Illini Wallops Northwestern
By Jeff Mayfield

[March 02, 2015]  Champaign-Urbana-The University of Illinois Fighting Illini either played like a team possessed Saturday night at the State Farm Center or like a team fighting for its life! Whichever it was, it was a beautiful sight to behold as U of I blew out Northwestern, 86-60. It's nice to know they have it in them when their backs are against the wall.

On the Illini's second possession, Malcolm Hill dove for a loose ball near the baseline...sprung to his feet in a nanosecond...repositioned himself in the corner...received a pass and nailed a three. Coach Groce came flying onto the court in jubilation. That's the kind of effort he's been trying to implore the boys to embody all season long.

For the first time in a while I really liked our offense. Not just because we were making shots, but because of our flow, our tempo and our pace. The Illini moved the ball from side to side against the Wildcat zone and continued to get great looks all night. Movement is the key to wearing down the defense then the back screen or the side screen allows us to get the shots we need. We also were able to dribble into the paint and find open shooters. And keep in mind Northwestern had been playing amazingly well judging by their win over Indiana last time out and their four game winning streak coming into the game with the Illini.

U of I also played some lockdown defense for most of the contest. Again, evidence that this team knows that it has entered "go" time and if they don't get going they're going to get to “stay” home. I think they need at least two more wins to get into the NCAA tourney. That would make them 10-8 for a final league record though that's going to be tough as it assumes a win at Purdue. With the kind of whistles we've been seeing, you can never assume that. That's not just my opinion. Go to the Big Ten’s own website and see what broadcaster Steven Bardo has to say. I think you'll see what's being said here. Though road wins are up in the league this year, it will still certainly take a Herculean effort to get a victory in Mackey Arena.

That means the Illini will face a virtual must win scenario at the Big Ten Tourney. That's not nearly as tall an order as winning in West Lafayette. Of course my feelings would not be bruised if the Illini simply win out. Then if they want to go to Chicago and win two or three games, that wouldn't hurt my feelings either. But we will see what we will see.

Back to Saturday night’s game in Champaign. The Illini's offensive prowess saw 5 players in double figures. Rayvonte Rice celebrated a return to the starting lineup with 19 points. Ahmad Starks nailed 17, Malcolm Hill had 15 and Kendrick Nunn tallied 14. And Maverick Morgan came off the bench to contribute 10 points and led all rebounders with 8 caroms. It was great to see him have such a great night! The Illini made 14 3-pointers on the night. Northwestern was led by Alex Olah with 18 points. Bryant McIntosh had 15 and Dave Sobolewski added 12. Illinois out-rebounded the Wildcats 40-21!

U of I honored the 2004-05 Illini in a special ceremony at halftime. Of course the team flirted with perfection that season going 37-2 and were National Finalists. Roger Powell and Jack Ingram were on hand to wave to the crowd.

The Illini host the Nebraska Cornhuskers Wednesday night at 9 p.m...and that is not a misprint!

[By JEFF MAYFIELD]

Respond to the writer at [e-mail].