The only question Wednesday night for Illinois against Stony Brook was in what gear would the Illini choose to play? Would it be second -- disinterested and flat to allow the Seawolves to use the raucous home crowd of 4,423 to gain momentum? Or would it play in third -- motivated and ready to crush Stony Brook even though it was just the first round in the NIT?
The NIT is giving Illinois State the opportunity to boast it has the best college basketball team in the state.
CHAMPAIGN — Inside the NCAA tournament committee room, Chairman Dan Guerrero said Illinois was on the board for a long time. During that time, Guerrero said there was a lot of "robust dialogue" regarding the Illini's tournament resume, more than some others that missed the cut.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Evan Turner rescued No. 6 Ohio State for the second straight day in the Big Ten tournament. He scored 12 of his 31 points after regulation, helping the Buckeyes pull away for an 88-81 double overtime victory over Illinois in the semifinals.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Jordan Taylor and John Leuer each scored 20 points, and No. 15 Wisconsin beat Illinois 72-57 on Sunday to deal a significant blow to the Fighting Illini's NCAA tournament hopes. Trevon Hughes added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Badgers (23-7, 13-5). Illinois (18-13, 10-8) has dropped five of six and will be the No. 5 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jon Diebler once again lit up Illinois from behind the arc, hitting seven 3-pointers for 21 points, to lead No. 6 Ohio State to a 73-57 victory on Tuesday night that assured the Buckeyes of at least a share of the Big Ten title.
