Ohio State dominates in another disappointing loss for Illini

Ohio State senior guard Jamar Butler, the only starter back from last season's national championship runner-up, was enough by himself to beat an Illinois basketball program that can't find the basket.

Butler scored all of Ohio State's points in a 15-2 run and finished with a career-high 32 points as the Buckeyes, four-point underdogs, sailed past Illinois 74-58 in the Big Ten Conference opener Thursday at Assembly Hall. If Sunday's loss to Tennessee State (the worst in Assembly Hall history) was lost in the Rose Bowl hoopla, this double-digit defeat to a retooling team showed just how far the Illini are from the league's upper division.

And just how close the Illini might be to also missing the NIT.

"The doubting is going to start,'' said Illini forward Brian Randle. "I'm sure there will be stuff in the papers. There will be a lot of people outside this program that will question us as a team and individuals and coaches. The biggest thing for us is to stay together.

"It's times like this where you figure out true character. We can't get down. There are still 17 games left plus the Big Ten tournament and perhaps postseason.''

By losing back-to-back home games for the first time since the 1998-99 season and dropping a third game here already this season, the home-court advantage is no longer an advantage. Illinois fell to 8-6 overall and 0-1 in the Big Ten. The Illini host Penn State (9-4, 1-0) on Sunday (1 p.m., Big Ten Network). Teams need no worse than a .500 record to remain eligible for the NIT.

"There's no emotion,'' said Illinois coach Bruce Weber. "Chester (Frazier) is our emotion. He's not playing well. The other guys aren't capable right now. Somehow, we have to find some life and emotion if we're going to find a way to turn it around.

"It's hard. They're kids. They go on the Internet. They read the papers. They shouldn't. It takes a toll on them. It's a tough time, a tough situation.''

This game had all the lowlights. Frazier's two key turnovers late in the second half came before he was pulled with 1 minute 15 seconds left, the boo-birds given him a send off after Frazier had four assists and six turnovers.

Weber yanked center Shaun Pruitt after an offensive goal-tending call erased any chance of Calvin Brock's attempt with the Illini trailing by 13. Shooting guard Trent Meacham was 1-for-11 from the field and 1-for-10 from the 3-point line.

Randle scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Pruitt had 12 points, only two in the second half, and eight rebounds. Reserve guard Demetri McCamey had 10 points. Ohio State's move from a 3-2 zone to a 2-3 in the second half gave the Illini problems.

"It's a tough time,'' Weber said. "There are lot of frustrated guys, coaches and fans. We have to find a way to stick together and see if we can work something out.''

Ranked No. 8 in the Big Ten in field-goal percentage, last in free-throw shooting and last in 3-point shooting, Illinois shot 39 percent from the floor, 19 percent from the 3-point line and 66.7 percent on free throws. Illinois played tentatively against the zone in the second half.

"We had better movement, cutters flashing to the ball in the first half,'' McCamey said. "It was basketball. We were playing basketball and enjoying it. In the second half, we stood looking for the guards to penetrate. We didn't get the same cuts, the same flashes.''

Butler topped his previous career high by 10 points, but he also had six assists, six rebounds and only two turnovers. Even without former stars such as Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr., Ohio State (10-3, 1-0) stretched its winning streak to 17 games against conference foes (including three in last year's Big Ten tournament).

"I wasn't telling myself that I had to have a game like this, but I had to be a leader this year,'' Butler said.

Butler hit three 3-pointers in his one-man run, giving Ohio State a commanding 51-39 lead. When Illinois began to help defensively on Butler, reserve forward Matt Terwilliger hit two 3-pointers within 53 seconds.

"We were kidding Jamar before we came over here,'' said Ohio State coach Thad Matta. "Four years ago, we had to take a timeout to get him out of the game. His eyes were so big. It shows you the process of being a college basketball player.''

Senior forward Othello Hunter had 15 points and seven rebounds for Ohio State.

"Butler just put on a show tonight at our place,'' Weber said. Otherwise, there wasn't much entertainment.

NOTES: A loss to Penn State Sunday would give Illinois a two-game losing streak to start the Big Ten for the second straight season. … Ohio State defeated Illinois for the fourth straight time. … Illinois plays at Ohio State on Jan. 22.

John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com. For more coverage, read Illini Talk blog at www.sj-r.com and www.pjstar.com.