Sophomore Chester Frazier had the best game of his short college career Thursday, carrying a struggling Illini team and nearly doubling his three-pointers for the Big Ten season. But for all his heroics, he still might not have been the best player on the floor.

Frazier’s gaudy night was outdone by Penn State’s relatively unheralded Mike Walker, who set a tournament record with seven three-pointers – six in the second half – and nearly led Penn State to a shocking upset.

“He’s got a lot of guts for those shots,” Frazier said. “We knew he was going to shoot it, (but) he just made some big shots.”

It was one of the more surprising shooting duels in recent memory, as Frazier and Walker came in averaging about seven and six points per game, respectively. But each player hit career highs as they went off for a total of 43 Thursday, with Walker edging Frazier 22 to 21.

Walker did his damage entirely behind the arc, where he shot 64 percent for the game. As time wound down in the second half and the Illini defense began to focus on the blazing shooter, he moved farther and farther behind the line without missing a beat. Even his one free throw came when he was fouled on a deep three-point attempt to set up a four-point play.

Frazier’s three point bombs were more surprising, as he came in shooting just .314 behind the arc. On one occasion earlier this season, Purdue even chose not to guard him at all. But on Thursday, he hit five of nine threes, much to the surprise of a Penn State team that had focused on taking away Rich McBride.

“That’s not something we expected,” Walker said. “You scout guys all season long and they do one thing, and then they come out (in the tournament) and play big. When it’s a guy whose not that great of a shooter … but he steps up and hits shots, it’s a little bit frustrating.”

The duel ended up coming down to the key players’ teammates. Geary Claxton was the only other Nittany Lion to hit double figures, scoring 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting. Frazier got a lot of help from Warren Carter, who added 19 points and hit 60 percent of his own three-pointers for the game.

Penn State clamps down after Happy Valley blowout

Thursday’s game was a far cry from the last time Illinois and Penn State met, when the Illini trounced the Nittany Lions 68-50 on their home floor.

Shaun Pruitt dominated the first meeting between the teams, racking up 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting.

But the Lions used the two weeks between meetings to revamp their defense, adopting a packed-in zone that denied Pruitt the ball and challenged the Illini guards to make three-pointers.

“We thought if we tried to take their post away as best we could, and keep them off the glass, they couldn’t make threes all night,” Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. “Tonight they did.”

Pruitt got the ball only once in the first eight minutes and finished with just eight points, allowing Penn State to stay close. The change allowed the Nittany Lions to jump out to a 13-2 lead and stick with the Illini deep into the second half, but they ultimately crumbled under the Illini’s three-point barrage.

“We knew they would make adjustments,” Weber said. “They just packed it back … (and) said, ‘You’re not getting it in there.’ Even when we made shots, they still didn’t come out.”

A rubber match

with the Hoosiers

The Illini will face a familiar foe in the tournament’s second round Friday. A victory over the fourth-seeded Indiana Hoosiers would allow the Illini take the season series and, more importantly, likely clinch a spot in the NCAA tournament.

If Illinois can secure its spot against the Hoosiers, it would perhaps be fitting given the rivalry that has blossomed between the two schools. The two programs have battled over recruiting, rude fans and a pair of intense basketball games already this season. The teams have very similar r‚sum‚s, except for Indiana’s one “signature” win – a close home win over Wisconsin. That victory has likely already secured the Hoosiers a spot in the Big Dance.

“Indiana’s a tough team,” Carter said. “We’ve met each other twice this year, they’ve both been grind-out games and that’s what we expect tomorrow.”

The two teams split their first two meetings this season, with each team winning on its home court.

Chicago’s United Center is supposed to be a neutral floor, but Weber said he hoped for a strong Champaign contingent.

“Think we’ll have a great crowd tomorrow, and maybe that’d be a big boost of energy for our guys and we can come out and just play,” Weber said.

(Near) play of the game

With time running out in the first half, Shaun Pruitt pounced on a loose ball near mid-court and suddenly found himself in an unfamiliar position: the ball in his hands, not much time on the clock and the hoop nowhere near him.

Then Pruitt saw Brian Randle streaking all alone towards the hoop, and the Illini’s 6-foot-10 center did something that isn’t a part of his normal repertoire: he threw up an alley-oop.

But Randle could only barely get enough of Pruitt’s ungainly lob to retain possession.

A defender arrived, Randle had to pass the ball away and just like that, Pruitt lost what could have been the most spectacular assist of his college career.