Takeaways from Wisconsin basketball’s dominant win over Illinois

Posted by author February 19, 2025 Basketball

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Wisconsin basketball ended its nine-game losing streak to rival Illinois in decisive fashion on Tuesday evening, winning 95-74.

John Tonje again leads the postgame headlines. The star wing finished with 31 points, three rebounds and four steals on nine-of-15 shooting, three-of-five from three and 10-of-12 from the line. That scoring mark continues to add him to rarified air in Wisconsin basketball history — the specifics we’ll touch on later in this article.

Wisconsin’s statement win followed the script of many of the team’s successes this season. It shot a blistering 52.3% from the field and 41.7% from deep. That included well-rounded contributions from across the lineup, including strong games from Steven Crowl (20 points, seven rebounds and five assists), John Blackwell (16 points, six rebounds and four assists) and Nolan Winter (seven points and eight rebounds), in addition to Tonje’s dominance.

The win is Wisconsin’s first over Illinois since 2019. More importantly, it improves the team to 21-5 (11-4 Big Ten) on the season, keeping pace with both Michigan and Michigan State atop the Big Ten standings.

For more on Wisconsin’s performance, including Tonje’s spot in program history, here are our biggest takeaways from the streak-snapping victory:

John Tonje adds to his Big Ten Player of the Year case

Tonje surpassed 30 points for the second straight game, both signature wins over top-ranked competition. He is the first Badger to do so since program legend Michael Finley in 1994. His list of 20 and 25-point games also grew with the performance. But more significantly, Tonje is now entering into conversations with some of the program’s best.

The star wing has been flat-out dominant since being held scoreless in the team’s road win over USC on Jan. 18. He has more than 20 points in seven of eight games since that time, 25-plus points four times and 30-plus twice. His inclusion on recent Naismith Award watch lists is more than warranted. As of today, there may not be a better candidate for Big Ten Player of the Year.

Illinois missed forward Morez Johnson Jr.

Illinois freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. was recently ruled out indefinitely after suffering an injury during the team’s loss to Michigan State. The Fighting Illini badly missed his 7.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game on Tuesday. Wisconsin out-rebounded Illinois 39 to 30 — a dramatic reversal from Illinois’ 40-29 advantage in its win over the Badgers in December.

The Badgers not only shot the ball well and controlled the paint defensively, but they also were far better than Illinois on the glass. Illinois entered as the second-best rebounding team in the country, for reference. Johnson Jr.’s absence played a major role in Wisconsin winning that key matchup.

An underrated performance from Wisconsin’s big men

Wisconsin’s rebounding effort was led by Steven Crowl (seven rebounds) and Nolan Winter (eight rebounds). Just as impressive, each was extremely efficient on the offensive end, both against Illinois center Tomislav Ivisic and the rest of its lineup. The two combined for 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting. Crowl specifically was a primary offensive engine, drilling each of his three looks from beyond the arc.

The Badgers are led by their terrific guard and wing play. As we’ve chronicled all season, however, the team often goes as far as its big-man duo can take it.

Wisconsin continues its historic offensive pace

Here is some context for Wisconsin’s historic offensive production. The team has scored 90-plus in back-to-back Big Ten games for the first time since 1992 (Patrick Herb, UW Athletics). It has also scored 80-plus points 15 times in a season for the first time since 1970-71 (CBS’ Jon Rothstein).

Badgers fans have been well aware of the team’s new-look approach and top-end success. The national landscape is beginning to take note. Take it from Illinois coach Brad Underwood in his postgame press conference:

A Big Ten title is squarely in Wisconsin’s sights

Wisconsin was previously hovering around the ‘potential contender’ category of the Big Ten standings before its pair of wins over Purdue and Illinois. The team now trails only Michigan (1 1/2 games) and Michigan State (1/2 game) in the Big Ten standings. Those two in-state rivals still have two games against each other. With a loss or two likely, the Badgers have a real shot a capturing the conference crown.

We know this Wisconsin team is good enough to run the table over its final five games: vs. Oregon, vs. Washington, at Michigan State, vs. Minnesota, at Penn State. The bigger question may surround if it will get enough help.

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