This week, the Illinois Fighting Illini made their first appearance in the polls since the end of the 2005-2006 season, and, apparently, they are planning on an extended stay. Tuesday night they summarily disposed of a very respectable Ohio State team, 67-49. Though OSU is still missing a key cog in swingman David Lighty, this was a quality victory for the Illini. The inside duo of Dominique Keller and Mike Tisdale proved too much inside for the Buckeyes, as the two combined for 27 points on 11-17 shooting.
While Tisdale's been proving his worth for quite some time, Keller hasn't been playing much and made the biggest impact he has all season. Not only was Keller solid offensively, but he was able to lock down Ohio State's Dallas Lauderdale after entering the game about mid-way through the first half.
For the Buckeyes, freshman seven-footer B.J. Mullens scored in double-figures for the fifth straight time. Of course, he also turned the ball over four times and was only 2-9 from the free throw line. He also gave the Illini crowd the "shush" hand gesture during the first half, when Ohio State was trailing by double-digits. I'm not sure Thad Matta would be pleased with that lack of game awareness.
What it Means for OSU
Ohio State was reeling in early January, but had come around recently. Still, their only real solid win since narrowly holding off Butler at home (December 13) was at Michigan last week. Tuesday night, the Buckeyes were controlled pretty much from start to finish, and turned the ball over 19 times. It doesn't get any easier, as they'll get to face off against Michigan State at home Sunday. If they lose that one -- which I believe they will -- they will end the week sporting a losing conference record.
On the flip-side, all conference losses thus far have come to good teams on the road, and they don't have another tough road game until Valentine's Day (at Wisconsin). That's right, four home games and a trip to Indiana come before that one, so there is still hope to keep the ship afloat without Lighty.
What it Means for UI
They really needed to get this one for morale purposes after losing a tough one in Michigan State just a few days ago. Bruce Weber's troops have easily outperformed Michigan and are playing right with Minnesota when it comes to naming the surprise team in the Big Ten this season.
Tonight with Keller's production was a perfect example of how this team can beat you in a number of ways, even unexpected ones. They are balanced, and play hard as a team. Facing Wisconsin at home Saturday will be a decent test, but one they should easily handle without a huge letdown. This is definitely an upper-tier Big Ten team and most certainly an NCAA tourney squad at this point.
