They took turns hammering Wisconsin.
Illinois guards Deron Williams, Luther Head and Dee Brown delivered metaphorical blows Saturday to the 20th-ranked Badgers in Illinois’ 70-59 Big Ten victory in front of a record Assembly Hall crowd of 16,865.
No. 1 Illinois, the only undefeated team in the country, extended its nation-leading winning streak to 25 games.
“We had some answers,” Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said, “then they came down and had an answer and a half.”
Once again, the Illini guards reminded the basketball world how potent Illinois (25-0, 11-0 Big Ten) is when each is in a zone.
Williams started the tear with eight straight points for the Illini early in the second half. His run started 22 seconds after Wisconsin’s Alando Tucker sank two free throws to open the second half and put the Badgers up 28-27, their only lead in the final 20 minutes.
But Head gave the Badgers (16-6, 7-4) the most trouble with his game-high 26 points. He is one of the nation’s premier three-point shooters and had hit at least one in every game–until Saturday. He went 0-for-3.
Still, he burned the Badgers with his penetration and pull-up jumpers. He also went 12 of 13 from the free-throw line.
“I thought he did a real good job with his hesitation dribble,” Ryan said. “You can’t go to sleep when he does that.”
Said Williams: “He’s just a complete offensive weapon. Teams are having to get out on him so hard, that allows him to drive like he did [Saturday]. They’re so worried about him going off for five threes, they have to close on him hard and he’s quick enough to get around them.”
Every time Wisconsin sliced into Illinois’ lead, one of the three guards answered. In the final 18:47, Wisconsin came no closer than five points.
“We always had a guy to make a shot for us,” Head said. “I think that says a lot about our team–that we respond well to whatever the other team does.”
Head was asked about Illinois’ 5 of 8 three-point shooting in the second half.
“It wasn’t me that hit no three-pointers,” he said with a laugh. “Dee took over there at the end.”
Brown hit three of his four three-pointers in the second half and finished with 16 points before fouling out with 30 seconds left. Williams added 15.
Foul trouble frustrated Brown, and Illinois forward Roger Powell was in a similar bind. Powell drew his second foul just about 2 minutes into the game and was whistled for his third just 16 seconds after the second half began.
Illinois coach Bruce Weber gambled, leaving Powell in the game and allowing Brown to play in his similar predicament.
“I wanted to get something going,” Weber said. “I felt if we didn’t get something going, we were playing into their hands.”
Wisconsin’s deliberate pace in the first half gave the Illini a gut check. Illinois couldn’t fall back on its transition game, and the Badgers were suffocating Illinois’ Powell and James Augustine inside. Powell scored two and Augustine four.
But Illinois was equally effective guarding Wisconsin forward Mike Wilkinson, who scored just eight points. The Badgers depended on Tucker, who finished with 24 points but didn’t score the team’s first second-half field goal until more than five minutes had elapsed.
By then, Illinois was on its way to its 21st straight Big Ten victory.
“We like to play fast,” Weber said. “We still have reacted well and played grind-out games. It was something I worried about last year. Now it’s so many different guys every time.”
