FINAL: Ohio State 66, Illinois 55

Stunned by a ninth-seeded Illinois team in the 2008 Big Ten tournament quarterfinals, top-seeded Ohio State wasn't about to let it happen again.

Big Ten Player of the Year Jantel Lavender scored 19 points to lead the Buckeyes (28-4) into today's semifinals. Illinois (16-14) will likely be headed to the WNIT for the fifth time in seven seasons when bids are awarded late on March 15.

Illinois senior Jenna Smith finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds. She is three points away from breaking Ashley Berggren's career scoring record.

Illinois shaved a 16-point deficit with 9:30 to play down to six and had a chance to cut it further with 4 minutes to go. But Smith misfired on a three-pointer and Lacey Simpson missed a jumper. Lavender scored on the other end to push it back to eight. 

Simpson had 13 points and seven rebounds. Lydia McCully added 11 points.

Illinois is now 0-6 against Ohio State since that 2008 tourney upset.

HALFTIME: Ohio State 33, Illinois 24

Ohio State guard Samantha Prahalis is showing Illinois why she was a unanimous pick to the All-Big Ten first team. 

Prahalis' freewheeling ways on offense got the 10th-ranked Buckeyes' offense revved up, and they took off late in the first half to open a comfortable margin on the Illini.

After the Illini crept within 24-19, Prahalis hit a 17-footer, then dished between her legs to Brittany Johnson, who sank a three-pointer. A Shavelle Little layup made it 31-19. Prahalis has helped helped the Buckeyes control the flow and tempo of the game, speeding it up to their liking. 

The Illini offense has often settled for jumpshots against OSU's 2-3 zone. Jenna Smith has five points and four rebounds. She did not score in the final 10 minutes of the half.

Illinois shot 32 percent, saved in part by 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range. 

Jantel Lavender has nine points for the Buckeyes.

20 minutes to tipoff

Greetings from Conseco Fieldhouse, where the Illinois women will try to pull off what would be -- for my money -- the biggest upset in the history of the Big Ten tournament.

Illinois' victory as the No. 9 seed against top-seeded Ohio State in 2008 would be the current leader in that category, but an Illini victory tonight would unquestionably top that one. In '08, Illinois had beaten Ohio State once in the regular season (and should have beaten them twice). An Illinois victory was surprising but not an utter shock. Today, however, is a daunting task for the Illini, who were destroyed by Ohio State in Champaign and later lost by double digits in Columbus.

To get it done, Illinois might have to make the game as ugly as possible. Ohio State coach Jim Foster disdains low-scoring, physical games, the type of game Illinois can play. If it's a shootout, Ohio State wins. Easily. But if Illinois can frustrate the Buckeyes with a halfcourt, physical, grind-it-out type of game, it might have a chance to pull the upset.

--The Columbus Dispatch today made mention of the season-long battle Jantel Lavender has waged with injuries. Lavender, too, doesn't like a physical game. 

--Jenna Smith needs 16 points tonight to break Ashley Berggren's career scoring record (2,089) at Illinois.

--The first five games of this tournament all had the same backdrop: One team had swept the other during two regular season games. The team that had lost twice got its revenge yesterday and today. They went 4-1 in those five games, which included Ilinois' victory yesterday against an Indiana team that had beaten it twice previously.

--Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez has been here all day. He's set to watch his Badgers take on Purdue in the final game of the day.