Zook took over at Illinois after failing to live up to expectations at Florida, and it was more of the same with the Illini.

He had five losing seasons with Illinois and went just 34-51 over those seven years, hardly a record to be proud of.

The team got off to a 6-0 start this year, raising hope for the fanbase, but collapsed with a six-game losing streak to finish out the season. That diastrous finish finally sealed Zook’s fate, as the head coach’s job seemed to be on the chopping block almost every year.

The Illini hung tough early, trailing by just four at halftime, but Kansas’ talent eventually caught up with them.

After a very good performance in the first game, Demetri McCamey disappeared against Kansas.

He managed just six points and seven assists, shooting very poorly, and that’s too much for his team to overcome.

It’s a tough way for McCamey’s collegiate career to come to an end, but it was a trying senior year for him.

The Illini had no answer in the second half for David Lighty, who scored 17 of his 21 points after the break.

Head coach Bruce Weber said that he loves Lighty and thinks he is the heart and soul of the Buckeyes.

He even suggested that he deserved the league’s MVP award, but that people wouldn’t be smart enough to give it to him.

The loss puts the Fighting Illini back below the .500 mark in the Big Ten and in danger of missing the NCAA tournament.

Illinois lead by five at halftime and did a terrific job putting the clamps on Purdue defensively in the first half.

Brandon Paul lead Illinois with 23 points and D.J. Richardson finished with 13. Demetri McCamey was a non-factor.

Head coach Bruce Weber warned his team that there is a moment in the game where Purdue turns things up a notch and they have to be able to respond.

One player went so far as to say that two guys out there playing hard but two or three others aren’t.

Illinois jumped out to an eight-point lead by halftime and then continued to extend it in the second half.

Mike Davis lead the team with 22 points and seven rebounds. It seems like the Illini have a different leading scorer each game.

It was a big win for Illinois, which had just lost two straight games and was starting to hear some criticism directed their way.

The victory keeps them above .500 in conference play and at least entertaining a Big 10 regular season title.

A win over Big Ten top-seeded Ohio State in the conference semifinals would have all but assured them of an at-large bid. But a devastating 88-81 double-overtime loss keeps Illinois firmly on the bubble.

The Illini had their chances to put the Buckeyes away, but inconsistent play down the stretch did them in again. Illinois has a bunch of players it depends on that simply don’t know how to win close games by executing, much to the dismay of head coach Bruce Weber. It’s precisely why the Illini are on the bubble in the first place. And they don’t have a player like Evan Turner to carry them. As good as Demetri McCamey can be, he’s no Evan Turner, and now his ability to keep his composure is in question after a meltdown versus Wisconsin in a home loss a week ago.

Illinois will find out its fate in mere minutes. But if it finds itself on the outside looking in, it will have no one to blame but itself.

The Fighting Illini team that has played well on the road this year actually led by three heading into halftime against Purdue.

The second half was a different story, as Purdue’s offense finally started to hum.

Illinois had no answer for guard Robbie Hummel, who finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks.

Head coach Bruce Weber said it’s hard to defend Purdue because they are so balanced in their scoring.

Illinois had just stunned Wisconsin on the road earlier in the week, and it looked like they were still riding high from that victory.

They forgot to show up against an Ohio State team that has been rolling through everyone over the past month.

It was the first time Illinois lost in six games, but it was very costly, as it dropped them a game behind the leaders in the Big 10.

Demetri McCamey led the Illini with just nine points on 2-9 shooting, which tells you what kind of a day it was for the home team.

The victory puts Illinois into an improbable first-place tie with the Michigan State Spartans in the Big 10.

Illinois trailed by double-digits much of the first half and looked like they didn’t have a chance to upset the Badgers.

By halftime, Illinois had crawled back into the game and they had control for much of the second half.

Beating Wisconsin at home is no easy task, as the Badgers have not lost very often to unranked teams at the Kohl Center.

And despite a late-game surge by the hosts, the Illini were able to hold on for a 57-49 win on Wednesday night. After leading comfortably throughout the game, Iowa cut the lead to just three points late in the contest and had a chance to tie before falling short.

Demetri McCamey turned in an impressive all-around effort for the Illini, leading the team with 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Mike Tisdale added 14 points, and defensively they held the Hawkeyes to just 29 percent shooting.

With the win, Illinois moves to 7-3 in the Big 10. A showdown with first-place Michigan State looms on Saturday, a game for which the dynamic has completely changed due to the injury sustained by the Spartans’ Kailin Lucas, who isn’t expected to play.