Deron Williams had the assignment early, and it was a daunting task.
The Illinois sophomore defended against Bracey Wright, Indiana’s scoring machine, in one of the toughest arenas for visiting teams in the Big Ten. When foul trouble forced Williams out of the game, Luther Head took over.
Both players were spectacular against Wright. The Big Ten’s second-leading scorer came in averaging 20.4 points a game but scored only nine against the Illini.
But when the time came to guard against Wright’s potential game-winning three-pointer, and with Illinois’ comeback from an 11-point second-half deficit on the line, Illinois coach Bruce Weber turned to 7-foot-2-inch center Nick Smith.
Smith was up to the challenge. He swatted Wright’s three-point attempt with eight seconds left to secure Illinois’ 51-49 victory at Indiana’s Assembly Hall on Tuesday night and keep the Illini’s hopes for a Big Ten title alive.
The victory is a first on the road for Illinois (14-5, 5-3) in Big Ten play this season and the Illini are tied for third place with the Hoosiers (11-8, 5-3) in the conference standings. Michigan State is in second place at 5-2, behind 5-1 Wisconsin.
Smith scored only eight points, but he gave Illinois its first lead of the game with a jump shot from just beyond the free-throw line with 3:28 to play. His baseline jumper with 2:41 left put Illinois up for good with the game’s final points. He also had three blocks, including two that were critical down the stretch.
“He turned the game around,” Williams said. “He did everything he had to to help us get a road win.”
It was a big switch from Illinois’ loss at Wisconsin on Jan. 24, when a technical foul on Smith deflated the Illini and left Smith sulking on the bench. Since then he has struggled with foul trouble.
“For me finally to get to play a game and do something to help us win a really big game, it feels great,” Smith said.
Indiana’s Wright, who played high school basketball with Williams at The Colony High School in Texas, failed to score in double figures for only the second time this season.
“We decided [Monday] that we were not going to let Bracey beat us,” Weber said.
The Illini kept Wright in check but still struggled in the first half. They trailed 27-20 at intermission, and it could have been worse if not for Roger Powell’s nine points and eight rebounds. Powell led all scorers with 15 points.
Williams, who had been scoreless in the first half, came back to score 12 in second. He also had six assists.
“I told him, `If you score zero, Deron, I don’t care,'” Weber said. “Shut [Bracey] down, win the game, and you have bragging rights for the whole year. Then he comes out and has one of his best halves offensively that he has had in a long time.”
Indiana made only four of 26 shots in the second half and didn’t score a field goal in the final 9:53. Wright attempted a long three-pointer as time ran out, but it bounced off the backboard.
Afterward, he reflected on his miss against Smith.
“We got the shot that we wanted,” he said. “It’s just unfortunate that the 7-2 guy was there to contest my shot.”
