Illinois’ Quincy Guerrier after hitting a three-pointer against Wisconsin in the championship game of the 2024 Big Ten Conference tournament in Minneapolis.
Abbie Parr/AP Photos
MINNEAPOLIS — Illinois capped off one of the best Big Ten tournament weekends to date with a refuse-to-lose 34 points from star Terrence Shannon Jr. and a thrilling 93-87 comeback win against Wisconsin in the championship game at Target Center.
The Illini (26-8) won the tournament for the fourth time, celebrating just like they did in 2003, 2005 and 2021. It was their eighth time in the title round and — impressively — their eighth straight win against the Badgers (22-13), who’d won the previous 15 head-to-head meetings.
For the third game in as many days, the Illini fell behind by double digits. This time, it didn’t happen until the second half, when the Badgers led 61-51. But the latest comeback was on from there, a blitz that hammered home just how strong this offense is. A 21-5 run took all of six minutes.
The game went back and forth late, with the Badgers’ Max Klesmit hitting a pair of huge threes. But Shannon answered the second one with a three of his own for an 88-85 lead with 1:28 to go. The All-American had 74 points over the final two games of the tournament.
Marcus Domask scored 26, giving the Wisconsin native — and a former state Mr. Basketball — 57 points in two wins over a school that recruited him lightly and didn’t offer a scholarship.
AJ Storr had 24, Chucky Hepburn 20 and Klesmit 16 for the Badgers.
For both teams, it was going to be a quick transition to watching CBS’ NCAA Tournament selection show. For the Illini — hoping for a 3 seed — another trip to the Big Dance brings all the pressure associated with years of March disappointments since the school last made it past the opening weekend to the Sweet 16. That was in 2005, when Dee Brown and Deron Williams burned an orange streak all the way to the national championship game.
“It’s definitely something I keep track of because of all the negative things that are said about it,” senior Coleman Hawkins said after Saturday’s semifinal win. “I think the tournament is tough for everybody. Anybody can beat anybody. It just so happens the last three of four years, it’s been difficult for us.
“But we’ve done a good job of just simply flipping this program around, so people should be grateful that we’re even making the tournament. Some of our fans may complain, but I think we should all be grateful.”