Illinois Falls in Overtime Thriller as Wisconsin Rallies Past Shorthanded Illini
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - For a moment, it looked like Keaton Wagler was about to will Illinois to another gritty win. Coming off his worst shooting night of the season, the freshman phenom responded with a performance that reminded everyone why he's already etched his name into Illini history books.
But even Wagler’s 34-point outburst wasn’t enough to stop the slide, as No. 8 Illinois fell 92-90 in overtime to a surging Wisconsin squad Tuesday night at State Farm Center.
It’s the second straight overtime loss for the Illini, who now sit at 20-5 overall and 11-3 in Big Ten play after reeling off 12 straight wins. And while the effort was there, the execution - particularly down the stretch - told a different story.
Illinois was once again without two key starters. Kylan Boswell, still recovering from a broken hand, missed his third straight game.
Forward Andrej Stojakovic dressed but didn’t see the floor, sidelined by a sprained ankle. That left a heavier load on Wagler’s shoulders - and the freshman didn’t shy away.
Wagler poured in 23 of his 34 points after halftime, joining Kiwane Garris (1994) as the only Illinois freshmen to notch multiple 30-point games in a single season. Just last month, he dropped a program freshman-record 46 points at Purdue. And against Wisconsin, he nearly did it again, attacking relentlessly and keeping the Illini afloat as their offense sputtered late.
Illinois built a 71-59 lead with just over eight minutes to play after Wagler converted a three-point play, but that’s when the wheels started to come off. The Illini managed just two more field goals in the rest of regulation, allowing Wisconsin to claw back with a 21-10 run that sent the game to overtime.
And even then, Illinois had their shot. Wagler went to the line with 33 seconds left and a chance to give the Illini the lead.
He hit the first, but the second rimmed out, leaving the game tied at 81. Wisconsin had a chance to win it in regulation, but John Blackwell’s three-pointer missed the mark.
In overtime, the Badgers pounced. They scored the first eight points of the extra session and never looked back. Illinois made a late push - Ben Humrichous knocked down a clutch three with six seconds left to cut the deficit to 91-90 - but Wisconsin iced it at the line to hand Illinois its first home loss to the Badgers since January 2019.
It was a tough one to swallow, especially considering Illinois’ usual reliability at the stripe. The Illini entered the night as the fifth-best free throw shooting team in the country (79.1%), but they hit just 11-of-19 from the line - a stat that loomed large in a two-point loss.
Wagler, already within striking distance of the all-time Illinois freshman scoring record (32 points shy of the mark shared by Cory Bradford and Kasparas Jakucionis), added seven assists and played a career-high 44 minutes. He also committed five turnovers - a byproduct of having to shoulder so much of the offensive load.
Tomislav Ivisic turned in a strong performance with a double-double (19 points, 11 rebounds), while David Mirkovic added 12 points. Jake Davis chipped in 11, and Humrichous finished with 10.
Wisconsin, meanwhile, leaned on its backcourt duo of Nick Boyd and John Blackwell, who combined for 49 points. Boyd led the way with 25, while Blackwell added 24, including several key buckets during the Badgers’ late push.
With the loss, Illinois now trails Big Ten leader Michigan by a game and a half. They’ll look to regroup quickly with Indiana coming to town on Sunday in a nationally televised matchup.
There’s no panic in Champaign - not yet. But with injuries mounting and the schedule tightening, the margin for error is shrinking fast.