Wisconsin Badgers (12-5, 3-2) Illinois Fighting Illini (16-3)
Head to Head Matchups (Matchups are not official and are subject to change)
Trevon Hughes vs. Chester Frazier- Chester Frazier
Typically I would give this matchup to Trevon Hughes, however there is just no way I could justify picking Hughes at this moment. He has played very poorly in nearly every facet of these past three games, and seems to be in a bit of a funk. In order for the Badgers to win, Trevon needs to make better decisions with the ball and that includes his shot selection, which has been very poor as of late. On the contrary, Chester Frazier has been the glue that has kept the Fighting Illini together. While Frazier’s scoring production may not look very impressive, his contributions to the Illini are very critical. He distributes the ball very well, and leads the Big 10 in assists.
Jason Bohannon vs. Trent Meacham- Trent Meacham
This is an intriguing matchup, as both players really like to shoot the three and are very good at it. Bohannon has been on a bit of a cold streak as of late, but expect for JBO to get back on track in the near future.
Joe Krabbenhoft vs. Demetri McCamey- Even
It will be interesting to see what Illinois does to contain Joe Krabbenhoft. At 6-7, Krabbenhoft has a good five inches on McCamey. I expect that Alex Legion will be in the lineup quite a bit as well.
Marcus Landry vs. Mike Davis- Marcus Landry
There is no doubt that Marcus Landry is one of the most talented Seniors in the Big 10. He isn’t your typical back to the basket forward, but he nonetheless has the ability to take over a game. Matching up with Landry is Mike Davis, a 6-10 power forward. This may be a matchup problem for Landry due to the size and athleticism of Davis. If Landry can get involved early on in the game, this is the Badgers for the taking.
Keaton Nankivil vs. Mike Tisdale- Mike Tisdale
Nobody know’s what Bo Ryan is going to do with the five spot on Saturday. For the time being, I am going to assume that Nankivil will be back in the starting lineup due to his solid showing against Iowa. Nankivil scored six points making all three of his attempts, and pulled down three boards. He will have the task of guarding Illinois’ most dangerous offensive threat in 7’1 Center, Mike Tisdale. Tisdale has a great mid-range jump shot, and if you leave him open he will take advantage of the opportunity.
Wisconsin Bench vs. Illinois Bench- Even
If there is anything positive that could possibly come from Wednesday’s loss to Iowa, it was the play of freshmen point guard Jordan Taylor in the second half. Taylor provided the offensive spark the Badgers badly needed, which included the 25 foot three-pointer that forced the game into overtime. Although the Badgers didn’t take advantage of their second opportunity, Taylor continued to shine in overtime, scoring the Badgers first five points. With little or no production from any of the five freshmen on the roster this year, this is something the Badgers needed badly. On the other hand, Alex Legion provides a spark off the bench for Illinois. The transfer from Kentucky averages 6.1 points to go with 2.1 rebounds.
Bo Ryan vs. Bruce Weber- Even
A rivalry renewed? Before 2007, the Wisconsin/Illinois rivalry was one of the most anticipated games in Big Ten Country. The rivalry has lost a it’s fire from a few years back, but now Bruce Weber has his team looking to compete for a Big 10 Championship. Both coaches have had their fair share of success against each other. Bo Ryan has a 4 game currently has a four game winning streak against Illinois, whereas Bruce Weber ended the Badgers 38 game home winning streak in 2005.
Analysis
It’s not so sunny in Badger Nation these days. There was no defensive communication by the Badgers on Wednesday. As a unit, they ran poor defensive rotations, and had no idea when to switch or when to stay with their own man. This often times led to a lot of mismatch problems and utter confusion. The Badgers will not be able to afford these defensive mistakes when they face a much better Illinois squad this Saturday. After throttling Ohio State 67-49 on Tuesday, Illinois comes in as one of the hottest teams in the Big 10. ILLINOIS 70-68.
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