CHICAGO – Bruce Weber came to the Big Ten Tournament prepared. He knew the Illini’s road to Sunday’s championship game would be difficult, if highly improbable. That, though, didn’t keep the team from trying.

On Saturday, less than 24 hours after its fight-to-the-death overtime victory against Indiana, Illinois ran out of firepower in its 53-41 semifinal loss to second-seeded Wisconsin (29-4). The Illini (23-11), whose United Center winning streak was halted at 18 games, shot just 33.3 percent (13-of-39) as the Badgers held them to a season-low point total.

“Overall they had 53, so we defended them halfway decent, but just didn’t have enough offensively,” Weber said. “(We) turned it over too many times, empty possessions where we didn’t get any shots. It’s just probably not much legs, not much gas in the tank to kind of get it done.”

After talking all season about not letting lackluster scoring affect the team’s defense, Weber said Illinois lacked that “extra zip,” necessary to knock off one of the nation’s finest teams.

“We came out here, we fought and we gave it all we had, but the better team won,” said Carter, the only Illini player to score in double figures with 14 points.

Trailing the Badgers for most of the first half, the Illini cut the lead to 27-25 off of a Rich McBride three-pointer with 16:09 remaining in the game. Wisconsin forward Joe Krabbenhoft misfired on a three-point attempt, but in what Weber called “the breaking point in the game,” Brian Randle (three points, seven rebounds) threw an errant pass in transition off the back of McBride.

With Alando Tucker, the Big Ten Player of the Year, on the bench for a rest, Wisconsin turned up the heat, reeling off seven straight points to take a 34-25 lead. Tucker, who scored 21 points on 10-of-17 shooting, became the Badger’s all-time leading scorer with 2,166 points.

Although he called the honor “a great feat and accomplishment,” he said it was only possible because of Wisconsin’s unselfish play. That strategy was evident from the way in which they shut down center Shaun Pruitt.

“As a team, they’ve been working it in more and not shooting threes,” Tucker said. “We knew if we contained Shaun Pruitt for most of the game that we would force them to find other ways to score. That was our plan coming in.”

Said Pruitt: “I think they did a good job of packing it in close and just trying to push me out as best they could.”

Aside from Tucker’s performance, Kammron Taylor had 16 points and two rebounds, scoring a jumper and two critical three-pointers to stretch Wisconsin’s lead to 47-34 with 8:24 to play.

“Our guards probably got tired,” Weber said of Illinois’ lack of rhythm. “I just think what goes before the legs probably is the mental part, and we didn’t communicate, couldn’t score.”

For more Big Ten Tournement coverage:

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Oden dominates Big Ten as Illini guards, free throw shooting struggle

Buckeyes outrace Badgers for title win

Column: Uncross your fingers, Illinois: You’re in the bracket