MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin men's basketball team continues Big Ten play on the road Saturday, traveling to face Illinois at the State Farm Center in Champaign. The game between the Badgers and Fighting Illini is set for a 12:30 p.m. CT tip and will be televised on ESPN2.

Before the Badgers hit the road, here is the Starting Five:

1. BORDER BATTLE WIN: In its first Big Ten game of the new year, Wisconsin started 2023 on a high note defeating Minnesota for a 63-60 win. The Badgers extended their lead in the all-time series of the Border Battle to a 106-104 advantage. Junior forward Steven Crowl scored a game-high 17 points and added five rebounds. Sophomore guard Chucky Hepburn finished with 16 points and swiped a season-high five steals, while Connor Essegian (11 pts) also scored in double figures for UW.

2. B1G START: The Badgers improved to 3-0 to start out Big Ten for the first time since the 2014-15 season, when UW won the Big Ten championship. Joining the Badgers at the top of the standings is Michigan (9-5, 3-0), and No. 24 Ohio State (10-3, 2-0) rounds out the top three teams.

3. STEALING THE SHOW: The Badgers snagged a season-high 13 steals in Tuesday's win over Minnesota, the team's most in a game since recording 13 vs. Illinois on Feb. 27, 2021. Hepburn alone was able to grab five on the night, followed by Max Klesmit who grabbed three, while Essegian and Crowl each had two. 

4. SERIES AGAINST ILLINOIS: Wisconsin trails the all-time series against Illinois, 90-114. The Illini have won four-straight games in the series. Each of the last four games have been decided by five points or less. The last time Wisconsin earned a win against Illinois was the 2019 season, earning a 72-60 win over the Fighting Illini in Madison.

5. SCOUTING THE ILLINI: Saturday's game will be the first of two meetings this regular season between the Badgers and the Illini. Illinois currently holds a 9-5 record (0-3 Big Ten), coming off a 73-60 loss at Northwestern on Wednesday night. The Fighting Illini are led by senior guard Terrence Shannon Jr., who is averaging 17.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and shooting .451 (73-162) from the field.