INDIANAPOLIS — Maybe a big stage is all Tracy Abrams needed to break out of his season long slump.

Abrams, along with stellar defense by Nnanna Egwu, propelled Illinois to a 64-54 victory over Indiana in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday.

Abrams torched Indiana for 25 points despite scoring 22 points in his last four games combined. This isn’t a coincidence; Abrams just wanted this game more than anyone else on the court.

The junior embraces big moments, he always has. Abrams’ previous two 20-point performances were against rival Missouri on Dec. 21 and his career-high 27 points against Auburn on Dec. 29, 2012 at the United Center. Abrams told me he doesn’t play any differently on the bigger stage, but I beg to differ.

There was an edge to Abrams that I hadn’t seen from him since the Missouri game. There was a confidence in him that led to his fearless drives to the rim. He wasn’t going to wait for his teammates to step up in the later stages of this game. He took it upon himself to get Illinois into a Friday matchup with Michigan.

“He was in attack mode all game,” Egwu said. “You could just tell he wasn’t gonna let us lose.”

There was a moment in the second half where Illinois was about to unravel. Indiana started the half on a 10-3 run as Illinois trailed 38-33. That’s when Abrams took the ball to the hole and scored a nifty and-1 layup. He caught fire from there on out.

Abrams scored 17 points in the second half and put his full arsenal on display. The point guard showed off his spin moves, tear drops, acrobatic layups, and of course, his 3-point stroke. Abrams 3-pointer with 2:06 left iced the game, giving Illinois a 56-52 lead. Abrams said he was “shocked” Indiana left him that open. I don’t know how Indiana couldn’t at least challenge his shot, especially when he had it going all game long.

These kinds of performances show how dangerous Illinois can be. The last thing anyone expected was for Abrams to take over as he did in the second half, but that’s a product of John Groce’s offense. Groce plays the hot hand and isn’t afraid to bench someone who isn’t producing. Senior Joseph Bertrand was limited to just 15 minutes after shooting 0-for-2 from the field. Groce doesn’t have time for hurt feelings this late in the season.

Abrams deserves high praise for his late-game heroics, but Egwu was a beast once again on the defensive end.

Egwu shot 1-for-8 from the field and still dominated this game. That’s how good Egwu is defensively. If you want to teach someone how to play defense, watch Egwu during the first six minutes of this game. He was altering shots left and right, playing defense with his hands up, and making Indiana think twice about attacking the rim. Egwu embraced his inner Roy Hibbert, who happened to be near the tunnel before the game. Egwu had three blocks in that six-minute stretch as the Illini jumped to a 9-0 lead.

Big Ten Freshman of the Year Noah Vonleh couldn’t get anything going against Egwu. Vonleh finished with six points on 3-for-9 shooting from the field as he was bothered by Illinois’ defense throughout the game. Groce said he used the 2-3 zone down the stretch to limit Vonleh’s touches in the paint. Groce also wisely switched Jon Ekey onto Vonleh at times to keep Egwu out of foul trouble.

Vonleh’s partners in crime, Will Sheehey and Yogi Ferrell, were also held in check during the second half. Sheehey and Ferrell combined for 21 points in the first half but totaled just six points in the last 20 minutes. The zone played a role in their struggles, as did some intense, in-your-face defense by Rice and Kendrick Nunn. The Hoosiers shot 35.3 percent from the floor and committed 16 turnovers as they fell victim to Illinois’ shutdown defense.

There’s something special about this Illinois team. There’s a desire, an energy, a look in their faces that makes it easy to believe in them.

I believe this team has a legitimate shot at dethroning Michigan on Friday. Forget that 31-point blowout on Senior Night. Haven’t you learned by now that wacky things happen in March? Survive and advance, onto the next opponent; that’s the mentality Illinois needs to have.

Crazier things have happened. Illinois reached the 2008 Big Ten Championship game despite entering the tournament with a record of 13-18. That tournament was also played in Indianapolis.

That team didn’t have the defense, tenacity, depth or confidence that this year’s team possesses. This team has what it takes to make history repeat itself.

Michael is a senior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @The_MDubb.