Penn State 38, UI men 33
For the box score, click here.
To see what Eric Loy had to say after Wednesday's loss, click here
For photos from Wednesday's loss, click here.
To hear what fans had to say during the postgame call-in show, click here.
To hear the postgame locker-room show, click here.
To read Paul Klee's in-game blog, click here.
To read Wednesday's UI men's basketball chat, click here.
CHAMPAIGN – The night before, several of the Illinois players saw the door creak open when Big Ten front-runner Michigan State lost at Purdue.
So you're saying there's a chance!
(Slam.)
That was the door closing on those Big Ten title hopes. No. 18 Illinois and Penn State played one for the ages – the Dark Ages – Wednesday. The Nittany Lions won 38-33 on the scoreboard, but basketball suffered.
"That should be a halftime score, to be honest," UI coach Bruce Weber said.
Somehow, the Big Ten Network managed to splice together two minutes' worth of highlights from the game on its wrapup show. (That guy deserves a raise.) As for you, the fan, feel free to delete the recording and forget the game happened.
"I haven't been involved in one like this – ever. I kept looking at the score and didn't know what half we were in," said Penn State (19-8, 8-6 Big Ten) coach Ed DeChellis. "It was 38-33 at the end, and I was like, 'We set this (game) back a few years.' (James) Naismith probably rolled over several times."
The teams combined to score the fewest points in a Division I game this season and the fewest points in a game since Monmouth beat Princeton 41-21 on Dec. 14, 2005.
Illinois quarterback Juice Williams sat courtside. The halftime score: Penn State 17, Illinois 15 (32 points). The halftime score of the Illinois-Penn State football game in September: Penn State 21, Illinois 14 (35).
"I told the coaches (before the game), 'It would be interesting how we'd play,' " Weber said. "I would never have anticipated this."
Coupled with a 59-36 loss in January at Minnesota, Illinois (21-6, 9-5) now has scored in the 30s twice in a season for the first time since the 1946-47 campaign.
"We missed some shots that we normally make," senior Trent Meacham said. "It was a combination of both (cold shooting and PSU's defense)."
"Look at the score," said Chester Frazier, whose seven points tied Meacham for a team high. "The score's in the 30s."
Put it this way. The Nuggets' Carmelo Anthony scored 33 this season – in a quarter. Northwestern – yes, Northwestern – more than doubled Illinois' point total in a 72-69 win against Ohio State on Wednesday. On his way to 54 points against Tennessee in January, Kentucky's Jodie Meeks scored his 33rd point with 17:55 remaining.
And as it stands, the Illini's 33rd game would be in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament. But Illinois fell two games behind Michigan State (10-3 Big Ten) in the loss column with four games left, and its slim title hopes probably just crept out the door.
"It's going to be tough for us right now," Weber said. "We've got to take care of ourself. We've got to get the next one."
What happened
For the second time this season, Illinois failed to reach 40 points in 40 minutes. And if the Minnesota debacle (59-36) was a disaster, this was a mega-disaster. The Illini rewrote the wrong records, and Penn State won for the third straight time at the Assembly Hall.
What it means
In terms of competing for the Big Ten title, Illinois shot itself in the foot. So at least the Illini hit something. The Big Ten must hope the NCAA tournament selection committee doesn’t get the Big Ten Network. The league did itself no favors with another clunker.
What the Illini said
“I want my money back!” – an Illinois fan exiting the Assembly Hall
What the Nittany Lions said
“We’re all fighting for our lives to make the (NCAA) tournament.” – coach Ed DeChellis
What’s next
The Illini played three games in seven days and must travel to face Ohio State on Sunday (noon, CBS). Illinois hasn’t won in Columbus in five years — since assistant coach Jerrance Howard was a senior. Illinois walloped Ohio State 67-49 in their first meeting.
i'll credit both defenses for strong performances.I'll question some of the officiating (0 FT attempts). I saw some shots rim out that could have easily fallen. That still doesn't explain what I watched last night. We should have dominated inside, but I watched Tis setting useless screens on the perimeter all night. With that many misses by state penn, I would have thought we could have gotten some easy transition baskets. 1 I can remember.
Maybe my expectations were to high. They aren't any longer.
Here's what I don't understand. McCamey was fighting off the flu at Indiana on Sunday - in a game that we could have won without him.
McCamey was really fighting off the flu last night - barfed at half time according to the papers. Shot 2-11 (and those 11 shots were 22% of all the shots U if I took).
What was he doing out there? Can one really expect a guy with the flu to "get hot" and light it up? Better percentage is to go with a sub (Legion - Jordan - hell, even Cole!) and hope the sub gets hot.
Illini really need McCamey on Sunday at Ohio State; hope his flu is gone and his strength is back. IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE????
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