CHAMPAIGN – They've been around long enough to remember when the football team was going to bowl games and women's basketball was going nowhere.

But there are some sights that Jarrod Gee, Matt Heldman, Jerry Hester, Brian Johnson and Kevin Turner still haven't gotten a chance to see on the University of Illinois campus.

"Purdue's won here every year since I've been here," Hester said with a shrug after Tuesday night's replay of seasons past.

Gene Keady's ninth-ranked Boilermakers walked out of the Assembly Hall all smiles again after thumping Big Ten front-runner Illinois 68-58 on national TV.

That makes them the only Big Ten team that none of Illinois' five seniors – not even the fifth-year guys – have had the pleasure of beating in Champaign.

And never will.

"Tonight was our last chance," Turner said. "Now we'll have to try and pay them back when we go to Purdue."

It's happened before.

"We like playing at the Assembly Hall almost as much as they like playing at Mackey Arena," Purdue center Brad Miller said.

The rematch is set for Valentine's Day. By then, the Big Ten picture shouldn't be so fuzzy.

In becoming the first team to beat the Illini at their place since Wisconsin did it 13 games ago, the Boilermakers joined the UI and Michigan's Wolverines atop the Big Ten standings. The Illini entered Tuesday's action as the league's lone unbeaten.

You weren't expecting 16-0 now, were you?

"We didn't expect to go undefeated in the Big Ten or anything," Turner said. "And that wasn't a goal of ours, to go undefeated. What we want to do is just compete for the Big Ten championship."

Many, including UI coach Lon Kruger, predicted the road to the championship would go through West Lafayette, Ind.

After Tuesday, 14,874 fans can understand why.

The Boilermakers got an 18-point, 16-rebound masterpiece from Miller, won the battle of the boards 44-31 and hit 57 percent of their second-half shots to win their fourth straight in Champaign.

The hosts couldn't answer.

"A lot of people have trouble answering Purdue," Kruger said. "We're not very big, and Miller is a tough matchup. (Brian) Cardinal's physical. Their guards are strong. It's a tough matchup, but not just for us. It's a tough matchup for a lot of people in the country, and that's why they're a legitimate Top 10 club."

They were the second Top 10 club the Illini have run into since Christmas, their last loss also coming to a No. 9, UCLA.

That was the night Turner got hot, canning eight three-pointers. He'd been All-Big Ten since.

"We wanted to stay on him like white on rice," Purdue forward Gary McQuay said. "I think it worked."

With Chad Austin hounding him all night, Turner finished with a season-low seven points on 3-for-14 shooting.

As a team, the Illini misfired on 65 percent of their shots.

"For us to beat a Top 10 club, we've got to convert every opportunity, and we didn't do that," Kruger said.

The Illini didn't score a field goal in the final 6:07 of the first half but trailed only 36-31 at the break.

They hung around for a while in the second half, too, getting a big lift off the bench from freshman Sergio McClain, whose leaner in the lane brought Illinois within 46-43 and the crowd to its feet.

"I wanted to go all out," McClain said.

But Purdue countered quickly, getting baskets from Miller, Cardinal, Cardinal again, then Austin, before Illinois scored again.

It was 54-43, and 7:20 from over.

"We'll bounce back," Kruger promised.

Heldman finished with a game-high-tying 18 points, hitting 9 of 9 from the line.

Hester chipped in with 12, and McClain added 10 to go with his five rebounds.

But the Illini got zilch from starting center Gee, who Miller outscored by 18 and outrebounded by 15.

Miller made his presence felt other ways, too, swatting two shots and altering oodles of others. On this night, Keady even forgave him for the six turnovers.

"It's tough to get good looks when Miller is in there to clog up things," Kruger said. "I think he was a huge force in the ballgame and allowed them to do some things on the perimeter. Not everyone has that luxury."

Next up for the Illini: Michigan State on Saturday in East Lansing. Two weeks ago, the Spartans pounded Purdue 74-57 in West Lafayette.

"Certainly a tough, tough game with Michigan State," Kruger said. "I think they're one of the premier teams in the league."