Illini Finish Regular Season Strong With Win at Michigan St.

March 5, 2006 2:50 PM

Illinois completed its Big Ten road show in fine fashion Saturday afternoon with a 75-68 victory over Michigan St. in East Lansing. Dee Brown was once again splendid against the Spartans, scoring 20 and handing out 4 assists. Forced to sit out a large chunk of the 1st half with foul trouble, Dee exploded for 16 points in the 2nd half and spearheaded the crucial 12-0 run that gave the Illini a 60-48 lead. MSU fought back and closed to 6 points with 2 minutes to go when James Augustine (who had just made a costly offensive foul) stole an inbounds pass and took it 3/4-court for the dunk—which essentially sealed the victory. Augustine finished with 10 points, Shaun Pruitt and Rich McBride each had 12, and Jamar Smith had 10 off the bench. The Illini's free throw shooting, so very very lacking all season, was outstanding at 83% (15-18).

Ohio State's victory over Purdue today gave the Buckeyes (12-4) the outright Big Ten title. Illinois and Iowa finished conference play tied for 2nd place (11-5). The Illini nearly did everything correct to grab a share of the title—split your road games and go undefeated at home—but amidst a dreadful February lull found themselves completely outplayed at the Hall in the final 15 minutes of the 2nd half against Penn St. and lost in a shocker when McBride's buzzer-beater was waved off.

Looking ahead, it could be another exciting month of March for Illinois. The Illini are on a nice 3-game winning streak and are playing their best basketball of the year. Up next, it's Big Ten Tournament time on Friday night against the winning of the Purdue vs. Michigan St contest.

Big Ten Tournament Bracket
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Better late than never, but offense is improving
[herald-review.com]
Illini End Regular Season With Victory
[illinois.scout.com]

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Filed under: Illini Basketball, Michigan State Spartans