Illinois beats Wisconsin, Howard Moore gets standing ovation

MADISON, Wis. - Marcus Domask scored 31 points, Terrence Shannon Jr. added 23 and No. 13 Illinois continued its recent mastery of Wisconsin by defeating the slumping Badgers 91-83 on Saturday.

Illinois has won its last six matchups with Wisconsin, which represents the Illini’s longest winning streak in the series since beating the Badgers 16 straight times from 1981-89. Wisconsin beat Illinois 15 consecutive times before this stretch.

The Illini also became the first visiting team to win four straight at the Kohl Center, which has served as the Badgers’ home arena since 1998.

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Illinois (22-7, 13-5 Big Ten) is 1 1/2 games behind No. 2 Purdue in the Big Ten standings, with the Boilermakers hosting Michigan State on Saturday night. Wisconsin (18-11, 10-8) has lost seven of its last nine.

After Wisconsin's John Blackwell sank a 3-pointer to tie the game at 68-all with 5:44 remaining, Domask scored six points during a 13-3 run that enabled Illinois to seize control. Domask started the spurt with a basket that put the Illini ahead for good with 5:25 left.

Wisconsin got 20 points from Tyler Wahl, 16 from Max Klesmit, 15 from Chucky Hepburn and 13 from AJ Storr.

Domask's 31 points were just two off his career high.

The Badgers scored 12 straight points to take a 14-5 lead less than 5 1/2 minutes into the game. Illinois had its own 12-0 spurt later in the first half to go ahead 31-25 and held a 39-37 lead at the break.

Illinois scored the first five points of the second half to extend the lead to seven, but Wisconsin clawed back and pulled ahead 49-47 on Wahl’s putback with 13:12 remaining.

The game went back and forth from there, with nobody leading by more than three points until Illinois took command down the stretch.

Howard Moore

Former Wisconsin player and assistant coach Howard Moore received a standing ovation in his first public appearance at the Kohl Center since a 2019 car wreck killed his wife and daughter and left him with serious injuries.

Wisconsin honored Moore’s family during a ceremony before the Badgers’ game on Saturday afternoon with No. 13 Illinois. Moore made a surprise appearance as he was wheeled onto midcourt by former teammate Rashard Griffith after a video tribute aired on the scoreboard.

During a halftime ceremony, Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh said the men's basketball offices at the school will be renamed the Howard Moore Family basketball offices.

"Howard Moore represents the best of what it means to be a Badgers," McIntosh said. "His love for this university runs so deep, and his impact on this program is immeasurable and deserves to be memorialized."

After he was wheeled onto midcourt during the pregame ceremony, Moore was joined by former teammates Michael Finley, Chris Conger, Shawn Carlin and Tracy Webster. Moore was surrounded by Wisconsin’s current team for a photo in front of one of the baskets.

Moore was working as an assistant on Wisconsin coach Greg Gard’s staff when his family was involved in a May 2019 car wreck in Washtenaw County, Michigan, that killed his wife, Jennifer, and 9-year-old daughter, Jaidyn.

Authorities said a 23-year-old woman was driving west in the eastbound lanes of the Detroit-area freeway when she struck the car head-on carrying the Moore family. The woman was also killed.

Moore suffered severe burns from the wreck and later had a heart attack during his recovery. He was moved to a long-term care and rehabilitation facility.

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Moore's son, Jerell, was 13 when he was injured in the car wreck. He spoke to the Kohl Center crowd at halftime while joined by Moore's brother and parents.

"I'd just like to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you, all of you," Jerell Moore said. "You have made this journey for me and my family so much easier and so much more powerful for us to move on and to keep going forward."

Howard Moore played for Wisconsin from 1993-95 and was an assistant coach with the Badgers from 2006-10 and 2016-19. Moore also was Illinois-Chicago’s head coach from 2010-15.

Wisconsin warmed up Saturday with shirts "Do Moore. Be Moore 4 Moore" and included the No. 34 that Moore wore during his playing days.

Big picture

Illinois: The Illini have scored at least 80 points in nine straight games, their longest such streak since the 1988-89 team collected 80-plus points in 12 consecutive games on its way to the Final Four. They shot 51.8% and won their third straight with a impressive performance amid a hostile environment.

Wisconsin: As poorly as they've played lately, the Badgers still are probably assured of an NCAA Tournament berth. Wisconsin entered Saturday as a No. 5 or No. 6 seed in most bracket projections. But their postseason run won't last long unless they step up their defense.

Poll implications

This is a quality road win that should move Illinois a step or two closer to the top 10.

Up next

Illinois: Hosts No. 2 Purdue on Tuesday.

Wisconsin: Hosts Rutgers on Thursday.