INDIANAPOLIS - Will that be enough to get Illinois into the NCAA tournament?

You have to like its chances.

No. 5 Illinois made it interesting, like it usually does, but outlasted No. 4 Wisconsin 58-54 in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals at Conseco Fieldhouse today.

"This win virtually locks Illinois into an at-large bid regardless what transpires in conference tournaments (i.e. WAC and Conference USA) where an unexpected victor could deflate a high-major's bubble," Yahoo! Sports bracket expert Brad Evans said after the game. "At worst, Illinois will be a No. 12 seed. However, if it musters another marquee effort against the Buckeyes, a No. 11 seed is conceivable. Unlike John Beilein, Weber better have his best miracle-thwarting scheme in mind just in case."

Illinois (19-13) advanced to face top-seeded Ohio State (25-7) in the semifinal round on Saturday (12:40 CST, CBS).

The Illini led by 16 points, but the Badgers came back, thanks to some sketchy end-game decisions by the Illini. Illinois used two timeouts because it couldn't get the ball in-bounds. The aggressive offense of the first half morphed into a prevent offense late in the second half.

Trevon Hughes promptly made like Reggie Miller and buried back-to-back-to-back three-pointers to cut the Illinois lead to 56-54 with 31 seconds left. Bruce Weber's hair turned a shade grayer.

But Illinois' game plan to that point was nearly flawless. Demetri McCamey and Mike Tisdale riddled the Badgers with the pick-and-pop, and Illinois played arguably its finest defensive game of the season, holding the Badgers to 18-percent shooting in the first half.

Tisdale finished with 21 points and eight rebounds. McCamey had 13 points, five rebounds and eight assists for Illinois, which needed a win to sharpen its NCAA tournament resume. The Illini own the quarterfinals at the Big Ten tournament, improving to 12-1 alltime.

More coverage later on HQ.

ILLINOIS (19-13)
Richardson 3-6 3-5 12, Davis 4-6 2-3 10, Cole 0-1 0-0 0,  McCamey 6-15 0-0 13, Tisdale 8-10 3-5 21, Paul 0-2 1-2 1,  Jordan 0-0 1-2 1, Keller 0-0 0-0 0, Griffey 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-40 10-17 58.
WISCONSIN (23-8)
Hughes 4-16 2-4 14, Taylor 3-9 0-0 8, Bohannon 1-10 2-2 5,  Leuer 5-13 2-5 14, Nankivil 2-6 0-0 5, Evans 2-5 0-0 4,  Jarmusz 0-1 0-1 0, Bruesewitz 1-2 0-0 2, Wilson 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 18-63 8-14 54.
Halftime-Illinois 29-20. 3-Point Goals-Illinois 6-10 (Richardson  3-4, Tisdale 2-2, McCamey 1-3, Cole 0-1), Wisconsin 10-29 (Hughes 4-10,  Leuer 2-3, Taylor 2-3, Nankivil 1-4, Bohannon 1-6, Bruesewitz 0-1,  Wilson 0-1, Jarmusz 0-1). Fouled Out-Hughes. Rebounds-Illinois 40 (Davis  10), Wisconsin 33 (Nankivil 8). Assists-Illinois 12 (McCamey 8),  Wisconsin 10 (Taylor 3). Total Fouls-Illinois 16, Wisconsin 18.  A-16,207.

HQ Live Report - 4:48 left in regulation - Illinois 46, Wisconsin 36

-D.J. Richardson's three-pointer to beat the shot clock - he kept his shooting hand in the air - was a big one. Put Illinois ahead by 16. Still, this one isn't over yet.

-Marcus just talked to the couple that got engaged on the "Kiss Cam." They're both attorneys and Illinois grads. Craig Cunningham is from Mattoon, Rachel Pelente is from Chicago. He lives here in Indy; she's in Lafayette. Both wearing Illinois gear. Congrats.

-Wayne McClain had the scouting report today - and for all three matchups with Wisconsin.

-Mike Tisdale has 18 points to lead all scorers. He's been tremendous on the perimeter, putting Wisconsin in an uncomfortable position as far as matchups.

-An Illinois fan behind us just stood up and screamed, "Hey, Bruce! You suck!"

Go figure.

Back in a few.

Klee

HQ Live Report - 10:27 left in regulation - Illinois 41, Wisconsin 26

-This is the most complete game I've seen Demetri play in his three seasons. He's working the pick-and-pop with Mike Tisdale to perfection, creating matchup problems on most possessions. Tisdale just hit his second three-pointer. He had two on the season coming into this game.

-McCamey's also conversing with Bruce Weber - with the ball in play. Pretty sure he just called an audible on Tisdale's last three. Weber applauded as Tisdale back-pedalled down the court.

-Mike Davis has nine boards to lead all rebounders. By comparison, Jon Leuer has two rebounds.

-Wisconsin's lowest point total this season: 47 in a loss at Michigan State.

Back in a few.

Klee

HQ Live Report - 15:59 left in regulation - Illinois 34, Wisconsin 20

-The Badgers are beyond cold. Shot 18.8 percent in the first half and they're 6-for-39 right now. Their lowest shooting percentage this season was a 30.5-percent effort at Minnesota. That resulted in a 16-point loss. Today, Wisconsin seems to content to launch three-pointers, with very little dribble penetration. They look awful.

-Roger Powell: "I've been keeping up with them (Illinois). I'm real disappointed with the last couple games we lost, but I bleed orange and blue, so I hope they pull something off."

-And these final 15 minutes probably will decide Illinois' postseason fate. Kind of a big deal.

Back in a few.

Klee

HQ Live Report - Halftime - Illinois 29, Wisconsin 20

-Illinois coaches applauding players as they left the court for halftime. Sean Harrington particularly animated. Promising start for the orange team.

-Wisconsin still can't defend Demetri. He can turn the corner whenever he wants and has 10 points, two assists and two boards to show for it. His size is a big advantage against this shorter backcourt. When you have the best player on either team, you always have a chance.

-Roger Powell is here, explaining how he has broken bones in his face. He says the guy that fell on him was 7-foot, 260 pounds. Powell's been back in the States for about two weeks on a break from playing in Spain.

Back in a few.

Klee

HQ Live Report - 7:00 left in the first half - Illinois 19, Wisconsin 13

-The left side of Roger Powell's face is broken in three places, he tells Marcus Jackson. The injury happened in a game, apparently when somebody fell on the former Illini. He'll be on the Illini Sports Network halftime show with Tate.

-McCamey and Jordan Taylor having a good laugh at halfcourt. Demetri's said he really likes the kid. Good player, too.

-I don't think Mike Tisdale traveled on that one. Could be wrong.

Back in a few.

Klee

HQ Live Report - 8:13 left in the first half - Illinois 18, Wisconsin 12

-Mike Tisdale is now 2-for-3 on threes this season - and 5-for-20 in his career. Swished a three-pointer from the top of the key.

-D.J. Richardson seems a little off. Weber just sat him down for a minute.

-Demetri McCamey just gave Leuer a nice little shove on the perimeter. I don't mind that.

-UI recruit Meyers Leonard leads Robinson against Hales Franciscan in the Class 2A state semifinals tonight. Prep expert Marcus Jackson says Hales is super talented, but Robinson has a great guard in Ben Jones and no one can defend Meyers Leonard. Marcus likes Robinson by three.

Back in a few.

Klee

HQ Live Report - 11:55 left in the first half - Illinois 11, Wisconsin 8

-The Illinois freshmen - Paul, Richardson and Griffey - have come out aggressive. D.J. had a big-time block and Paul is crashing the boards.

-Michael Jordan's here. He attended the Big Ten tournament when Jeff was a freshman. Jeff played crucial minutes in the upset of Purdue that year.

-Richard Semrau must be hot. He's not wearing his warmup jacket.

Back in a few.

Klee

HQ Live Report - 15:00 left in the first half - Illinois 9, Wisconsin 3

-Good start for Illinois. Buckets from Mike Tisdale (two) and D.J. Richardson pushed the Illini ahead.

-Most important, according to a UI assistant, "We have to guard." What Illinois does on defense is more important than how it scores.

-The endzone nearest the Illini bench is all Illinois fans. Illinois has the largest contingent here - for this game - although Wisconsin is well-represented.

-Quite a scene in the Ohio State locker room after Evan Turner's buzzerbeater. Turner said he felt confident in the play that was drawn up.

"I've got to give P.J. Hill a shout-out. He said right before we drew up the play, he said, 'It's going to become legendary,'" Turner said.

David Lighty wasn't surprised Turner made the shot - but it wasn't the guy he expected to make an (almost) halfcourter.

"That's the funny thing about it. Jon (Diebler) and Jeremie Simmons are probably the two that make the shot all the time, just joking around after practice or whatever," Lighty said. "Evan's always short or long or left or right."

Back in a few.

Klee

HQ Live Report - 10 minutes until tipoff - No. 5 Illinois vs. No. 4 Wisconsin - Conseco Fieldhouse

-This building is still buzzing from Evan Turner's basketball heroics. The Ohio State junior put a fitting stamp on his National Player of the Year season with a buzzerbeating halfcourter to beat Michigan 69-68. We had the angle from right behind Turner and, as crazy as this sounds, the knuckleball looked like it was going in. And it did. The pained reaction from the Michigan fans in attendance was as dramatic as the joy of the Ohio State contingent.

-The bigger question: What was Michigan's defensive approach on the last play? No pressure on the ball is unforgivable, and the best player in college basketball got a clean look. Strange, to say the least.

-Illinois and Wisconsin are on the floor going through warmups. The UI coaches, who were scouting the OSU-Michigan game, challenged Demetri McCamey to have his best defensive game. They figure the offense will come, as it usually does with Demetri. He also needs to get some help today.

-Illinois had a particularly early pregame shootaround this morning. The Illini were back to the hotel by 10 a.m.

-Your starting lineup: McCamey, Richardson, Cole, Davis and Tisdale. That lineup has a 3-8 record.

-Marcus Jackson just caught up with former Illini Roger Powell, who's in attendance

Back in a few.

Klee

HQ Live Report - Big Ten tournament quarterfinals - Conseco Fieldhouse

Good afternoon everyone. Paul Klee and Marcus Jackson back with you for the Friday games - Ohio State-Michigan, Illinois-Wisconsin and Minnesota-Michigan State - from Conseco Fieldhouse. A few things to get started...

-The upset of the Big Ten season is brewing here. Ohio State and Michigan are tied at 66 with 9.7 seconds left. The Illinois coaches are sitting a few seats down from us, scouting. And while they won't say it, playing Michigan in the semis would be a far better proposition than playing Ohio State. This is stunning.

-Celtics coach Doc Rivers was here yesterday (to watch his son, Indiana guard Jeremiah Rivers). So was former No. 1 pick Ralph Sampson (to watch his son, Minnesota big man Ralph Sampson III). We'll find out of MJ will be here, and then we'll form a Gus Macker team.

-Yesterday's HQ Live Report from Conseco: Click here.

-Jackson's notes from Thursday's games: Click here.

-Klee's Illinois preview: Click here.

-News-Gazette prediction: Click here.

-Email us (pklee@news-gazette.com or mjackson@news-gazette.com) with observations or follow our updates on Twitter.

Back in a few.

Klee