"I've said it already," Illini center Meyers Leonard said, "but Brandon played like a pro tonight. Brandon put on a show. We couldn't be more proud of him."

The victory was Illinois' first over the Buckeyes in three seasons. In the process, the Illini gave former coach Lou Henson a present on his 80th birthday after hanging a banner over the court to recognize him as an honored coach in Illini history.

But Paul stole the night, scoring his team's final 15 points, tying a school record with eight 3-pointers in a game and becoming the first to score 40 or more since Andy Kaufmann had 46 against Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1990.

Supinie