Good Morning, Illini Nation: 'He's a terrific player'
· Yahoo Sports
Mar. 13—Greg Gard wasn't going to give up his game plan for today's Big Ten tournament quarterfinal game against Illinois. Particularly for how the Badgers might try and limit Illini star Keaton Wagler.
Gard's reasoning? Illinois coach Brad Underwood and his staff might be watching his postgame press conference following Thursday's tournament win against Washington.
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But Wagler was certainly top of mind for the Wisconsin coach. The eventual Big Ten Freshman of the Year scored a game-high 34 points when Illinois hosted the Badgers last month in Champaign. That included 23 points in the second half and overtime from the 6-foot-6 guard as Wagler and the Illini tried to fend off a Wisconsin rally.
"He's really good," Gard told reporters Thursday in Chicago, speaking of Wagler. "I'm going to be up all night. He's a terrific player."
Wagler's 34 points, though, wasn't enough in that regular season meeting at State Farm Center. Wisconsin took down shorthanded Illinois (Kylan Boswell and Andrej Stojakovic were both sidelined) 92-90 in overtime. Austin Rapp hit some crucial late three-pointers for the Badgers, but 49 combined points from Nick Boyd and John Blackwell — 33 of which came in the second half and overtime — was the difference maker.
Boyd and Blackwell teamed up for 57 points on Thursday against Washington. Blackwell dropped 34 to go with 10 rebounds, while Boyd had 23 points and nine assists.
"Guard play is vital, and I've got two of the better ones in the country," Gard said after his team knocked off Washington.