Their mothers always taught them it was better to share.
After Minnesota was through frightening them to death at Williams Arena on Sunday, the Fighting Illini were forced to agree.
Their victory was rough. It was ragged. It was shaky. Deep down they were selfish enough to want it all. But half of something is still 10 times better than the alternative.
Rallying past the Golden Gophers 67-59, Illinois (23-6, 13-3) claimed a chunk of the Big Ten championship with Michigan State and secured the No. 1 seed in this week’s Big Ten tournament.
Something so ugly never tasted so sweet.
“We got it! We worked hard for it and we got it!” said Sergio McClain after Illinois had fought and scrapped and gasped its way back from looming disaster. “It hasn’t sunk in yet, but this is what we wanted. I’m happy for these guys; I’m happy for myself. Nobody can ever take this away from us now.”
How ugly was it? Weakened by the flu, McClain scored six points in the first three minutes and zero the rest of the game. Cory Bradford went 1-for-8 from the floor and finished with three points. Against Minnesota’s triangle-and-two zone the Illini turned the ball over 16 times. They shot 27 percent from three-point range (7-of-26). And with 11 minutes 51 seconds to go they trailed the Gophers by five points.
Is that any way to win a Big Ten crown?
Uh, yes. Because as anybody who has watched this team knows, nothing ever comes easily to the Illini on the road.
Frank Williams came to the rescue again with a team-high 15 points, including six in the last 41/2 minutes, and Brian Cook added 11 points. But it took another clutch performance by a benchwarmer to finally shake Illinois from its funk. This time the hero was Sean Harrington, who made back-to-back three-pointers–one to bring the Illini within 46-45 and another to put them up 48-46 with 6:03 to go–the first time they had led since 30-29.
“If anyone deserves the game ball it’s Sean,” Illinois coach Bill Self said. “We had nothing going and he made the shots that got us back into it.”
Harrington, who finished with 13 points, including three three-pointers, said his two late bombs rank among his biggest ever.
“Oh, for sure, for sure,” Harrington said. “This was one of the biggest games we’ve ever played and to be able to hit a few shots to help us win the Big Ten championship is a dream come true.”
Harrington, though, had plenty of help. Illinois, which had looked tentative against the Gophers’ zone, turning the ball over and missing wide-open shots, fared much better after Minnesota reverted to a man-to-man. The Gophers made the switch when the Illini regained the lead 52-50 on Williams’ fast-break, double-pump, finger-roll layup.
Illinois took control with a 7-1 run that included a three-point play by Cook, another fast-break layup by Williams and a jumper at the end of a fast break by Cook for a 61-54 lead. Four clutch free throws by Lucas Johnson iced the Illini’s second co-championship in four years.
Were the Illini worried? No way, said McClain.
“They were scrappy and quick and just better than us today,” he said. “At the end, though, we just went out there determined not to let them score.”
Minnesota (17-12, 5-11) was led by Terrance Simmons with 19 points, but the Illini held the Gophers without a basket for the final 2:58.
“We aren’t saying `Big Ten champs!’ in our huddles anymore,” Cook said. “From now on we’re saying `national champs!’ That’s our goal.”
