BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — It might not completely erase the frustration for Vitto Brown, who didn't make a basket against Rutgers. But the Wisconsin forward might take some solace in knowing that he has some company in Michigan's Zak Irvin who didn't make a basket against Michigan State.
Brown was 0-for-8 on Saturday. Irvin was 0-for-8 on Sunday. Both are experienced seniors and integral components of their respective starting lineups. Brown has played in 104 games for the Badgers, Irvin has played in 126 games for the Wolverines. Stuff happens regardless.
Brown found other ways to contribute. He was 3-of-4 from the free throw line and had seven rebounds and three blocks. Moreover, the Badgers overcame their poor shooting as a team and outlasted the Scarlet Knights, 61-54, in overtime. By contrast, Irvin had just two boards in a 70-62 loss.
"I was trying to stay active regardless if the shot was falling," said Brown, who had scored in double-figures in three of the last four games. "I was trying to do the other things like playing good defense and getting some rebounds. I think that's one positive that I can take from this game."
Along with the win, of course.
"We're thankful for our savior, Ethan," Brown said.
Ethan Happ scored a career-high 32 points, including the game-tying basket that sent the teams into overtime. Happ was 12-of-18 from the field. His UW teammates were 8-of-42. But when it counted the most, the Badgers responded by making 11 of their final 14 shots in regulation and the OT.
"It's inexplicable," Brown said of the lid on the basket that the Badgers encountered, particularly in the first half when they made only 5-of-25 attempts. "I know there were a lot of shots that weren't in rhythm, but most of them were good looks and the ball just wasn't going in."
Asked how he might have dealt with an 0-for-8 earlier in his college career, Brown joked, "I might have never shot again … I'm just glad it's a quick turnaround so I can bounce back."
The Badgers will return to action Tuesday night against Illinois. They have won their last four games in Champaign at the State Farm Center and 10 straight in the series overall. "But we know their stats at home. They are way better than their away stats," Brown said.
The Illini are 10-2 in home games with the only losses coming to Winthrop in overtime and Maryland. In Champaign, they're averaging 83.2 points and shooting 50 percent from the field and 53 percent from the 3-point arc. That's compared to 66 points, 42 percent and 29 percent on the road.
Last Saturday, Illinois fell behind by 20 points at halftime (45-25) before rallying in the second half at Penn State, where they outscored the Nittany Lions, 42-26. But the rally still fell short in a 71-67 loss, dropping their record to 0-5 in league road games and 3-7 outside the State Farm Center.
Still, Brown reasserted, "We know they're going to play hard and play hungry at home."
The Illini have only two players averaging in double-figures: Malcom Hill (17.5) and Maverick Morgan (10.2). Hill, a senior from Fairview Heights, Ill., was selected on the preseason All-Big Ten team. A year ago, the 6-foot-6, 225-pound Hill led the Illini in scoring (18.1), rebounding (6.6) and assists (112).
"Malcolm is definitely not an easy task for anybody to guard," Brown said of Hill, who has 100 career starts and 29 games with 20 or more points including a personal-best 40 against Northern Kentucky. "I've known him since back in our AAU days. He's a good friend of mine actually."
Hill had 19 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds against the Nittany Lions. He's very crafty at drawing fouls. In 22 games, he has shot 135 free throws. He's an 80 percent career shooter from the stripe, too. The 6-10, 245-pound Morgan, a senior from Springboro, Ohio, has been a complementary piece.
"We're familiar with both of those guys and what they do," Brown said.
The Badgers also have a book on hard-luck Tracy Abrams, a sixth-year grad student. Abrams tore the ACL in his right knee in September of 2014. He then tore his Achilles tendon in July of 2015. Although he has missed the last two seasons, he has still appeared in 125 games with 106 career starts.
Recently, there has been a changing of the guard, the point guard, with Te'Jon Lucas starting ahead of Abrams against Iowa and Penn State. Lucas is a 6-foot, 170-pound freshman from Milwaukee Washington High School. Lucas, the only true frosh on the roster, has 43 assists to 23 turnovers.
The sample size is small but Lucas is shooting well from the perimeter (26-of-63, .413). Overall, Illinois is shooting 37 percent from the arc. In the last home game, a 12-point win over Iowa, 6-10 Michael Finke had three of the team's nine triples and finished with 17 points. He can stretch a defense.
So, can Jalen Coleman Lands, a 6-3 sophomore, who has the most makes (47) and takes (120) from 3-point range. Hill (37-of-103, .359) and Abrams (31-of-76, .408) are the other long distance threats. In the Big Ten, the Illini have had trouble guarding people. They rank No. 13 in field goal percentage defense (.445) and scoring defense (72.1). They're last in blocked shots (2.5).
"But we know they're going to be a similar team (to the Scarlet Knights)," said Brown, implying that the Badgers would get their best shot. "It's going to be just like playing the guys from Rutgers in applying our principles in trying to close the gaps in the lane and not give them open 3's."
Brown was nursing an injury and didn't start last season's game at Illinois. That created an opportunity for Khalil Iverson who responded with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 1 steal in 30 minutes of playing time. Brown played 12 minutes and contributed 9 points in the 63-55 win.
Nigel Hayes had 17 points, the same total that he had in Wisconsin's 69-60 victory over the Illini last season at the Kohl Center. Happ had 20 points, 12 rebounds and 6 steals as the Badgers outscored Illinois, 24-12, in the paint, a formula of success that they don't want to stray from Tuesday night.
