Illini seniors say their goodbyes

Feel-good moments have been few and far between for Illinois in its 13-18 season, which made the postgame scene at Assembly Hall all that more enjoyable for three Illini seniors.

After shaking hands with Minnesota, Illinois coach Bruce Weber took the microphone and announced his seniors had a few words for the 60th straight sellout crowd.

Brian Randle went first and thanked the fans, especially Orange Krush.

"I'm going to keep this brief before I start tearing up," Randle said. "I love you all, you always will be in my heart. Go Illini."

Shaun Pruitt, who missed free throws at the end of regulation and overtime last month that would have defeated Indiana, received the biggest reaction when he said: "I'd like to personally apologize for the Indiana game. I know a lot of people weren't too happy with me after that game. I appreciate everybody who stuck with me and my team."

Walk-on Chris Hicks, just a minute after recording his first field goal of the season on a 3-pointer at the buzzer, took the microphone last.

"You made a little kid's dream come true. I-L-L," Hicks said before getting a loud "I-N-I" in return.

Get him the ball: While Illinois coach Bruce Weber was apologizing to Minnesota coach Tubby Smith for Chris Hicks' last shot when the Illini could have run out the clock, Smith was impressed.

"I don't like to shoot at end of games," Weber said. "He (Hicks) looked at me and smiled, 'Coach I was thinking no, but I just wanted to shoot it.' Tubby said, 'Man, he's a good shooter.' "

Pruitt was glad for his fellow senior.

"That was crazy," Pruitt said. "I'm definitely happy for him because he is the unsung hero of our team. He always comes to practice to work hard. He never gets the publicity."

Success in the classroom: Shaun Pruitt and Brian Randle weren't able to keep Illinois' run of 20-win seasons alive in their senior season, but the two -- along with Chris Hicks -- will keep a less-publicized streak alive.

Entering this season, all 12 of Bruce Weber's players who have completed their eligibility received their degrees. By May, that will become 15 for 15.

Randle, a three-time member of the Big Ten all-academic team, already has an agri-finance degree and will receive his master's in August. Pruitt will graduate in May with a degree in speech communications.

Injury update: Rodney Alexander did not play. The junior forward still is recovering from a Grade 1 concussion and should be back for the Big Ten tournament.

Chester Frazier left the game with 4:38 remaining after bumping knees on a drive to the basket. Frazier has Oshgood-Schlatter (a tiny fracture at the top of the bone in the calf) in one knee and tendinitis in the other.

"We've got to see if we can get that knee better over the next 3-4 days," coach Bruce Weber said. "See if we can survive for a few games in Indy with him. When he said he can't go, that means he can't go. We've got to get him healthy."

Brian Randle, who dislocated his shoulder 18 days ago, played 27 minutes Saturday.

"It's OK," he said. "I've been through much worse and played with a lot more pain."

Last chance: Next up is Illinois' last shot at keeping its eight-year streak alive of making the NCAA tournament. That's borderline impossible for a team that didn't win consecutive games in the Big Ten and hasn't won four in a row all season.

"Hopefully we get matched up with a team that overlooks us," Shaun Pruitt said. "We're playing like our backs are against the wall. I think a lot of teams might not have that mind-set."

They will need a run even better than in 1999, the last time Illinois didn't make the NCAA Tournament and the last time the Illini were seeded as low as their No. 10 this year.

Illinois entered as the 11th seed in 1999 but upset No. 6 Minnesota, No. 3 Indiana and No. 2 Ohio State before losing the championship game to a Michigan State team that reached the Final Four.

"Now we have to go to Indy with a positive frame of mind," Brian Randle said. "It's our last chance this season to get something done."

Last year Illinois also had pressure. The Illini won two games to reach the Big Ten semifinals and squeaked into the NCAA tourney as a No. 12 seed.

"We were determined last year," Pruitt said. "If we play at the level we did last year we should be OK. We've got to have a lot of mental toughness."