Illinois gets that sinking feeling again
CHAMPAIGN -- Remember the not-so-distant Final Four days when Bill Murray followed around Bruce Weber's team?
Now Weber's team follows in Murray's footsteps -- or at least those of one of his more famous characters.
"It's 'Groundhog Day,' there's no doubt," Weber said. "At least tonight we found a way to force overtime."
Just as in the recent losses to Maryland and Arizona, the Illini couldn't figure out a way to finish off Miami (Ohio) when they had chances Thursday night.
While Illinois scored 7 frantic points in the final minute of regulation to forge overtime, Michael Bramos' open 3-pointer with 2:26 left gave the RedHawks the lead for good.
When freshman center Mike Tisdale's hurried 3-point try at the buzzer went awry, Miami celebrated a 61-58 victory before a disheartened sellout.
Illinois (6-4) suffered just its second loss in its last 59 nonconference games at the Assembly Hall, a stretch that goes all the way back to 1998.
"It's a big win," Miami coach Charlie Coles said. "This is a huge win."
Coles tried to joke that Illinois fans shouldn't be too mad at Miami because it's the alma mater of football coach Ron Zook.
Not even thoughts of Zook's Rose Bowl-bound Illini seemed likely to pacify the fans, especially the majority who fled when Miami (6-4) built a 5-point edge with 11.7 seconds to go in overtime.
They almost missed another miraculous rally.
Senior center Shaun Pruitt (24 points, 15 rebounds) tipped in a shot to cut the deficit to 3, then Bramos fell out of bounds trying to draw a foul with 1.6 seconds to go.
The Illini (6-4) didn't have any timeouts left, so they ran a play designed to get Tisdale a step-back 3 from the top of the key.
When it didn't fall, suddenly the Illini had to deal with the alien concept of heading into Saturday's Braggin' Rights game against Missouri after a loss.
Illinois hadn't lost the game leading into the Missouri game since 1998. Can the Illini recover into time to avoid their first loss to the Tigers since 1999?
"There's no desperation, I'll tell you that much," said senior forward Brian Randle, who contributed 14 points. "This team, people may not see it. They may not want to see it, but we're a good team. It's time for us to believe it.
"We said in the huddle, 'Believe.' In the last 15 seconds there, Mike Tisdale got a shot. He missed it, but he was confident. That's what we are. There's no desperation. There's no sense of doubt."
There's also no consistency on offense.
Illinois went 11 minutes, 58 seconds in the second half without a basket. That stretch of 10 straight misses allowed Miami to turn a 36-30 deficit into a 46-41 lead with 3:40 left in regulation.
With starting Illini guards Trent Meacham and Chester Frazier combining for 5 points in 72 minutes, Miami eventually decided to hound Pruitt in the post and let the guards shoot.
Look for that to happen more as this season bumps along. The Illini are 9-for-49 from 3-point range in their last three games.
"It's pretty simple," Weber said. "Somehow, we've got to make some shots."