Say cheese, Illini fans. As in Limburger . . .
The last time Illinois opened a Big Ten basketball season 0-6 was 1911-12. Any way you look at it that’s a long, long time ago. Almost as long as the Illini’s punishing 75-53 loss to Wisconsin at the Kohl Center seemed Wednesday night. That 1911-12 club somehow battled back to take fifth in the league. This year’s in-over-its-head Illinois team (8-10, 0-6), which lost its eighth of nine games, will be lucky to escape dead last.
After nearly upsetting Michigan State on Saturday, Wednesday’s showing was a step backward for Lon Kruger’s young squad. Sean Mason got into quick foul trouble and scored only seven points, but Jon Bryant (17 points) and Mark Vershaw (14 points) picked up the slack for Wisconsin.
The 15th-ranked Badgers (17-3, 5-2) shot a traditionally un-Wisconsin-like 53 percent from the floor to claim a fifth straight win. Wisconsin is off to its best start since 1941.
Cory Bradford paced Illinois with 18 points.
“Wisconsin had good control,” Kruger said. “The latter part of the first half they did what they wanted. Wisconsin is tough. They wore us down and we kind of gave in offensively. You can’t do that against them–and we did.”
“I thought our weaknesses might hold us back more than they have this year,” Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett said. “So I’m very pleased. I’m also very thankful.”
In consecutive wins over Michigan State, Purdue, Penn State and Northwestern, the Badgers were 33 of 35 at the line in the last 5 minutes. Against the Illini, Wisconsin made 15 of 17 free throws.
The Badgers broke the game open late in the first half by holding the Illini without a field goal during a 6-minute 12-second drought.
Illinois’ Sergio McClain, still recovering from a sprained ankle, played 16 minutes and scored nine points.
“Defensively, I really struggled,” McClain said. “I was in pain. This was a hard game to play in.”
