Illini not finished yet
INDIANAPOLIS -- When Illinois game-planned how to keep its season alive Friday in the Big Ten quarterfinals, Bruce Weber knew there were a few things it had to do.
• Take care of the ball against Purdue's harassing man-to-man defense? Illinois turned it over 23 times.
• Shake off their season-long woes at the free-throw line? The Illini went 8-for-20.
• Keep Purdue's deadly 3-point shooting in check? The Boilermakers drained 11.
It all adds up to a merciful end to one of the worst Illinois seasons, right?
Not so fast.
Not with freshman Demetri McCamey making clutch shots like he was Michael Jordan, and Michael Jordan's son Jeff going from walk-on to providing the Illini key minutes off the bench.
McCamey made all 6 of his 3-pointers, including a 22-footer that forced overtime. He scored 4 more points and assisted on a basket in overtime, leading Illinois to an improbable 74-67 victory over Purdue in front of 18,691 at Conseco Fieldhouse.
The road to the Big Ten championship game possibly opened up for the 10th-seeded Illini (15-18), who will play Minnesota in the semifinals today at 3:05 p.m. in front of a national CBS audience. The Illini have won their last 19 games over the Golden Gophers, including a pair this year.
In a loud Illinois locker room that hasn't had much to cheer about this year, players mussed Weber's hair and celebrated the team's first win in nine tries over a ranked opponent.
"I think it's just understanding the position we're in, to only have one more game and if that's it, that's it," senior Brian Randle said. "And now, back to the walls, no expectations, really nobody caring but us, that allows us to be free and loose. Guys are taking that to heart and we're playing together."
McCamey made the win possible with several big shots in regulation and then his game-tying 3. He came off a screen to shake Big Ten defensive player of the year Chris Kramer and tie the game with 15 seconds left.
"As soon as it touched my fingers, I got a good arch on it and let it fly, and it felt good," McCamey said.
Kramer just missed a potential game-winning 18-footer at the buzzer.
In overtime, Illinois executed its offense perfectly, taking advantage of the Boilermakers' aggressiveness. McCamey scored on two backdoor cuts, getting pin-point passes from Trent Meacham and Mike Davis, then McCamey found Davis for another lay-in.
When Davis put back McCamey's missed layup to push the Illini to a 71-66 lead and 40 seconds left, all Illinois had to do was make free throws. They proceeded to miss 5 of 6, but it didn't matter when the Boilermakers misfired on all 10 shots in overtime.
"Sometimes you can't explain it," Weber said.
Illinois recovered from a 15-0 Purdue run in the first half with its own 15-5 spurt to end the first half tied at 28-28. Jordan and Davis combined for 8 points.
The Illini went up by 5 twice in the second half at 41-36 and 47-42, but both times Moore answered with long jumpers. Purdue (24-8) took the lead with seven minutes to go and held it until the final minute before a basket by Shaun Pruitt (14 points, 9 rebounds) and McCamey's 3 tied the game.
"A lot of stuff he just made plays on his own," Meacham said of McCamey. "Those were just great shots, clutch shots, some of those the defense can't do anything about. He was unbelievable tonight."