No Illini rally this time
MADISON, Wis. -- Apparently Trevon Hughes didn't know Wisconsin is supposed to come unglued when Illinois makes its traditional Kohl Center comeback.
Perhaps that's because the Badgers' sophomore point guard still was in high school when the Illini rallied for rare wins here in 2005 and 2006.
After Illinois pulled within 3 points midway through the second half Thursday night, Hughes took over on both ends of the floor to preserve Wisconsin's homecourt dominance.
Hughes delivered a game-high 22 points, 6 steals and 5 assists to steer the 21st-ranked Badgers to a 70-60 Big Ten victory before the usual 17,190 at the Kohl Center.
"I tell you, he was everywhere," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. "That showed me something."
Hughes' efforts ruined a few-holds-barred effort by Illinois (8-8, 0-3), which tried in vain to prevent the program's first four-game losing streak since January 1999.
"We shouldn't be in this dilemma," Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. "If we would've played this hard back at that time (in home losses to Miami Ohio and Tennessee State), we wouldn't be at this point. This wouldn't be a major catastrophe."
To stir things up against the Badgers, Weber gave freshman point guard Demetri McCamey his first start.
Weber also abandoned his man-to-man mandate by playing a 2-3 zone for a fistful of possessions in each half, which was designed to slow Wisconsin's swing offense.
He tried different combinations, including extra playing time for junior Rodney Alexander, in an effort to get something going.
Meanwhile, Chester Frazier ignored a potentially cracked rib to fight through 30 painful minutes off the bench, while junior forward Calvin Brock ignored 16 stitches in his nose to contribute 14 points.
When Brock hit a runner in the lane with 9:35 to go, Illinois slashed Wisconsin's margin to 44-41 and made some of the natives nervous.
That's when Hughes, a 6-foot sophomore from New York City, went into a frenzy.
He promptly drove to the basket and fed Jason Bohannon in the corner for an open 3-pointer.
He then ripped the ball right out of Frazier's hands as he drove and headed downcourt for a long 3-pointer for a 50-41 lead.
Two Illinois possessions later, Hughes doubled down and ripped the ball out of Shaun Pruitt's hands to trigger a fastbreak layup for Joe Krabbenhoft.
Brock's 3-pointer sneaked the Illini back within 52-46, but Hughes fed Marcus Landry for a 3-pointer and hit his third 3-pointer of the night to clinch the game.
"He did what his team needed for them to win," Brock said.
Senior center Brian Butch added 16 points and 7 rebounds for Wisconsin (13-2, 3-0). Meanwhile, Illini seniors Shaun Pruitt and Brian Randle combined for 13 points and 9 rebounds on 5-of-15 shooting.
During the crucial second-half stretch, Randle missed 2 dunks and had a finger roll rejected by backup center Greg Stiemsma.
Now Illinois has just two days to recover before heading to No. 10 Indiana to face one-time recruit Eric Gordon for the first time.
"We have nothing to lose," Frazier said. "They probably think they're going to beat us by 20 or more, so we've got to come out and play hard from the jump.
"I think if we play hard, we can give them a game."