Joe TanseyMarch 16, 2024
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The Illinois Fighting Illini and Wisconsin Badgers will take on Sunday for the 4th time in their history in the Big Ten competition last.
The Illini hold a 2-1 edge over Wisconsin in national championship and they must be the preferred in Minneapolis as the No. 2 seed.
Brad Underwood’s group likewise holds an edge through its head-to-head win over the Badgers on March 2 in which it produced 91 points.
Wisconsin entered into the last through wins over the top-seeded Purdue Boilermakers and the No. 4 seed Northwestern Wildcats.
The Badgers are battle-tested, however their strenuous four-day run through the Big Ten competition might cost them versus the fresher Illini.
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Huge Ten Semifinal Scores
No. 5 Wisconsin 76, No. 1 Purdue 75 (Final/OT)
No. 2 Illinois 98, No. 3 Nebraska 87
Huge Ten Tournament Final Info
Date: Sunday, March 17
Start Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
TELEVISION: CBS
Live Stream: CBSSports.com and Paramount+
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Wisconsin will attempt to duplicate the champion courses of 3 of the last 6 Big Ten competition champs.
The Badgers will try to win 4 video games in 4 days, like the Michigan Wolverines in 2017 and 2018 and the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2022.
Wisconsin should decrease Illinois’ electrical offense, led by Terrance Shannon Jr., to finish its four-day run through Minneapolis.
The Illini prospered offensively in their March 2 win over Wisconsin. They shot 51.8 percent from the field and made 9 of their 16 three-point shots. They likewise got to free-throw line on 30 celebrations,
Shannon and Co. must attempt to weaken the Badgers defense throughout the 40 minutes on Sunday.
Wisconsin made it through an overtime fight versus Zach Edey and Purdue which might endure the Badgers gamers, specifically when the 2nd half rolls around.
Greg Gard’s side restricted the Boilermakers to 66 points in guideline. That continued a strong protective pattern in which it held the Maryland Terrapins to 56 points in the 2nd round and the Northwestern Wildcats to 61 points in the quarterfinals.
The Big Ten competition efficiencies marked an extreme turn in the best instructions for a Wisconsin defense that yielded over 70 points in the 8 losses throughout its 3-8 slide in the 2nd half of league play.
The Badgers must prosper in a low-scoring video game, however if Illinois presses the rate and Shannon ratings at a comparable clip to his 40-point semifinal efficiency, the Illini will make among the last automated quotes to the NCAA competition.
