Big Ten tournament: Illinois vs. Wisconsin

Illinois (18-13) vs. Wisconsin (23-7) When: 1:30 p.m. at Conseco FieldhouseTV: ESPNRadio: WGN 720-AM The skinny: On Monday, 24 hours after the Badgers smacked around the Illini 72-57 at Assembly Hall, coach Bruce Weber put his players through one of their more grueling practices of the season. Weber backed off as this Big Ten tournament quarterfinal approached, but his point was made: Fifth-seeded Illinois needs to work and compete harder if it intends to beat fourth-seeded Wisconsin and enhance its NCAA Tournament resume. The Badgers dominated the boards (40-30) and also seemed to grab every loose ball. They also unleashed 6-foot-10 junior forward Jon Leuer (20 points in 26 minutes) as he attacked Illinois' defense from all angles. Meanwhile, the Illini need an all-Big Ten effort from first-team guard Demetri McCamey. In his last three games, he has made 12 of 39 shots. It's his worst stretch of the year at the worst possible time. Advancement: The winner faces the Ohio State-Michigan winner at 12:40 p.m. Saturday.