The Illinois Fighting Illini and Wisconsin Badgers are tied at 26 going into halftime at Assembly Hall in Champaign, Ill. No. 22 Illinois trailed by as many as seven points during the first half, but finished off the half on a 15-8 run to knot things back up for the second half.
Neither team played well offensively in the first half, with Illinois shooting just 35 percent from the field. Wisconsin has done slightly better from the field, making 42 percent of its shots, but turnovers and poor free throw shooting haven't allowed them to take the lead despite that advantage.
Joseph Bertrand had a big first half for the Fighting Illini, scoring 12 points and grabbing five rebounds. Illinois' star players, center Meyers Leonard and guard Brandon Paul, were quite limited by the Badgers' defense, combining to score just four points on 1-for-10 shooting. Jared Berggren leads Wisconsin in scoring with 12 points thus far.
For more coverage of the Illini, be sure to explore Hail to the Orange. Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for live, in-game scores and updates. For more from around college hoops, visit SB Nation's NCAA basketball news hub.