March 12, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell (25) reacts after the game against the Washington Huskies at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Jim Valvano said his North Carolina State team survived and thrived in 1983 when it won the national championship.
After Wisconsin hung on to eliminate Washington in the third round of the Big Ten Conference tournament on Thursday, Badgers coach Greg Gard called it “find a way to get to the next one.”
Next up is Friday in Chicago, when fifth-seeded Wisconsin and fourth-seeded Illinois meet in the second of four quarterfinals.
“Obviously we played Illinois,” Gard said. “We know they’re a good team, so the assistants have already done the work, knowing that if we get things done today, we’ll be playing Illinois tomorrow.”
That almost never happened. The Badgers (23-9) nearly squandered an 18-point lead and needed a defensive stop to avoid overtime. The Huskies’ Zoom Diallo missed a 3-pointer as time expired to seal an 85-82 verdict for Wisconsin.
Now the Badgers see the Fighting Illini (24-7) for the second time. Nick Boyd scored 25 points and John Blackwell added 24 as Wisconsin rallied for the first time in a 92-90 overtime victory on Feb. 10 in Champaign.
This duo is also the main reason the Badgers are still in this rematch. Blackwell devastated Washington with 34 points and 10 rebounds, and Boyd added 23 points and 9 assists.
Boyd is no stranger to big results in big games. He helped Florida Atlantic reach the Final Four as an eighth seed in 2022-23 and, without injury, will make its fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance next week.
“Together and confidence,” Boyd said in March when asked what he could instill in his teammates. “My old team had a certain amount of confidence and pride in us. March will be special for us if we compete.”
Many people think this could be a special month for Illinois. Illinois has all the talent and depth the team needs to snap a six-game winning streak and cut down on goals. But the Illini haven’t always defended at a championship level.
They are coming off a 78-72 win in the regular season finale at Maryland on Sunday, but have lost four games in six games in February. They have allowed at least 84 points in each of their losses, including UCLA’s 95 points in overtime.
Illinois coach Brad Underwood has specific goals for his team that don’t involve statistics.
“We have to have a calm mentality and know that we are a good basketball team, but we want to be the toughest, hardest-playing team every night,” he said. “If we do that, we give ourselves a chance.”
Freshman guard Keaton Wagler leads five players in double figures with 17.9 ppg and also has a team-high 4.3 assists. Wagler had a stellar performance in the loss to Wisconsin, scoring a game-high 34 points and adding seven helpers.
The Illini will need Kylan Boswell in the lineup after missing the February matchup. He is the team’s second leading scorer with 13.3 points, while Andrej Stojakovic also adds 13.3 points.
Rebounding can be a big factor. Illinois ranks 10th in Division I with 40.8 per game while the Badgers have 35.9. Wisconsin may be without leading rebounder Nolan Winter (ankle) for the third straight game.
–Field level media
