “Wisconsin Today” the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 created a surge in business for real evergreen trees and that demand has been holding relatively steady ever since. That said, Hann acknowledged real Christmas tree sales are up for him and fellow growers this year. He attributed the increase in sales to the tariffs and the fact that farmers’ supplies are finally catching up to the higher demand brought on by COVID-19. Nearly all real trees come from the United States or Canada, according to Hann.
Hann said a recent survey by the National Christmas Tree Association found 84 percent of Christmas tree growers nationwide have kept prices the same over the last two years, and that includes his own farm. Being grown locally in Wisconsin, Hann said his business is largely unaffected by tariffs.
“It’s kind of nice to have a good supply with a stable price in this economy,” he said.
Reisdorf said that some artificial tree manufacturers are moving operations outside of China to places like Cambodia. But most other countries in the east are also facing tariff threats.
Instead, Reisdorf said artificial tree importers are lobbying President Donald Trump to lower his 30 percent tariffs on Christmas products like trees and ornaments, because those kinds of goods aren’t coming back to be made in the U.S.
Meanwhile, Hann said his organization is lobbying to have tariffs on artificial trees increased to 300 percent. He said the added tariff costs help create an “even playing field” between real and artificial trees, since farmers have to pay farm staff and cover fertilizer costs.
But it isn’t always about the cost. Reisdorf said artificial trees have the benefit of lasting “forever,” essentially.
Hann said many of his customers come to the farm looking to keep up the Christmas tradition of picking out their own family tree.
“They’re looking for that fragrance of a real tree,” he said. “They want to start that tradition of the family together. They pick the tree, they take it into their house.”
In a bit of a surprise, Wisconsin Badgers starting center Jake Renfro is using a medical hardship year and entering the transfer portal for his final season of eligibility.
Renfro, a sixth-year senior in 2024, battled numerous injuries this season, limiting him to only four games after having season-ending surgery. He was a full-time starter for Wisconsin in 2024 after missing the entire 2023 season except for the team’s bowl game due to injury.
Prior to his time at Wisconsin, Renfro had played for head coach Luke Fickell at Cincinnati for three seasons. He played in seven games as a freshman in 2020, making six starts at center. He then was the full-time starter as a sophomore in 2021, earning All-AAC honors before missing the entire 2022 season due to injury.
Now, he’s set to come back to college football for a seventh year, rather than turn pro, and will look to do so at another school.
“I want to thank Coach Fickell, the entire coaching and training staff, my teammates, and the University of Wisconsin for everything over the past three seasons,” Renfro wrote. “I am grateful for the support, development, friendships, and memories I have made during my time in Madison. After much prayer and consideration, I have decided to enter the transfer portal and use a medical hardship year to continue my college football journey. I will always appreciate my time as a Badger.”
Renfro was one of the biggest supporters of Fickell publicly, being a vocal leader on the team as the starting center.
With his departure, Wisconsin could need a new starting left tackle, left guard, and center next season, depending on whether Joe Brunner heads to the NFL or returns for another season.
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