3 Things to Watch When Illinois Basketball Hosts Wisconsin

The Illini have some issues to tinker with after Saturday's overtime loss and as they prepare for the Badgers to visit Champaign

Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood talks to forward David Mirkovic (0) against the Northwestern Wildcats at State Farm Center. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Illinois' 12-game win streak was bound to end at some point, and although there are issues to fix, losing in overtime at No. 10 Michigan State shouldn't cause panic.

The Illini still have what it takes to put together a truly special season, so now it's all about how they respond to their first loss since Dec. 13. That starts Tuesday (7 p.m. CT, NBCSN and Peacock) against Wisconsin at the State Farm Center, where Illinois is 12-1, with its only loss coming to No. 7 Nebraska.

The Badgers are coming off an overtime loss at Indiana, and they had previously won seven times in an eight-game stretch. Illinois had dominated this series with nine straight wins from 2020-24 before Wisconsin took a 21-point win last season at the Kohl Center.

Tuesday is the only scheduled matchup between Illinois and Wisconsin this season. Here are three things to watch:

1. Defense versus Nick Boyd

Wisconsin Badgers guard Nick Boyd (2) dribbles against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Rec Hall. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Perhaps Illinois' biggest downfall in losing at Michigan State was its defense against Jeremy Fears Jr. down the stretch. The point guard got into the paint at will and picked the Illini apart with 26 points, 15 assists and 12-for-13 free-throw shooting.

Wisconsin point guard Nick Boyd is not quite at Fears' level as an overall player, but it's a similar matchup for Illinois in that Boyd prefers to put pressure on defenses by getting into the lane rather than settling for three-point attempts.

He scored 21 points in a Jan. 31 win over Ohio State on 12 two-point attempts, and drew fouls that led to 8-for-8 free throw shooting. Boyd also delivered a reminder that he's a capable three-point shooter Saturday at Indiana, making a season-high five, but he has made two or fewer in 18 of 23 games this season.

Illinois must do a better job defensively against Boyd than Fears in terms of cutting off drives, contesting shots without fouling and getting in passing lanes when he wants to drive and kick.

2. How will Keaton Wagler bounce back?

Michigan State's Coen Carr defends Illinois' Keaton Wagler at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Illinois freshman phenom Keaton Wagler cooled off in a big way Saturday at Michigan State, shooting 2-for-16 from the field and 0-for-8 on two-point attempts. That line included a late three-pointer that had little to no impact on the game's outcome, making for Wagler's worst field-goal percentage in any game this season.

He also tied his season high of three turnovers and dished out just three assists, his fewest over the past seven games. Wagler still mustered 16 points by getting to the free throw line 12 times, but overall it was one of his worst games of the season.

Tip it loose 👉 Take it to the hoop

Jeremy Fears Jr. gets things started for No. 10 @MSU_Basketball.

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/MJJxj7Gp5N

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 8, 2026

Because he's only 24 games into his college career, we haven't really seen how Wagler responds to a poor performance. Will he lose confidence and his shooting stroke as a result, or was this just a blip on the radar?

That remains to be seen. But fortunately for Illinois, there's enough depth on this roster to overcome an off shooting night from Wagler and push Michigan State on the road, which should inspire at least some confidence moving forward.

3. Can Wisconsin compete on the glass?

Illinois Fighting Illini forwards David Mirkovic (0) and Tomislav Ivisic (13) vie for a rebound against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at State Farm Center. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Rebounding was an issue for Wisconsin in Saturday's loss at Indiana, which finished with nine offensive rebounds and a 33-29 overall rebounding advantage. That should be concerning for Wisconsin, given that Indiana is 244th nationally in rebounding.

It won't get any easier Tuesday at Illinois. In fact, it should be a significantly greater challenge to compete on the glass against an Illinois team that ranks 27th nationally in offensive rebounding and 16th in defensive rebounding.

Opponents average just 30.8 rebounds per game against Illinois, good for 24th in the nation. The Badgers don't have just one player to worry about, either, as seven players average at least 3.8 rebounds, led by David Mirkovic's 8.1.