Wisconsin Basketball: Studs and Duds vs. Illinois

Wisconsin Basketball studs and duds in 79-69 loss vs. Illinois

Madison, Wis. – Wisconsin basketball (11-3, 3-1 Big Ten) suffered a 79-69 loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini (10-5, 1-3 Big Ten) on Saturday afternoon.

Wisconsin could not hold off Illinois’ potent offense in a game without Tyler Wahl. Despite the loss, some UW players put up some remarkable stats.

Here are the studs and duds from Saturday’s conference loss:

Studs

Steven Crowl

Have a day, Big Steve. Crowl put on an exceptional performance against Illinois. In 28 minutes, Crowl posted 20 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists. On top of that, he earned a steal.

Crowl became one of the focal points of the offense with Tyler Wahl out. His contributions in the paint kept the Badgers in it for a little while, but it just wasn’t enough.

Chucky Hepburn

Hepburn put together a productive performance, leading the team in scoring for the afternoon. In 36 minutes, Hepburn put up 22 points, seven assists, and three rebounds. He also made his presence felt on the defensive end, racking up a whopping four steals.

Although Hepburn was among the game’s most productive players, his contributions couldn’t get UW over the hump.

Duds

Three-point shooting

Wisconsin basketball made 44% of their shots in Saturday’s matchup. However, they struggled mightily from beyond the arc. Wisconsin posted a 28% three-point percentage, a considerably low percentage for UW this season.

Hepburn led the way, making three out of his seven shots from deep. However, the rest of the supporting cast couldn’t get those shots to fall. Seeing the three-point percentage this low was concerning, but the Badgers should bounce back from this poor performance.

Wisconsin basketball’s bench production

The Badgers received big contributions from their starters. However, the bench production was lacking in the loss.

Four bench players earned minutes on Saturday, with Connor Essegian, Markus Ilver, Kamari McGee, and Chris Hodges all checking in. Essegian led in scoring off the bench with five points, while Ilver scored two points and secured three rebounds.

McGee and Hodges had three minutes and one minute, respectively, but were held scoreless. Additionally, both players earned personal fouls, with McGee earning one and Hodges earning two.

The bench produced below expectations on Saturday and will end up as a dud in this matchup.

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