All-around beatdown

"I think they're really good," said Groce, whose Ohio University team upset the Wolverines in the NCAA Tournament last season. "We tried to make Burke earn it. Stauskas was terrific. Glen Robinson made plays. They have a lot of weapons out there."

This was the first in a harrowing five-game stretch for the Illini. Four of the five teams are ranked among the top 13 in the country and the one that isn't -- Wisconsin -- is 5-2 in the league, already defeated Illinois by 23 and boasts a victory at Indiana.

Tupper