Illinois, Minnesota to meet in Big Ten semifinals

A funny thing happened on the way to an Indiana-Purdue rematch in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse. Illinois and Minnesota got in the way.

After No. 10 Illinois upset Purdue 74-67 in overtime Friday night, Minnesota freshman Blake Hoffarber caught a three-quarter length pass, turned and lofted the game-winning shot at the buzzer as No. 6 Minnesota beat No. 3 Indiana 58-57.

Assuredly, that's a loss for CBS ratings and the ticket scalpers, but Illinois and Minnesota don't mind.

Indiana center D.J. White made one free throw with 1.5 seconds left -- Indiana missed four free throws in the final 3.4 seconds for a 57-56 lead after the Hoosiers trailed by 16 points in the first half. But Hoffarber's miracle basket ended Indiana's hopes for a conference trophy.

"I was supposed to be the decoy,'' Hoffarber said. "I was running off two screens. I saw the ball going into the middle. I went up and grabbed it. I turned and tried to get it off in time.

"I felt like it was good. I was fading to the corner. It felt good. I couldn't really see it. It was on target. I was in shock.''

Illinois won only five Big Ten games in the regular season, but two came over the Gophers. The Illini have a 19-game winning streak over Minnesota.

"Illinois has had us for a long time,'' Minnesota guard Lawrence McKenzie said. "It's definitely a chance to come out there and prove something else. We're focusing on the big goal. The goal is to get to the NCAA tournament. Coach says to think like champions.''

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.