It may not have been as thrilling as last season's one-point Illini win in Evanston, but Wednesday night's Big Ten opener in Champaign had the elements of a memorable battle between in state rivals Northwestern and Illinois.
It had a contrast of styles, odd records and career nights for Illini juniors Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis. Illinois turned a slow start into a tight game, and eventually a 89-83 overtime win.
"It was a great game," Illinois head coach Bruce Weber said. "We could have given up at a few different points, but we were able to find a way to win the game."
It was Mike & Mike night at Assembly Hall. Both posted double-doubles. Tisdale had a career high 31 points and 11 rebounds, while Davis recorded 20 points and a career high-tying 17 rebounds.
"We told them we could go inside," Weber said. "We struggled a little bit against their 1-3-1, but once we got it to baseline, we were able to attack it much better."
Before Davis and Tisdale made their presence inside, Northwestern made an opening statement by lighting up the arena from beyond the arc. The Wildcats jumped out to a 12-4 lead on four consecutive three-pointers.
Marist High School alum Jeremy Nash (5-for-12), John Shurma (4-for-9) and Alex Morcotullio (4-for-9) were on fire in the first half, but struggled down the stretch and in overtime.
Northwestern opened up a nine point lead (42-33) at halftime, but it was Illinois that failed to hold on to a pair of four point leads in the final minutes.
Tied at 72, the Illini had a chance to win the game in regulation with the ball and 15.4 seconds to play. But freshman D.J. Richardson lost the ball as time expired.
The Illini made up for it in overtime, leading the entire way and outscoring the Cats 15-9.
Richardson's turnover at the end of regulation was one of few giveaways Wednesday night. Northwestern broke an Assembly Hall record, only turning the ball over three times the entire night. Illinois only had 11 turnovers themselves.
The Wildcats also took 84 shots in the game, something Northwestern head coach Bill Carmody said he had never seen before.
The Wildcats may have had the odd statistical outputs, but the night belonged to Tisdale.
"They were on fire to begin with and they were tough to guard," Tisdale said. "We just started putting the ball in the hoop and kept fighting."
Tisdale also took exception to anyone calling the Illini a "soft" team.
"If you think 31 is soft, then there isn't much you can do about it," Tisdale joked. "We just keep playing our game and not worry about people calling us soft. I love it to be honest, any time I get a challenge, it's fun to shut people down."
The Illini will play their annual game at the United Center in Chicago, Saturday, January 2, 2010 against Gonzaga.
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