Box Score Jan 5, 2002
Box Score
Illini Wrap - VIDEO | AUDIO
courtesy of WCIA-TV, Channel 3, Champaign, Ill.
By ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Sports Writer
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Charlie Wills' back is going to be sore from the hundreds of slaps and one good shove he got Saturday.
Wills scored a career-high 19 points in Wisconsin's 72-66 upset of seventh-ranked Illinois at Kohl Center, where fans stormed the court at the buzzer and mobbed Wills and first-year coach Bo Ryan.
Wills also was on the receiving end of Brian Cook's technical foul that swung the momentum Wisconsin's way early in the second half.
"He shoved me in the back," Wills said. "At first I thought it was a technical because I thought he was kind of taunting. But now that I look at it, maybe it was just momentum."
Cook's dunk gave the Illini a 37-29 lead, but official Rick Hartzell slapped him with a technical, his fourth personal foul, and Illinois coach Bill Self got one of his own moments later for arguing the call.
"I thought it was a weak technical at first," Self said. "But it may have been a good call if, in fact, Brian came down and patted him on the butt or whatever he did to taunt him. I'm not saying that couldn't happen, because obviously it can. I did not see that occur."
Cook said he didn't shove Wills on purpose nor did he do any trash talking. It proved costly nonetheless.
"The frustrating thing about that is you've got a guy with three fouls and that's his fourth," Self said. "You've got to have more discipline than to do that. You've got to act like you've done that before.
"But I've known Brian, coached him for a while and I've never known him to taunt anybody, so that was a little surprising."
Cook said he couldn't remember ever getting a technical.
"I was pretty surprised," he said. "I didn't do it on purpose. I didn't say anything to him. It was just an accident."
Kirk Penney hit one of two shots, and Devin Harris sank two more after Self was whistled on the inbounds play. Dave Mader's jumper on the ensuing penalty possession pulled the Badgers to 37-34 with 16:41 remaining.
"We had control of the game up until that point," Self said.
The Illini (12-3, 1-1) regained control at 42-34 on baskets by Nick Smith and Robert Archibald. But behind Mader's seven points, the Badgers used a 13-2 run to take a 47-44 lead with 10:33 remaining.
Mader finished with a career-high nine points before fouling out with 4:44 remaining.
"How do we get that game if Dave Mader doesn't do what he does?" Ryan said.
The Badgers built a 68-65 lead with 1:12 left when Frank Williams lost control of the ball for Illinois and Mike Wilkinson recovered it for Wisconsin. Archibald, who had 17 points, fouled out, and Wilkinson sank both shots for a 70-65 lead, the Badgers' biggest yet.
Luther Head hit one of two foul shots to make it 70-66 with a minute left. But Wills sank two free throws for the final margin after Cook and teammate Sean Harrington knocked each other over going for a rebound with 32 seconds left.
The Badgers also got 17 points from Harris and 11 from Wilkinson. Cory Bradford had 13 for Illinois, and Williams had 12.
Students stormed the floor after the Badgers ran out the clock, ending Illinois' six-game winning streak and keeping the current Illini players winless at the Kohl, which opened in 1998.
"I don't know what it is about this place," Williams said. "I'm just glad it's my last time playing here."
With their three big players - Cook, Archibald and Smith - getting in early foul trouble, the Illini struggled to a 31-26 halftime lead they stretched to eight early in the second half.
"This sounds funny, I thought the game was probably lost in the first half," Self said. "We should have been up 12 to 15 and we weren't. If we do that, then it's a little bit different game. They go into halftime only down five or six and I think that really helped them quite a bit."
As did Illinois' two technical fouls in the second half.
