WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – It’s a rare moment for a guard: the ball in his hands, all alone just outside the three-point arc, no defenders within five feet. But it was a moment Chester Frazier had time after time Saturday, and he was never able to turn his open looks into baskets.

Purdue coach Matt Painter chose not to guard Frazier and Calvin Brock outside of the paint, doubling on the Illini’s big men and daring the pair to shoot. The plan worked perfectly, denying the ball to center Shaun Pruitt and leaving Frazier dribbling uncertainly outside the arc.

Illinois head coach Bruce Weber said he told Frazier ahead of time that he might be left unguarded and warned his point guard not to shoot uncertain shots off the dribble.

“You can’t do that, you’re not a good enough shooter yet,” Weber said. “After that we said drive it, so he drives too deep and gets stuck.”

Leaving Frazier and Brock unguarded made it easier for the defenders to chase Rich McBride and Jamar Smith, forcing the Illini into 20 percent shooting from three-point range.

“What we tried to do was not help on the drives,” Painter said. “We were going against one of our defensive principles. They do a good job attacking you in transition off the bounce, and they want you to help.”

Painter said his unconventional strategy could have been thwarted had Frazier or Brock just been able to connect a few times.

“We tried to bait them into scoring,” Painter said. “If they could have made a couple of those shots, we would have been stuck.”

Weber said he admired Frazier’s heart in dealing with the defense and pulling down seven rebounds from the point guard spot.

“He has heart, but he has to have a brain too,” Weber said. “So we’ll go to the Wizard of Oz and see what we can find to help him.”

Weber draws technical as officials draw jeers

The Illini were hit with 15 personal fouls compared to 23 for the Boilers, leaving the Mackey Arena fans screaming at the referees for calls and non-calls alike. But perhaps the loudest roar came in favor of the refs, when they gave Weber a technical foul for an on-court tirade early in the second half.

“There were back-to-back (plays where) they didn’t call fouls,” Weber said. “Maybe I acted a little foolish, but when our guy gets pushed out of bounds, I’m not going to sit there.”