Afternoon Box Score: Illinois Out Of Big Ten Tourney

By Chuck Sudo in News on Mar 8, 2012 8:40PM

If Bruce Weber was hoping for an inspired performance by his team, all we can say is "uh-oh." The Illini did Weber no favors this morning during the Big Ten Tournament, losing to Iowa 64-61 in a game that wasn't that close.

The Hawkeyes dictated a physical game against the taller Illini and slowly pulled away in the second half, while Illinois played soft on both sides of the ball. Here are the damning stats: Illinois didn't shoot a free throw the entire game while they decided to chuck three-pointers all game; Illinois shot 7-for-26 from behind the arc. Iowa's Matt Gatens scored 20 points and defended Illinois' Brandon Paul with relish, while Illinois center Meyers Leonard picked up the softest 16 points and six rebounds this side of Carlos Boozer.

After the game, the Illini didn't want to dwell on the speculation this likely was Weber's last game. An emotional Weber, however, tackled the discussion of his future head on.