CHAMPAIGN -- Kalin Lucas, or no Kalin Lucas, Illinois knew its 78-73 victory was not going to be easy. Lucas did not play because of a sprained ankle, and before the game, Illinois coach Bruce Weber drilled it into his players heads that this was still Michigan State, and it was still going to be a pressure-filled, back-and-forth game.
To drive the message home, Weber wrote the name John Hart on the board in the locker room.
Hart, a guard at Purdue, did not play in Purdue's first six Big Ten games of the season prior to facing Illinois. Against the Illini, he had 14 points as the Boilermakers won in Champaign. Weber put his name on the board as a reminder that anybody on any given night, could produce.
"I told them it didn't matter (whether Lucas played)," Weber said. "They were still going to come at us. They have a lot of weapons. (Michigan State coach) Tom (Izzo) exerts his intensity, his will to be successful and those kids just play off of that. They played at a high level."
Eleven Spartans saw playing time, as opposed to nine for Illinois. For the Illini, it didn't make the victory any less sweeter even though the Illini did it with Lucas on the bench.
"A win's a win. We'll take it against a top 5 team." Junior forward Mike Davis said.
RUSHING THE COURT: It was a long day for the Orange Krush, Illinois' student section. Some got up early to be part of ESPN's College Gameday broadcast and after cheering their hearts out during the game.
So maybe they can get a pass because of fatigue for getting caught up in the moment rushing the court against Michigan State, a gesture usually reserved for schools not as successful or tradition-laden as Illinois.
"They probably had a bunch of Red Bull and had so much energy that they didn't know what they were doing," Bruce Weber said. "I don't know if we needed to do it."
Photo: Michigan State's Garrick Sherman and Illinois' Jeff Jordan battle for a loose ball as Illinois' Mike Davis and Michigan State's Isaiah Dahlman look on. (AP / Heather Coit)
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The Illini played a great game and beat a top 5 team that's in first place in the Big Ten. PMuch praise should go to Bruce Weber and the outstanding team contributions toward this victory but the Trib (as per their usual negative bias against the state university) puts their emphasis on the Orange Krush rushing the court. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day. Let the kids have fun! They conducted themselves well all day (unlike the West Virginia student section)in front of a national TV audience. The court rushing is a non-story but The Trib just had to put a fork in it. Not surprising.