Jim Valvano famously called it “survive and advance” in 1983 when his North Carolina State team won the national championship. On Thursday, Wisconsin embraced a similar mantra after holding off Washington in the third round of the Big Ten Conference tournament.

Badgers coach Greg Gard described the mindset simply: “Just find a way to get to the next one.” That next game is Friday in Chicago, where fifth-seeded Wisconsin will face fourth-seeded Illinois in the second of four quarterfinal matchups.

“Obviously, we've played Illinois,” Gard said. “We know they're a terrific team. So the assistants have already worked ahead, knowing that if we took care of business today, we'd be playing Illinois tomorrow.”

Wisconsin (23-9) nearly let the game slip away. The Badgers held an 18-point lead but needed a defensive stop to avoid overtime. Washington’s Zoom Diallo missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, sealing an 85-82 victory for Wisconsin.

The Badgers now meet the Fighting Illini (24-7) for the second time this season. Wisconsin previously rallied for a 92-90 overtime win on Feb. 10 in Champaign, led by Nick Boyd’s 25 points and John Blackwell’s 24.

Blackwell and Boyd were again central to Wisconsin’s win over Washington. Blackwell scored 34 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Boyd added 23 points and nine assists. Boyd is no stranger to high-pressure games, having helped Florida Atlantic reach the Final Four as a No. 8 seed in 2022-23. He is set to play in his fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament next week, health permitting.

“Together and confidence,” Boyd said when asked what he brings to his teammates in March. “My old team had a certain confidence and swagger about us. If we compete, March will be special for us.”

Illinois enters the rematch with talent and depth, capable of winning six straight games to cut down the nets. But the Illini have struggled defensively at times. After a 78-72 win over Maryland in their regular-season finale, they finished February with four losses in six games, allowing at least 84 points in each defeat, including 95 in an overtime loss at UCLA.

Coach Brad Underwood emphasizes a mindset over stats. “We've got to have a carefree mindset and know that we're a good basketball team, but we want to be the toughest, hardest-playing team out there every night,” he said. “If we do that, we give ourselves a chance.”

Freshman guard Keaton Wagler leads Illinois with 17.9 points per game and 4.3 assists. He scored a game-high 34 points in the first matchup against Wisconsin, adding seven assists. Illinois is expected to have Kylan Boswell back in the lineup after missing the February game; he is the team’s second-leading scorer at 13.3 points per game. Andrej Stojakovic also averages 13.3 points.

Rebounding could be key in Friday’s game. Illinois ranks 10th in Division I with 40.8 rebounds per game, while Wisconsin averages 35.9. Wisconsin might be without leading rebounder Nolan Winter, who has missed two straight games with an ankle injury.

-Field Level Media/Reuters