MADISON, Wis. — Saturday's game at Wisconsin was the exact kind of quirky situation that could have seen the Illini hang with the No. 23 team in the country.
Turnovers galore.
A freak snowstorm in the first half.
Just weird enough that an upset wasn't entirely off the table.
Except too many of those turnovers were the Illini's — five total in the first half. And while Wisconsin's offense was slowed by the snow, the bad weather didn't last and neither did Illinois' defensive stops.
Wisconsin took an 18-point halftime advantage and piled on in the final two quarters for a 49-20 victory to hand the Illini (3-4, 1-3 Big Ten) their second straight loss in a second straight game where they allowed more than 500 yards and 40-plus points.