Playing with the flu might have been just what Jamar Smith needed to get back on track.

The sophomore sharp shooter, who led the Big Ten in three-point field goals last season, ended the longest shooting slump of his career on Saturday night, as he scored 13 points (5-of-10 shooting) in Illinois’ 59-49 victory over Minnesota.

Smith, who came down with the flu earlier in the week, sat out much of practice in the days leading up to Sunday’s game as per the request of head coach Bruce Weber and trainer Al Martindale.

But Weber thinks suffering through the illness was a beneficial distraction for Smith from his shooting slump, which was complicated because of the ankle injuries Smith has been playing with for most of the season. Coming into the game against Minnesota, Smith was averaging 8.4 points per game.

“I think he was worried about where the closest bathroom was instead of worried about making shots, so I think that helped him and maybe relaxed him a little bit,” Weber said.

But whatever the reason for Smith’s sudden hot hand, Weber also said he is just glad that it’s over.

“Luther (Head) called me and gave me some words of encouragement for this game, and that helped me out a lot,” Smith said of the frustrating slump. “He’s a shooter, I’m a shooter, (and he said to) just shoot. His job at the Rockets is to shoot, and my job here is to shoot, no matter how many you miss.”

Smith said his ankles have been feeling much better as of late and that he has noticed more lift in his shots, and is working to improve his shot selection. In the last seven to 10 days, Weber said Smith has been hitting most of his shots in practice, and not only the ones in shooting drills, but those in live competition as well.

“He’s such a great player that once he’s on, it opens it up for the big men, and opens up for other players; it definitely helps out a lot,” Rich McBride said.

LIMITING TURNOVERS

The Illini committed just six turnovers in the win against Minnesota, their fewest of the season. They had seven against Idaho State on Dec. 21. Illinois has had 10 or fewer turnovers four times this year. Weber said he is pleased with the way the Illini have corrected their ball control.

“We’ve been pretty good about taking care of the ball … and that was a problem that obviously plagued us early in the season,” Weber said.

“I think we have talked about moving the basketball, get it to the open man, don’t try to do too much,” he added.

MOVING UP THE STANDINGS

With the win over Minnesota, the Illini moved to 5-5 in Big Ten play and sit in fifth place in the conference standings. It is the first time Illinois has been at .500 in the Big Ten all season, and with four of its final six games on the road, the Illini know they can’t afford a letup.

“It’s a little step, and you’re at .500, but you have to get over .500 and then you have to stay over it,” Weber said.

But getting their last two wins at home has helped the Illini hopes for an NCAA Tournament bid, junior Shaun Pruitt said.

“The Big Ten is very important. It’s all about protecting your home court and just trying to get as many road wins as you can, but you definitely don’t want to lose at home.” said Pruitt, who had 12 points (5-of-10 shooting) and six rebounds.

Although the Big Ten has been lacking in the number of teams that appear in the national rankings, Pruitt said its nature is still competitive.

“The Big Ten may not seem like the best conference, but no one quits, so every night you just have to come to play, and nobody is just going to give up.”

The Illini, who have said they approach every game with a sense of urgency, will face one of their toughest tests Wednesday when they travel to Evanston, Ill., to play Northwestern. Weber has called it the “biggest game of the season.”

QUOTE OF THE GAME

“He’s basically a substitute. You ever try to go and substitute teach fifth grade? It’s tough to do. It’s tough to keep them in their chairs, it’s tough to get them in line, it’s tough to keep order in the classroom, and he’s trying to do that with a team … He has done a very, very good job and deserves some positive credit,”

– Weber on Minnesota interim head coach Jim Molinari.