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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How historic NCAA pay settlement will affect college sports
A federal judge approved the terms of a $2.8 billion settlement that will see schools be permitted to pay college athletes through licensing deals.
unbranded – Sport
Let me put my bias, or experience up front. I was a student athlete at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and was fortunate to have one of my sons graduate as a far better student athlete.
I am writing in support of Assembly Bill 1034, which modernizes Wisconsin law to reflect the realities of today’s college athletic landscape, not because of those past “glory days,” but because college athletics has changed more in the past three years than in the previous three decades.
New national rules now see universities sharing millions of dollars annually with student-athletes through revenue sharing and name, image, and likeness (NIL) opportunities. Other states have responded quickly, updating their laws to ensure they can compete in this new environment.
The State Assembly, with overwhelming bipartisan support, passed AB 1034, now it’s up to the Wisconsin State Senate to pass this legislation and send it quickly to Gov. Tony Evers to ensure Wisconsin doesn’t fall behind.
AB 1034 provides clarity around NIL policies, offers limited financial flexibility tied to existing athletic facility obligations, and ensures that Wisconsin Athletics can compete on equal footing with peer institutions across the country. In a measured way, the bill would relieve UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee, and UW-Green Bay of $15 million of debt related to athletic facilities with the expressed purpose that those dollars would instead be used to invest in athletic programs.
This legislation is critical for two inter-connected reasons, competition and economic impact.
At a recent capitol hearing, UW-Madison Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh explained that 80 percent of the entire athletic department budget is generated by the football program. That revenue underwrites the competitive commitment to the other 11 men’s and 12 women’s varsity teams, supporting some 600 student athletes.
The capacity for this to continue is threatened by $20 million in new annual name and likeness costs that impact all NCAA schools. An expense that will continue to rise. In addition, peer institutions in the Big Ten and across the country are committing substantial additional resources to these NIL efforts. In short, without this debt support, the university and its athletes will not only lose an even playing field, they may lose the ability to get on the field.
This threat from the changing nature of NCAA athletics also poses a threat to the economic impact from college athletics. A recent study found that nearly 2 million visitors came to campus events annually, generating more than $750M in statewide economic impact from Wisconsin athletics. Case in point, each home football game produces a $19M economic impact, with 5,600 jobs in the state tied directly or indirectly to the department’s activities.
This bipartisan legislation is not about propping up a single sport. It’s about protecting broad based opportunities for all our student-athletes, some of whom we just watched win a gold medal for the U.S. women’s’ hockey team.
Athletics are often noted as the front door to the university, but I would broaden that opening to the State of Wisconsin. Our public university system success strengthens enrollment, attracts the talent that drives our prosperity, and serves as a sustaining way forward for our economy.
As the former head of one of our state’s largest business groups, I have spent much of my career engaged in economic development. I know what generates “return on investment.” AB 1034 provides a measured and responsible investment that will generate a positive impact for Wisconsin taxpayers, citizens, and employers.
NCAA athletics has changed, and Wisconsin must change with it, or sit on the sidelines. So let’s encourage the Wisconsin State Senate to pass AB 1034 and put Wisconsin in position to compete on the field which provides a win for our student athletes and all of us who benefit from a world class university system.
Tim Sheehy is a UW-Madison graduate and former student athlete. Sheehy served as the president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce for more than 30 years where he oversaw economic development and business attraction for the region.
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) – The United States launched airstrikes in Iran on Wednesday, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and prompting fast reactions from across northeast Wisconsin.
In Appleton, over a dozen of protesters came together at Houdini Plaza, protesting the strikes and calling for peace, and in Green Bay, protesters lined the streets with signs condemning the strikes.
One protester we spoke with said the strikes were not about the nuclear protest, but for a regime change.
“All I could think of is WMDs that got us the last war in the Middle East, and it was just a lot of bunk, and the other thing is he said is he’s trying to overthrow the current regime,” said John Cuff of Appleton.
Area lawmakers are also reacting to the attacks in Iran.
Senator Tammy Baldwin released a statement following President Trump’s announcement of the strikes, saying: “My whole career, I have been steadfast in the belief that doing the hard work of diplomacy is the answer, not war. I believed that when I voted against a war in Iraq and I believe it today. Iran poses a real threat and one we need to take head on, but getting into another endless war is not the answer.
“President Trump illegally bombed Iran, totally disregarding the Constitution, putting American troops in harm’s way, and starting another war in the Middle East with no end in sight. The Constitution is clear: if the President wants to start a war, Congress – elected by the people – needs to sign off on it. The Senate needs to come back immediately to vote on this President’s senseless and illegal bombings– I know where I stand.
“Have we learned nothing from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? Doubling down with another open-ended war without realistic goals or a strategy to win is not only foolish, but also recklessly puts Wisconsin’s sons and daughters at risk.
“President Trump pledged to the American people that he would not get involved in another foreign war, and this is yet another broken promise from this President. The President needs to listen to the people he represents: Americans want fewer foreign wars and more focus on them and their everyday struggles.”
Representative Tom Tiffany also released a statement on X, formerly Twitter, saying: “My thoughts are with the brave U.S. forces carrying out these precision strikes and with the safety of American personnel in the region.”
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