INDIANAPOLIS – Minutes into the second half of Saturday’s Big Ten Tournament semifinal between Illinois and Purdue, guard Calvin Brock rose up for a three. When it dropped through the net, what remained of a crowd of 15,728 let out a sarcastic cheer, some rising to their feet, before again retreating to their seats.

The three wasn’t quite a scoring overload, but after one of the most anemic first halves this season, it seemed like it. The Illini lost 66-56 and will not advance to Sunday’s Championship game after doing so last season as the Tournament’s 10-seed. Purdue will meet Ohio State for the final after knocking off one-seed Michigan State earlier Saturday.

“We got no choice but to regroup,” Trent Meacham said. “Here we are, going into the NCAA Tournament. It’s going to be a great opportunity for this team. Wherever we’re at, we’re excited. We need a good week of practice. This is the biggest time of the year.”

The Illini brought a three-game win streak against Purdue into the game though had all but lost by halftime. After missing 13 consecutive shots to finish the first half, Illinois entered the locker room with a twenty-point deficit 37-17.

“They came out with a chip on their shoulder because we beat them twice, both times, early this year,” Brock said. “They just had more motivation and there was a lot more on the line.”

The Illini’s big three sophomores Demetri McCamey, Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis combined to score 10 points in the game. Davis couldn’t find open shots but finished with six, while Tisdale was outdone by Purdue’s Jajuan Johnson who finished with 20. McCamey played 28 minutes but was 0-for-5 from the field and finished with zero points.

“A lot of teams have inconsistency,” Tisdale said. “We seem to struggle with it sometimes … I think when the tournament comes we have to realize that we have to be consistent to keep playing this year. One loss and you’re done, so hopefully we can come ready to play.

“After we started to miss a few, we lost a bit of confidence. You could feel their defensive intensity raise a little bit. It made it tough on us.”

Dominique Keller, on the other hand, led the way for the Illini offense with 16 points and Brock added 12. Bill Cole, in rare minutes, was the team’s third leading scorer with 9 points on three 3-pointers.

“I think when they went up 10, we got a little worried,” Keller said. “Instead of just playing we got worried like we didn’t want (Robbie Hummel) to get off … We got kind of down on ourselves and he kept hitting shots. He got his teammates open, so you got to credit them.”

In the first half, Illinois started hot behind the deep shooting of Meacham and Davis. Meacham made his first two shot attempts, both threes, and Davis added a wide-open jumper near the arc to get Illinois its first eight points. Purdue’s Lewis Jackson kept pace with five of his own and E’Twaun Moore dropped in a three to knot it up five minutes into play.

But Illinois got sloppy on offense and committed two consecutive offensive turnovers. Hummel took advantage of both with eight straight points, part of a 13-0 run, to put Purdue up by 10, 18-8. Yet Keller kept the Illini’s offense alive with a layup and two long jumpers – long for him, at least-to keep the deficit manageable for the time being.

Purdue’s Hummel finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds while Johnson led all scorers with 20. Purdue shot 41 percent in the first half while Illinois shot 24 percent.

“You got to credit Purdue,” Keller said. “They came out and they pressured the hell out of us. They came in and Coach told us not to get punked. Basically, first half we got punked.

“You can’t come out and spot a team 20 points and expect to stay in the game.”