Mar 10, 2007, 17:10 GMT
Chicago, IL - A couple of schools trying to take one step closer to winning the 2007 Big Ten Tournament title meet at the United Center in Chicago today, as the sixth-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini do battle with the third-ranked and second-seeded Wisconsin Badgers in the semifinal round. The winner of this game will move on to the finals to face either No. 1 Ohio State or Purdue.
As the six seed, the Illini were forced to begin tournament play in the opening round, where they posted a 66-60 triumph over 11th-seeded Penn State. Illinois followed that with a 58-54 overtime upset of third-seeded Indiana in the quarterfinals on Friday. With the wins, the Illini improved to 18-7 all-time in this event and that is the best mark of any league member. Illinois has reached the finals of the Big Ten Tournament four times and it has prevailed in the title game twice.
As for Wisconsin, it finished second in league play with a school-record 13 conference wins this year and was rewarded with an opening- round bye. The Badgers made their first appearance in this tourney on Friday, posting a 70-57 win over seventh-seeded Michigan State. The outcome added to the school's record win total for the season that is now at 28 and in the process improved it to 10-8 all-time in this event. Wisconsin made back-to-back appearances in the finals of the Big Ten Tournament in 2004-05, winning its lone title against Illinois in 2004, while losing out in the rematch to the Illini in 2005.
As for the all-time series, Illinois owns a 106-69 advantage over the Badgers, although Wisconsin posted a 71-64 win during the regular season.
The Illini held Indiana to just 2-of-8 shooting from the floor in overtime, as they pulled out a four-point win on Friday. For the game, Illinois limited the Hoosiers to a dismal 31.4 percent shooting effort from the field, in addition to winning the battle on the boards, 42-36. Warren Carter led the way with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Shaun Pruitt notched a double-double with 16 points and 12 boards. On the season, Carter, who scored 19 points in the team's opening-round win, leads the Illini with 13.7 ppg and he is also pulling down 6.3 rpg. Pruitt has formed a solid one-two punch with Carter, as he turns in 11.6 ppg and a team-best 7.6 rpg. The Illini, however, have thrived at the defensive end this season, holding opponents to a mere 57.3 ppg.
The Badgers made 51.1 percent of their attempts from the field and 8-of-17 from beyond the arc, as they posted a 13-point win over Michigan State on Friday. To no surprise, Alando Tucker headed the charge with 21 points and six boards, while Kammron Taylor chipped in with 11 points. Tucker, the Big Ten Player of the Year, leads Wisconsin in scoring this season with a healthy 20.2 ppg. He is also grabbing 5.4 rpg and shooting 47.6 percent from the floor. Taylor ranks second to Tucker with 12.5 ppg and he is making good on 40.6 percent of his three-point attempts. As a team, Wisconsin in netting a solid 71.3 ppg, while yielding only 57.5 ppg.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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