The Wisconsin basketball team has just one game this week, and it’s a big one. They will host the #5 Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday afternoon. They will have plenty of time to prepare for their big game.
Illinois, on the other hand, is in a completely different situation. They just played and lost to Michigan State on Tuesday night, 81-72. They will play Nebraska tonight (Thursday) at home before hitting the road and going to Madison for another game on Saturday.
Not only did the Illini lose to the Spartans, but they also lost their best player indefinitely.
Illinois star Ayo Dosunmu has a broken nose, a source confirmed to The Athletic. He's been fitted for a mask but it's unclear when the potential All-American will return to the floor for the No. 5 Illini, who host Nebraska tonight. Dosunmu suffered the injury at Michigan State.
— Brian Hamilton (@_Brian_Hamilton) February 25, 2021
Ayo Dosunmu suffered a broken nose in the game when he was hit in the face by Michigan State freshman Mady Sissoko. Sissoko received a flagrant two foul and was ejected from the game.
Dosunmu will miss their game against the Illini, but there is a chance he could be out even longer. It would be a huge blow to the Illini if he were to miss the Wisconsin basketball game. The Badgers look like they may have figured some offense out against Northwestern, so there is a sense of confidence there.
I thought the game would have been a lot closer than their previous matchup since the game will be in Madison. But now, if the Illini are without Dosunmu, I think Wisconsin has a shot to pull this game out.
In their last game, Dosunmu had a triple-double against the Wisconsin basketball team. He had 21 points, 12 assists, and 12 rebounds. It was just the third triple-double in school history. Dosunmu went on to record another triple-double against Minnesota less than a week ago.
Losing Dosunmu puts the Badgers in a much better position to win. Granted, this is still a very talented and deep team. Trent Fraizer will still be playing against the Badgers. He played well against the Spartans, putting up 22 points on 7/13 shooting.
The Badgers could be catching a big break on Saturday. I would expect a healthy dose of Kofi Cockburn, who scored 23 on the Badgers in their first meeting. Stopping Cockburn should become priority number one if Dosunmu is ruled out for the game this weekend.