Confident Austin Rapp predicted he'd hit the big shots to lift Wisconsin over No.8 Illinois

MADISON, Wis. - Austin Rapp couldn't explain why his mind chose to wander in the way it did.
Preparing for bed before Wisconsin's important road tilt against No.8 Illinois, trying to get himself closer to 100 percent after a nasty bout of the flu caused him to miss Saturday's game at Indiana,
Rapp started to envision himself hitting big shots in a hostile environment.

It was organic, and it spooked him a little.

"It was weird," Rapp said. "It was like, what's going on here?"

Chalk it up to the growing confidence he and his teammates have injected into him or that it was his turn to shine in a big moment, but Rapp's premonition came through in a big way with 18 points, a pair of vital three-point shots at the end of regulation, and countless little plays that made a difference in Wisconsin's 92-90 overtime victory over the Illini at the State Farm Center.

It's the fourth Big Ten road win for Wisconsin (17-7, 9-3 Big Ten), and the second against an AP Top-10 opponent. In over 125 years of UW basketball, only the 1954-55 team and the 2015-16 team have accomplished that.

"I always knew I was capable," said Rapp, who is averaging 18.5 points over his last two outings, going 9-for-14 from long range. "The coaches knew I was capable. It was just a matter of time before I started putting it together, and (Tuesday) it felt good."

Austin Rapp didn't play at 100 percent after dealing with an illness last week and had cramps toward the end ... but he delivered his biggest game of the season with 18 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

I think #Badgers fans might consider keeping him now.
— Benjamin Worgull (@TheBadgerNation) February 11, 2026

Wisconsin has two of the best guards in the conference, if not the country, in Nick Boyd and John Blackwell, a pair who combined for 49 points to become the first Big Ten duo to both score 20+ points in two top-10 road games since at least 2004-05 (also did so in UW’s 91-88 win at No.2 Michigan).

But it says a lot that the Badgers spent the closing seconds of regulation drawing up actions to give Rapp the opportunity to catch and shoot.

Head coach Greg Gard knew that Wisconsin had to score against an Illinois team ranked No.1 in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency. Not only that, but UW also squandered a four-point lead with a minute left in regulation and a three-point lead with a minute left in overtime in a one-point loss at Indiana three days earlier.

So, having a 6-10 shooter roaming around the three-point line who is able to create space and spot up was a pretty good weapon to have in the arsenal. Blackwell knew it, too.

Blackwell saw Rapp step out and hit a rhythm three-pointer from the top of the key two possessions earlier, getting a wide-open look after center Tomislav Ivisic stayed in the lane ready to contest and lost track of the UW forward.

With UW having possession and down two in a timeout, the play discussed during the timeout was simple: force Illinois to make a choice between doubling the guard who had made plays all season driving to the rim or stick with single coverage.

Illinois chose the former, as Rapp saw Ivisic hedge toward the lane as Blackwell drove and started to drift to an open spot. Blackwell saw it, too, and delivered the perfect pass as soon as he made eye contact with Rapp.

Catch, shoot. two-point lead for Wisconsin with 56.3 seconds left.

"He's a knock-down shooter," Blackwell said. "That's why we recruited him for ... I trusted him. I knew I was going to draw a crowd, and I kicked out to him. He stepped up really big."

AUSTIN RAPP

TIE GAME#BADGERS pic.twitter.com/c7iIp1Hac8
— Clip Badger (@ClipBadger) February 11, 2026

Rapp played nearly 31 minutes, his most since late November, made more impressive considering what his body had just been through.

Unable to keep any liquid down after getting hit with the flu, Rapp said he lost 10 pounds in two days last week. He took three IVs to try and get himself in some condition to play at Indiana Saturday, but it was too much for him to overcome.

He battled through practices Sunday and Monday at less than 100 percent and then spent overtime dealing with cramps because of the lingering dehydration.

It's a mental performance that likely doesn't play out the same way back in November, when missed shots became detrimental to his confidence and caused more misses and defensive lapses. He lost his starting job, struggled to find a rhythm off the bench, and couldn't catch up defensively.

Gard said Wisconsin couldn't use Rapp two months ago because of the sophomore's inability to master ball screen switches and keep defenders in front of him. Flash forward to the present and Rapp finished with five rebounds, two steals, and a block, not to mention providing defense on the perimeter against likely all-conference guard Keaton Wagler.

"He continued to learn, take coaching, and wants to get better," Gard said. "We've always been encouraging him (that) he has to be more than a three-point shooter. Be a complete player, and he's growing into that."

Added Rapp: "It shows how much confidence he has in me. I've been going through ups and downs this year, but ultimately, he trusts me. He trusts me more and more and more every game. The more I produce, the more I guard on the other end."

Wisconsin still has several important games left on its schedule, starting with Friday's home game against No.10 Michigan State, but Rapp had a hard time hiding his excited tone about the direction he hopes to take his game over the next year.

Finally starting to properly build his body in a college weight room and having already made strides with his strength coach Jim Snider on his lateral movement, Rapp is confident that a full offseason in the weight room will help him develop into a more well-rounded player.

"This isn't it," Rapp said. "This program means a lot to me already, and I can't wait to have a summer and another spring where I am in the weight room and continue to get better defensively."

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