Illinois still needs some help, but its closing in on a share of a Big Ten title.
The path to some hardware included a win over Penn State on Thursday night, which the Illini narrowly accomplished in a 60-55 victory. If Illinois wins its final game this weekend (vs. Iowa) and Nebraska finds a way to upset Wisconsin, the Illini and Badgers will share a regular season conference championship.
But before that happens, the pesky Nittany Lions were trying to find a way to win in Champaign.
Every time Da’Monte Williams and the Illini seemed to find any kind of rhythm on offense, Penn State responded — until the game’s final five minutes.