CHAMPAIGN, ILL. • The game clock had yet to expire and Northwestern coach Bill Carmody hadn't left his seat, but Bruce Weber was ready to escape. Ready to hide.
He was a perfect candidate for the airline commercials with the catchphrase: "Wanna get away?"
So, before Brandon Paul launched his final 3-pointer, Weber was headed for the opponent's bench and waiting to shake hands with Carmody after Northwestern's 74-70 win at Assembly Hall on Sunday.
For the second time in a month, Illinois followed a victory against a top-10 opponent with a lackluster effort that left the Illini looking like just another team in the middle of the Big Ten standings.
"It would be an understatement to say it's not a disappointing loss," Weber said. "The last couple of games we did what we needed as far as playing hard and defending and taking pride in that. Obviously, it wasn't the case today."
After holding Michigan State to 24 percent shooting, the Illini stood by, flat-footed at times, as Northwestern shot 60 percent. The Wildcats were credited with 15 layups of their 29 field goals.
It was particularly bad timing for a breakdown as Illinois (16-7 overall, 5-5 in the Big Ten) faces four road games in the next two weeks, three against ranked teams.
"The coaches had us well prepared," said Paul, who led Illinois with 22 points. "Coach Weber might try to take the blame. But we beat Michigan State because we guarded, and we came out here and let them do whatever they wanted. So the blame is on us."
The Illini never led in the first half and built only a four-point advantage in the second half. Weber used his bench as little as he has all season, playing three starters for 40 minutes and another for 39. In what has become a common occurrence, the reserves did not score.
Northwestern (14-8, 4-6) took a similar approach but was better armed for the stretch drive, mainly because of John Shurna, the senior with an ugly-yet-effective shot. He scored 17 of his 24 points in the second half, including six during a decisive run as the Wildcats went up 68-61 with 42 seconds left.
Northwestern was trying to maintain its fading NCAA Tournament chances and kept hope alive with a key road win. Illinois suffered its second home loss and is tied in the middle of the Big Ten pack.
"If you're going to do anything, you have to be .500 in the conference," Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said. "So, this is a step toward getting one of the home losses back."
Illinois faces the same task with trips to Indiana and Michigan next on the schedule. Also remaining are trips to Ohio State and Wisconsin.
"We've got to keep believing," Paul said. "We can't come down on ourselves or hang our heads about this. We have to go out and steal some wins we're not supposed to. We have to stay focused. We still can be a good team."
Illinois is caught in a rut of playing games that go down to the final minute. The Northwestern loss was the eighth consecutive game decided that way. But where they once excelled, they now are faltering.
The Illini fell behind immediately as Reggie Hearn, who averages 6.1 points, made four 3-pointers and scored 16 points in the first half.
The Illini made a move in the second half behind center Meyers Leonard, who had 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting and nine rebounds. But while they shot 54 percent for the game, they couldn't stop Northwestern, which scored on 16 of its final 20 possessions.
Weber said one reason he didn't play his young reserves was because they were unable to defend Northwestern's Princeton offense in practice. As it turned out, neither could the starters.
"We gave them layups," Weber said. "And it was a variety of guys. They just made a lot of big plays."
