Wisconsin sinks Illinois, 61-48

INDIANAPOLIS -- Wisconsin won the Big Ten Conference tournament with stout defense, and Coach Bo Ryan said that’s what will carry the Badgers if they make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.

Brian Butch scored 12 points, and No. 8 Wisconsin beat upstart Illinois, 61-48, Sunday to sweep the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles for the first time.

The Badgers held Penn State, Michigan State and Illinois below 43% shooting during the tournament, and Ryan said it’s because the players are executing within the system.

“The rules we have, this team has adhered to better in the past 2 1/2 months probably better than any team I’ve coached,” he said. “If we can keep doing that, we can keep playing.”

The Badgers earned a No. 3 seeding in the Midwest Region. They will play Cal State Fullerton in a first-round game Thursday in Omaha.

Ryan said the Badgers (29-4) could have been seeded No. 2, but they don’t mind where they are slotted because they’ve already accomplished more than most expected. The media didn’t even pick Wisconsin to finish in the top three in the conference in the preseason poll.

“After the way we started and what was predicted and all that other stuff, for this team to be in the top 12 teams in the nation, I think people would have said, ‘OK, we’ll take it,’ ” Ryan said.

One strength for the Badgers is balance. Marcus Landry, the tournament’s most outstanding player, had 10 points, six rebounds and four assists in the win over Illinois. He’s one of five Badgers who began the tournament averaging between nine and 13 points. Michael Flowers joined Landry on the all-tournament team.

Shaun Pruitt led the 10th-seeded Fighting Illini (16-19) with 13 points and eight rebounds in the title game. Illinois had won four consecutive games, including a win over No. 17 Purdue in the quarterfinals.

Wisconsin won all three games against the Illini this season by double digits, and will go into the NCAA tournament on a 10-game winning streak.