Illini depth overcomes Hoosiers

Interim head coach Mike Davis put it bluntly:\n"Illinois is just a better basketball team than we are," he said after Saturday's 67-61 loss to Illinois at Assembly Hall.\nThere's no mystery to why the Hoosiers lost -- the No. 7 Illini are stronger, deeper and more experienced than the Hoosiers. \n"This is definitely the most physical team we've played all year," sophomore guard Tom Coverdale said. "They're probably the best team we've played all year, because they're so deep and athletic and they're well-coached. When you have that combination, it's tough to beat them."\nIllinois took a 54-44 lead on a three-pointer by junior forward Lucas Johnson with 7:33 remaining and led by 11 with 2:37 remaining. Sophomore guard Kyle Hornsby cut the score to 65-61 with 32 seconds left, but IU couldn't get any closer. Illinois led for the game's final 26 minutes.\nIllinois' defense prevented the Hoosiers from running their offense, and prevented junior forward Kirk Haston from dominating the game. Haston made only 4-of-15 attempts from the floor. He led IU with 18 points, eight of which came from the free-throw line.\n"We got no open looks. We couldn't execute our offense," Davis said. "Sometimes it looked like we weren't running a play, because when we cut, they bumped us. They took everything away from us that we tried to do."\nIllinois head coach Bill Self said the game plan was to double-team Haston in the post, but his players were doing a good enough job playing one-on-one that he called off the double teams.\n"We challenged our guys to make (Haston) catch the ball a step further out, where he couldn't shoot his hook," Self said. "He didn't really get a chance to use his post moves. We wanted to make him a jump-shooter."\nHaston attempted six three-pointers, and the Hoosiers fired up 22. Six fell through the net. \n"It was tough for us (to) get any shots,'' Davis said. "I thought we shot some quick shots, but at the same time maybe we felt like that probably was the best shot for us. If I was playing today, I probably would have been shooting three-point shots, too."\nIllinois' bench played a crucial role in the game. The IU bench produced five points and two rebounds. The Illinois reserves scored 30 points and had 20 rebounds. Pre-season conference Player of the Year Cory Bradford didn't score.\n"Their guys off the bench so hard that it's no drop-off for them," Davis said. "The guys they bring in -- (junior Damir) Krupalija, Johnson, (sophomore Sean) Harrington -- those guys play a role but they play it so hard."\nThe loss essentially eliminates any hopes the Hoosiers had for winning the league. Earlier in the week, Davis said he wanted to "run the table" in the conference. Now, the Hoosiers are in fourth place, one-half game behind Ohio State.\n IU's schedule doesn't get any easier. The Hoosiers travel to No. 4 Michigan State Tuesday, then play at home against No. 19 Wisconsin Saturday.\n Davis said the Illini are better than either of those teams, especially on the defensive end.\n "This was the best team we've played this season," Davis said. "Even against Kentucky and Michigan State, we could get the ball inside and hit the wings. But that didn't happen today. Illinois took away everything"