Bohannon's shooting, Leuer's grit power Wisconsin past Illinois

If their six-game losing streak was to end, the Wisconsin Badgers needed a mix of the reliable and the new on Thursday night against Illinois. Jason Bohannon and Jon Leuer rose to the occasion, and as a result, Bo Ryan's team can finally celebrate a badly-needed victory.
 
The past three weeks have likely taken Wisconsin out of the NCAA Tournament, but if the men from Madison can regroup in February, they might be able to take a shot at the Big Ten Tournament and an automatic bid in March. This 63-50 triumph over Bruce Weber's ballclub was encouraging not just for its end result, but the way in which it was achieved.

Ryan and the rest of the UW coaching staff have had to manipulate their rotation in search of an answer, and against the Fighting Illini, they seemed to find the right mix. Bohannon, the team's veteran sniper, hit 6-of-7 threes to give the Badgers the instant offense they've been sorely lacking during their extended skid. Any Big Ten Tournament run will need to feature consistent shooting from Bohannon, and that piece re-entered the mix for the home team in this successful outing at the Kohl Center.
 
In addition to the flourishing of familiar faces, however, the Badgers also needed relative newcomers to pick up the slack. With opponents locking down on point guard Trevon Hughes and containing forward Marcus Landry, Wisconsin has been searching for another scorer who can create good looks at the basket and neutralize defensive pressure. Thursday against the Illini, the Badger brain trust found that man in the form of Leuer.

The 6-10 forward isn't quite a ball handling wizard, but he possesses a decent handle that can relieve ball pressure. Leuer was able to stymie Illinois by driving the ball to the basket in addition to scoring in the low post. While gifted with size and length, Leuer is also blessed with agility and a credible mid-range jump shot. This substantial toolbox of skills made him hard to guard, and as a result, the relatively inexperienced sophomore scored 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Less than a week after scoring 12 points in 17 minutes against Northwestern, Leuer foiled the Fighting Illini in 31 minutes of court time. Bo Ryan evidently trusted Leuer with extended minutes, and by answering the call, Leuer established himself as the emergent X-factor on the UW roster. If the Badgers are to steal an NCAA bid come tournament time, Leuer will have to join Bohannon as a prime-time performer.
 
There were other heroes on this triumphant evening for Wisconsin. Landry scored 16 points and had an effective floor game. Joe Krabbenhoft was an unsung hero with 5 rebounds and 5 assists to go along with 7 points. The Badgers' team defense frustrated the Illini in the second half, forcing bad shots and denying Illinois the spacing it needs in order to operate effectively. But while all those elements were considerably significant, the biggest story of this win is that Wisconsin has found a rotation that works. If Jason Bohannon and Jon Leuer can lead this club down the stretch, their teammates can follow, and the Big Ten might still have to sweat when the Wisconsin Badgers enter a gymnasium near you.

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