#8 Illini Host Wisconsin Tuesday at State Farm Center

#8 ILLINOIS (20-4, 11-2 B1G) vs. Wisconsin (16-7, 8-4 B1G)
Date | Time	Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026 | 7 p.m. CT
Location	Champaign, Ill. | State Farm Center
Buy Tickets	FightingIllini.com
TV	NBCSN (John Fanta & Robbie Hummel)
Live Stream	PeacockTV.com | Peacock App (Subscription Info)
Radio	Busey Bank Illini Sports Network | Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 85, SXM APP
Live Stats	Statbroadcast
Printable Notes	Illinois | Wisconsin
Pregame Press Conference	Coach Underwood (Feb. 9)
2025-26 Stats	Illinois | Wisconsin
Record Book	Illinois
Shop	Online Store | Auctions
Social Media	@IlliniMBB | #Illini | @IlliniMBB | Facebook | YouTube

Head Coach Brad Underwood

Career Record: 294-132 (.690), 13th year
At Illinois: 185-105 (.638), 9th year
Big Ten: 103-68 (.602)

Series History vs. Wisconsin

All-Time Record / Streak: Illinois leads 119-90 / Wisconsin W-1
Last Meeting: #11 Wisconsin 95, Illinois 74 (2/18/2025 in Madison)
Record in Champaign / Streak: Illinois leads 72-28 / Illinois W-4
Last Meeting in Champaign: Illinois 86, #20 Wisconsin 80 (12/10/2024)
Underwood vs. Wisconsin: 9-5

OPENING TIPS

• No. 8 Illinois concludes a stretch of five games in 13 days on Tuesday, hosting Wisconsin at State Farm Center.
• Illinois is coming off an overtime loss at No. 10 Michigan State on Saturday night that snapped its 12-game winning streak, the Illini's longest win streak in the last 13 seasons. 
• Prior to Saturday's loss at No. 10 Michigan State, Illinois had won 10 consecutive Big Ten games. That equaled its longest B1G streak of the Brad Underwood era, first set from Feb. 25, 2021 through Jan. 14, 2022. 
• Illinois ranks fourth in the latest NET rankings and leads the nation with five Quad 1A wins.
• Illinois is 20-4 overall, the program's best start since opening 22-4 in 2005-06. 
• Illinois' 11-2 Big Ten mark is its best record in conference play since the 2004-05 team won its first 15 league games. The famed 2005 Illini squad swept Big Ten regular season and Tournament titles and advanced to the Final Four, finishing as the NCAA runner-up at 37-2.
• Illinois has secured its seventh straight 20-win regular season under Brad Underwood. Illinois, Houston, and Gonzaga are the only three programs to win at least 20 regular season games every year since 2019-20.
• Illinois has also clinched a winning Big Ten record for the seventh straight season. Illinois is the only team to finish above .500 in Big Ten play every year since 2019-20.
• Illinois has won six straight home games and is 12-1 at State Farm Center this season, the program's best start since also opening 12-1 at home in 2019-20. The Illini are averaging 88.6 points per game at home, with an average scoring margin of +24.2 ppg.
• Illinois has won 20 consecutive games against unranked teams, and 15 straight at home over unranked foes.

WAGLER'S WORLD

• Illini star Keaton Wagler has made a rapid ascent during his freshman season that has been remarkable for an unheralded recruit. Now contending for Big Ten Player of the Year and All-America honors, the Shawnee, Kansas native was ranked 150th by 247Sports and 179th by Rivals in the Class of 2025, and he had just two high-major offers before committing to the Fighting Illini.
• Wagler is currently ranked No. 7 in the kenpom national player of the year ratings, one of four Big Ten players on the list. 
• Wagler is one of only two NCAA freshmen averaging at least 17 points, five rebounds, and four assists on the season, alongside Duke's Cameron Boozer.
• Among players with at least 24% possessions used, Wagler ranks first nationally in offensive rating at 137.1. He ranks 16th among all players (kenpom).
• Since moving to the point guard position at the beginning of December, Wagler is averaging 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists on 46.9% shooting from the field, 45.9% from three, and 81.0% from the line, leading the Illini to a 14-2 record during this stretch.
• Wagler has scored in double figures in each of the last 16 games, and team-leading 21 times on the season.
• Wagler ranks fifth in the Big Ten in scoring during conference play, averaging 20.8 points.
• Wagler's overall scoring average of 17.8 points per game is on pace to break the Illini freshman season scoring record set by Kiwane Garris, who averaged 15.9 ppg in 1993-94.
• Wagler leads the Big Ten and ranks 15th in the NCAA in 3-point field goal shooting at 43.3% (61-141).
• Wagler has seven 20-point games this season, closing in on the Illini freshman record of 10 set last year by Kasparas Jakucionis, who is now a rookie with the Miami Heat.
• Wagler earned his fifth B1G Freshman of the Week honor (second straight) on Feb. 2 following his performance at No. 5 Nebraska which included 28 points, five rebounds, and two steals, including 23 in the second half on just six shots. He also posted 22 points, five rebounds and eight assists in a home win vs. Washington.
• Wagler's five Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards are the second-most in school history behind Kofi Cockburn, who had seven. 
• On Feb. 3, Wagler was named a midseason top-10 candidate for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, and the Oscar Robertson High-Major Player for January by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
• Wagler earned National Player of the Week honors on Jan. 26 following one of the greatest scoring performances in college basketball history with a record 46 points in the Illini's win at No. 4 Purdue (see p. 3 of game notes PDF for full list of Wagler's records set).

ILLINI ITEMS

• Illinois leads the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency (130.6), owning what currently stands as the highest offensive rating in the history of the kenpom era (since 1996-97). 
• Offensive coordinator Tyler Underwood has helped Brad Underwood implement a top-15 offense for the third straight season after ranking third in 2024 (125.5) and 14th last year (121.9).
• Illinois is ranked No. 4 in kenpom, matching the highest rating of the Underwood era. The Illini also finished the 2020-21 season at No. 4.
• Illinois is No. 8 in the latest AP poll and seventh in the coaches top 25, sitting inside the top 10 for the third consecutive week and the fourth week overall this season. Illinois has been ranked in the AP Top 25 in each of the last seven seasons under Brad Underwood, and in every ranking released so far this season. 
• Illinois has six Quad 1 wins, tied for fifth in the NCAA (through games played Feb. 8) behind Duke (10), Arizona (8), Michigan (8), and Houston (7). Five of Illinois' six wins in this category are Quad 1A, most in the nation.
• Illinois is No. 4 overall in the NET rankings, second in the Big Ten behind Michigan (1). Illinois is 10-4 on the season combined in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games, and 10-0 combined in Quad 3 and Quad 4 matchups.
• The Illini have the most wins in Big Ten play since 2019-20 with 92 victories. During that span, Illinois also leads all teams with 40 league road wins. 
• When including the conference tournament, the Illini have a league-leading 99 wins over Big Ten teams the last seven seasons, and are tied for the lead with three B1G championships during that span.  
• Illinois is the tallest team in the nation, with an average height of 79.5 inches (kenpom).
• Four Fighting Illini average at least 12 points per game, tied for second nationally: Keaton Wagler (17.8 ppg), Kylan Boswell (14.3), Andrej Stojakovic (13.7), and David Mirkovic (12.6). 
• Illinois is tied for first nationally with six players averaging at least 4.0 rebounds (minimum 15 games): David Mirkovic (8.1 rpg), Tomislav Ivisic (5.5), Zvonimir Ivisic (5.2), Keaton Wagler (5.1), Andrej Stojakovic (4.6), and Kylan Boswell (4.2). 
• Illinois ranks fifth in the NCAA and first in the Big Ten with a free-throw percentage of 79.1%. Last year the Illini shot 76.2% at the free-throw line, the second-best season mark in school history behind the 2014-15 team that holds the single-season record at 79.4% 
• Illinois is averaging 84.5 points, ranked second in the Big Ten. The Illini led the B1G in scoring last season (83.6 ppg). 
• Along with the No. 1-rated offense (130.9) of the kenpom era, the Illini are No. 21 in defense (97.7) this year.
• Illinois is first in the nation in defensive free throw rate (18.8), and second in fewest fouls per game (13.0).
• Illinois is averaging 15.8 second chance points per game (379), which leads the Big Ten.
• Illinois leads the Big Ten averaging 11.2 three-pointers and has made 10+ 3-pointers in a Big Ten-leading 18 games this season with a 15-3 record. The Illini have knocked down at least 10 triples in 14 of the last 16 games, highlighted by school-record tying 18 treys in the win at No. 4 Purdue on Jan. 24, and 17 threes in its win last Wednesday vs. Northwestern. 
• Illinois has outrebounded its opponent in 20 of 24 games this season and ranks second in the Big Ten (sixth nationally) in rebound margin at +10.6 rpg. Illinois is 18-2 when it wins the battle on the glass.
• Eight different players have been the Illini's leading scorer in a game this season. That leads the Big Ten and is tied for second nationally behind VCU (9).
• Illinois is No. 4 in the kenpom rankings with an adjusted efficiency margin +33.25. The Illini have had a kenpom rating of 35th or better each of the last six years under Brad Underwood, and are one spot short of the team's high ranking of No. 4 to close out the 2020-21 season. Illinois posted consecutive top-20 rankings the last two seasons: 10th in 2023-24 and 17th in 2024-25.
• At its current scoring pace (84.5 ppg), this year's Illini are challenging to become just the sixth team in program history to average at least 85.0 points for a full season. The Illini opened the 2025-26 campaign with seven straight games of 80+ points. It marked the most such games to open a campaign since the 1988-89 Flyin' Illini scored 80+ in each of their first 12 contests.   
• Brad Underwood has led Illinois to 32 wins over top-25 opponents since 2019-20, with 23 of those wins coming in ranked-vs.-ranked matchups. Illinois' 32 top-25 victories are ninth-most in the NCAA during that span. This season the Illini have ranked wins over No. 11 Texas Tech at home, vs. No. 13 Tennessee in Nashville, at No. 19 Iowa, at No. 4 Purdue, and at No. 5 Nebraska.  
• Illinois is 5-4 this season vs. AP Top 25 teams. The Illini's remaining schedule includes one more ranked matchup, at home vs. No. 2 Michigan on Feb. 27. 
• As a team, Illinois ranks in the top three in the Big Ten, and among the top 50 programs nationally in 12 categories: The Illini lead the Big Ten with 13.0 fouls per game (second in the NCAA), a .791 free-throw percentage (fifth), 11.2 3-pointers per game (10th), and 13.3 offensive rebounds per game (27th), and rank second in the league with a +10.6 rebound margin (sixth in the NCAA), a +16.6 scoring margin (10th), 31.3 3-point attempts per game (13th), 41.4 total rebounds per game (13th), and a scoring offense of 84.5 points per game (29th). The Illini are third in the B1G with 9.3 turnovers per game (11th in the NCAA), 28.1 defensive rebounds per game (16th), and 4.8 blocks per game (25th in the NCAA).  
• Andrej Stojakovic is the second active Illini to reach 1,000 career points, reaching the milestone Jan. 17 vs. Minnesota. Stojakovic now has 1,085 points to rank behind Kylan Boswell (1,195) in the 1,000-point club.
• Illinois has claimed seven of 13 Big Ten Freshman of the Week selections this season. Keaton Wagler leads the Big Ten with five honors, while David Mirkovic has garnered two nods. 
• Freshman G Keaton Wagler has scored in double-figures in 16 consecutive games dating back to the Illini's win vs. #13 Tennessee on Dec. 6, including an historic 46-point outburst in a win at #4 Purdue on Jan. 24 (more info on p. 3 of game notes PDF). During that stretch, Wagler is averaging a team-leading 20.0 points per game, and ranks tied for fifth in rebounding at 5.0 boards per contest, while shooting 46.9% (92-196) overall, 45.9% (51-111) from 3-point range, and 81.0% (85-105) from the free-throw line. Wagler also leads the team with 85 assists and 12 steals during that stretch. 
• Keaton Wagler leads the Illini and ranks among the Big Ten leaders with: a .433 3-point percentage (1st), 152 free-throw attempts (4th), 123 free-throws made (5th), 61 3-pointers made (5th), 2.54 3-pointers per game (6th), 428 total points (7th), a 2.66 assist-to-turnover ratio (9th), 101 total assists (10th), 17.8 points per game (10th), 141 3-point attempts (9th), 4.2 assists per game (12th), 122 field goals made (15th), and 266 field goal attempts (15th). Wagler also ranks 12th in the Big Ten minutes per game at 32:32.  
• Freshman F David Mirkovic is one of only three freshmen in the nation, along with Duke's Cameron Boozer and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson, averaging at least 12.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists. 
• A two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, David Mirkovic leads the Illini and ranks among the Big Ten leaders with: 194 total rebounds (4th), 5.6 defensive rebounds per game (4th), 8.1 total rebounds per game (5th), 2.5 offensive rebounds per game (7th), five double-doubles (8th). Mirkovic is also third on the team with a .813 free-throw percentage (22nd in B1G), and fourth with a scoring average of 12.6 ppg (39th). 
• Senior G Kylan Boswell is the Illini's active career leader with 1,195 career points (687 at Illinois), with eight 20+ point games and 36 career double-digit scoring games in Orange and Blue. Boswell is tied for the team lead with five games this season with 20+ points this season, and has eclipsed the 20-point mark eight times over the last two years.
• Junior G Andrej Stojakovic transferred to Illinois with a reputation as a prolific scorer and is averaging 13.5 points on 48.7% shooting. Stojakovic has five games this season with 20+ points, highlighted 30 points vs. Maryland and 26 points vs. No. 11 Alabama. Stojakovic also posted 23 points the win over No. 11 Texas Tech, and scored 20 and 24, respectively, in Illinois' wins over LIU and UTRGV. In his Big Ten debut, Stojakovic had 17 points and four rebounds in the win at Ohio State, then posted an 19-point, 10-rebound double-double in the Illini's B1G home opener vs. No. 23 Nebraska. Stojakovic has led the Illini in scoring in six games this season. 
• Twin 7-footers Tomislav Ivisic and Zvonimir Ivisic rank among the top shooting big men in college basketball. Tomislav ranks first in the NCAA among 7-footers with 11 games this season with multiple 3-pointers, while Zvonimir is second with nine such games. Tomislav is also tied for first in the NCAA among 7-footers at 1.6 3-pointers per game, while Zvonimir ranks fourth at 1.1 triples per contest.
• Zvonimir Ivisic, a member of the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watch list, ranks third nationally in block rate at 14.2%. He is second in the Big Ten in total blocks (55) and blocks per game (2.29), 15th and 16th in the nation, respectively. His average would rank second all-time in Illinois' record book behind Derek Holcomb (3.0 blocks per game in 1978-79). The last Illini to average more than 2.0 blocks per game was Nnanna Egwu (2.1) in 2013-14.

ILLINOIS VS. WISCONSIN

• Tuesday marks the 210th meeting in the series between Illinois and Wisconsin dating back to March 3, 1906. The Illini have played more games against the Badgers than any other opponent in program history. 
• Head coach Brad Underwood has led the Illini to a 9-5 mark vs. Wisconsin, with a run of nine straight victories prior to a loss in the most recent meeting last February in Madison. 
• Illinois has won four straight meetings vs. Wisconsin at State Farm Center since the 2020-21 season. 
• In 2024, Underwood led the Fighting Illini to a 93-87 victory over the Badgers in the  championship game of the Big Ten Tournament at Target Center in Minneapolis. Terrence Shannon Jr. posted 34 points and four rebounds, while Marcus Domask added 26 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists. The Illini stormed back from a 10-point second-half deficit to hold off the Badgers for Underwood's third Big Ten title (two tournament, one regular season) since 2020-21.  
• Illinois is 38-18 (.679) all-time as a Top 25 team when facing Wisconsin, including wins in the last five meetings vs. the Badgers when ranked. 

ILLINI IN THE NET

• Illinois is No. 4 in the NCAA NET ranking though games played Feb. 8. 
• The Illini's No. 4 rating ranks second in the Big Ten behind Michigan (2). 
• The Illini are 6-4 vs. Quad 1, 5-0 vs. Quad 2, 2-0 vs. Quad 3, and 7-0 vs. Quad 4.
• Illinois' six Quad 1 wins are tied for fifth nationally behind Duke (10), Arizona (8), Michigan (8), and Houston (7). 
• The Illini's remaining seven-game regular-season schedule breaks down to: 
  » Quad 1 (3): at USC (48), at UCLA (39), and vs. Michigan (2).  
  » Quad 2 (2): vs. Wisconsin (42), and vs. Indiana (33). 
  » Quad 3 (2): vs. Oregon (111), and at Maryland (176).   

ILLINOIS WHEN RANKED

• The No. 8 Illini have played all 24 games this season ranked in the Top 25. 
• Illinois is 672-271 (.713) all-time in 943 games when ranked in the AP Top 25. The program is 367-54 at home, including a 289-41 mark at State Farm Center, 165-151 on the road, and 140-64 at neutral sites. 
• Under head coach Brad Underwood, Illinois is 110-47 (.701) when ranked.

ILLINI WHEN TOP-10 RANKED

• Illinois is ranked in the AP top 10 for the 246th week in program history, including four weeks this season. 
• Illinois is 331-109 (.752) all-time in 440 games when ranked in the AP top 10. 
• When top-10 ranked, the Illini are 173-11 at home (113-7 at State Farm Center), 83-73 on the road, and 75-25 in neutral-site contests.
• Under Brad Underwood, Illinois is 25-12 (.676) when ranked in the top 10.

Complete Illinois Game Notes (PDF)