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Two guys inside the Assembly Hall on Saturday can boast that they've won an ESPY award. Michael Jordan has a bunch, and Minnesota's Blake Hoffarber's got one, too.

The award winners shared a moment in the Assembly Hall tunnel after Minnesota's 62-60 win against Illinois when a star-struck Hoffarber stopped to shake hands with the NBA legend.

"I didn't know he was here during the game," Hoffarber said. "I grew up watching him play. This is definitely a fun thing for me."

Hoffarber won his ESPY in 2007 after a three-point shot he launched from his backside went through the net as time expired to send his Hopkins (Minn.) High Royals into the second overtime of the state championship game they eventually won. The sharp-shooting lefty was nominated for another ESPY the following year for a buzzer beater against Indiana in the Big Ten tournament.

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Jeff Jordan's dad doesn't get to see him play in person often, but the Illinois junior loves any opportunity to play in front of his famous father.

"He finally got out to one, so it's great. It's great having him around and great that he got to see a game," Jeff said.

Michael recently purchased majority interest in the Charlotte Bobcats from Illinois graduate Robert L. Johnson. Jordan serves as a top executive in the Bobcats' organization.

After a few minutes catching up with Jeff at the Assembly Hall, it was back on the road for Michael.

"He's got to get out pretty quick because he's pretty busy," Jeff said. "But when the season's over and I get to spend more time at home, we hang out a lot and spend some time together and talk about the season."

Jeff expects they'll have some time to see one another again soon.

"I'm sure he'll be at the Big Ten tournament, so I'm looking forward to that," he said.

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Brandon Paul's dad, Cliff, used to work security for Michael Jordan and rapper DMX, among others, when the Illinois freshman was growing up.

Even though he's played in front of Jordan before, Paul still gets a thrill out of his presence.

"I actually didn't even notice he was here," Paul said. "It was like halftime when I came out that I saw him. It makes you a little nervous. Obviously it's a great opportunity to have one of the greatest watch you play."

Paul played AAU basketball with Jordan's other son, Marcus, a freshman guard at Central Florida.

"I used to play with Marcus when I was younger. I've known Michael for a while, and he's a great guy," Paul said.

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Speaking of Marcus Jordan, the 6-foot-2 guard is averaging eight points per game for the Knights and recently moved into the starting lineup. The Whitney Young product started 13 of the 27 games in which he has appeared.

"He's doing good, he's real comfortable," Jeff Jordan said. "He just got into the starting lineup, and he's been playing real well. I talk to him once or twice a week, and he's really feeling good about it."

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Illinois recruiting target Mycheal Henry of Chicago Orr attended his first Illini game Saturday. Henry, a 6-5 wing player, is enjoying a breakout junior season and recently received a scholarship offer from Wisconsin, his first from a high-major program.

He was receiving interest from a host of midmajors, including Loyola, St. Louis and Illinois State. All the extra attention he's beginning to receive has been "overwhelming" for Henry.

"I didn't expect to do this well, but it's flattering," Henry said. "I just adapted to it. This is real fun. It feels good."

Henry said Illinois has come on strong lately in his recruitment.

"They want me to come to a lot of games, and they've been recruiting me hard," he said.

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The Illini scored a season-low 51 points in a win Tuesday at Michigan, and after scoring 14 points in the first half in Saturday's loss to the Gophers, it looked like they might set a low mark.

"The last two games we've struggled. We haven't shot; we haven't shot at the magic level," Illinois coach Bruce Weber said.

Illinois shot 23 percent (7 of 31) in the first half, including an 0-for-11 effort from behind the three-point line. The Illini finished at 32 percent (23 of 72) from the floor and 25 percent (9 of 36) from beyond the arc.

"When you don't make shots, then you start hanging your head," Weber said.

"We weren't hitting shots. They did a good job of limiting post touches and us getting into the lane," Paul said. "They're very focused, and we just didn't push it enough."

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Part of Illinois' offensive woes can be attributed to Minnesota's zone defense. Ohio State showed the Illini can be vulnerable against the zone in a win two weeks ago at the Assembly Hall, and the Gophers followed suit.

"That's something we've been doing recently, and it's been working for us," Hoffarber said of the zone defense. "We figured we could do it again today, and we had some success with it."

It's not as if the Gophers caught the Illini off guard. Illinois spent much of the week in practice working against zone defenses.

"We don't get enough inside touches. We're not a great passing team. Against the zone, you've got to pass the ball," Weber said. "You got to make reads and when you don't shoot it well from three – 9 for 36 – that's not very good."

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Another bugaboo for Illinois has been its inability to get to the free throw line consistently. In a loss to Purdue last week, the Illini attempted five foul shots. On Saturday, the Illini made 5 of 6 from the free throw line and didn't attempt their first until 7 minutes, 19 seconds remained.

"We definitely got to get to the line more. We've been relying on our jump shots too much and just settling on that," Paul said. "I think we need to be aggressive, and that'll help out a lot."

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Illinois trimmed a 19-point Minnesota lead to one late in the second half thanks to some hot shooting from Bill Cole.

The captain opened the second half hitting 3 of 4 three-point shots after the Illini missed their first 11 from that distance. Cole made five treys and finished with a career-high 15 points before fouling out.

"He came up huge. He hit some big shots to give us a chance," Illinois' Tyler Griffey said.

"Billy Cole gave us a nice spark, gave us a chance. He shot it with some confidence," Weber said. "He was the one who gave us a boost of energy to make it a game, at least."

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With about seven minutes to go and nothing appearing to work, Illinois went deep into its bag of tricks and went to a fullcourt trapping defense. The Gophers got a dunk in transition on the first possession, but the Illini regrouped and the pressure defense helped force a good chunk of Minnesota's 10 turnovers and allowed the Illini to trim that lead to one in the closing minutes.

"We do it in practice every day for a little bit. We got some turnovers, got some steals, and they led to quick baskets," Griffey said.

"We don't like to put ourselves in holes, but we've done that the past couple of games," Paul said. "We just wanted to put ourselves back in the game and have a chance there at the end."

The Illini rarely used a fullcourt defense, and it's likely not to become a staple in their game plan.

"It's last resort and panic. We got them frozen," Weber said. "It allowed us to make a push and make it a game."

Marcus Jackson