The Big Ten is celebrating an 8-4 basketball dominance of the proud ACC, with Ohio State's 85- 63 rout of Duke the centerpiece.

But it is our nature, once the results are in, to overlook the squeakers. Eight of those games were single-digit affairs in the final five minutes. Among the Big Ten winners, Indiana and Minnesota led by a point with 2:00 showing, Penn State was up by four, and Illinois by six.

Point is, you're only as good as your ability to finish. Some have it in the clutch, some don't. New Big Ten entry Nebraska scored seven points in the last 7:30 against Wake Forest and lost 55-53. That reminds of Illinois last season. Demetri McCamey and the Illini often hit a wall in the closing minutes. The Illini went down to the wire in 11 of their 14 losses in which they either led, were tied or trailed by a single possession in the final three minutes, and they remained that close in the final 60 seconds in eight of them.

That's the difference between a 20-win season and a 28-win campaign.

The addition of a 6-foot veteran from Bradley has thus far made the difference in the UI's 7-0 start. In three tight games, Sam Maniscalco has engaged each crisis like Popeye eating his spinach.

Against Richmond, he scored 12 of the UI's last 21 points in what was a five-point game in the last 1:30. Against Illinois State, he racked 10 of the last 18, putting Illinois ahead 50-47 with consecutive baskets and adding a trey and a layup to expand a nervous 56-54 lead in the last two minutes. With the Illini ahead 51-50 at Maryland, he bagged 12 of the last 20 points to deny the Terps, 71-62.

Of the UI's last 59 points in three close games, he scored 34. That's almost 60 percent. McCamey had a flair for setup passes, garnering 733 career assists, including 16 in a game at Purdue. In this tiny sample, Maniscalco appears more careful, less flamboyant and yet more deadly. He had no assists at Maryland. But when the Illini needed a score, he was the go-to guy. He is the coach on the court in several ways, pulling Meyers Leonard away from a late confrontation. It is critical to this team that his ankle allows him to play to full potential. He is clearly an overachiever.

Rough road ahead

Starting with Gonzaga here Saturday, it gets a lot tougher for Bruce Weber's team.

Three unbeaten Top 20 teams loom before Christmas, quickly determining whether this squad can attain its long-shot goal of joining the national elite. UNLV, fresh from a double-OT win at Santa Barbara, is No. 18 while Missouri checks in at No. 13 and Gonzaga at No. 19 in the AP poll. Based on the performances of these upcoming rivals, the Illini first must show they can keep pace for the first 35 minutes before being concerned about how they finish.

The most intriguing matchup Saturday will pit senior Robert Sacre, a 7-foot, 260-pound Canadian, against slender Illini 7-footer Leonard.

"Sacre is strong," Weber said Thursday. "He's a different body type and, if he gets his body on you, he can hurt you under the basket. Meyers is still learning how to get position on the block. Defensively, he is learning that you can't block every shot."

Illinois played its best road game of last season in winning 73-61 in Seattle. The Illini bagged 12 of 23 threes, and Gonzaga coach Mark Few removed Sacre on one occasion when he twice failed to guard Mike Tisdale on the arc. Still, Sacre finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, roughly his numbers (16.6 and 8.2) in five wins this season. The year before, Illinois trailed by 21 in Chicago, rallied to go ahead by eight and ultimately lost in overtime, 85-83. Sacre and Elias Harris (current junior from Germany) scored 19 apiece in that one.

This is the rubber match in the three-game series, though Weber's NCAA runners-up won 89-72 in November 2004, and Bill Self's Illini won in 2001.

UI basketball tidbits

— Free throws made the difference Tuesday at Maryland. In the frustrating 16-19 season of 2008, Illinois sank to 60.8 percent on charities, the lowest since 1950. Missed charities contributed to late-game failures. The Illini have improved steadily since then, reaching an acceptable 71.9 percent last season and now stand at 77.5 through seven games. Illinois won the game with 18 of 20 Tuesday while Maryland hit 15 of 25, missing opportunities with key misses in the stretch.

— With Brandon Paul going 4 of 22 and Tyler Griffey 5 of 17, three-pointers aren't falling for the Illini so far. The team percentage is 32.3, about which Weber said: "We are capable. One of these games we'll make a bunch of threes. I'm glad to see Brandon going to the basket. I want him to play vertical, to drive in or pull up or kick it off. The threes will come. And we know Tyler will shoot better."

— Weber was disappointed that he didn't play Nnanna Egwu more minutes at Maryland. The freshman was incredibly active in six minutes with three rebounds, a block and a basket. But Weber played it close to the vest with only six players getting more than Egwu's six minutes.

— Gonzaga's Few takes second place to no coach in his willingness to play a tough nonconference schedule. After tackling Notre Dame and Illinois this week, the Zags look ahead to the likes of Michigan State, Arizona, Butler and Xavier.

Loren Tate writes for The News-Gazette. He can be reached at ltate@news-gazette.com.