Jim Souhan: As defensive efforts go, U's certainly was an eye-opener

At halftime Thursday night, a group of youth basketball players took the court. They dribbled with their knees. They spun basketballs on their heads. But they didn't knock anybody down, thus displaying no appreciation for what it takes to play in the Big Ten.

Before and after the Alexandria Aces performed basketball artistry, Minnesota and Illinois spent 40 minutes playing a game more resembling hockey, with the Gophers forechecking their way to an important 59-36 victory at Williams Arena.

By the end of the night the Illini offense looked like leftovers, Tubby Smith's defense like cellophane.

"They were very active on defense," Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. "That was probably the best defense I've seen them play for an entire game.

"Usually they change up their defenses, but they were stopping us, so why change? They just guarded us in halfcourt -- old-fashioned basketball."

Illinois came into the night with a 20-game winning streak over Minnesota, ranked 19th in the country and rising in the Big Ten. The Illini left wondering how they got beat by a group as deep, anonymous and defensive as the CIA, having scored fewer points than ever before in their history against the Gophers.

"To be honest, if you don't play defense, you're going to come out," Gophers guard Lawrence Westbrook said. "That puts fear in people. Secondly, we all know that that's the key to any game."

Smith's defense held Illinois to 16 first-half points on 25 percent shooting. The Illini missed all eight of their three-point attempts.

Smith seems to be borrowing from another local coach who emphasizes defense -- the Wild's Jacques Lemaire, who believes if the other team doesn't score, you can't lose. "We played so well up here last year, scored 84," Weber said. "Tonight we scored 36. Not even half."

This was an absurd display of defensive repression. Illinois continually had trouble getting a decent shot before the 35-second clock ran down.

Before Thursday, Illinois had scored fewer than 57 points only once this season -- in a 48-44 victory over Tulsa in November. Their 57-point effort came at Michigan State, always a tough place to buy a basket.

Holding a ranked team to 36 points defies reason, but this is what becomes possible when you hire a power coach who demands defensive excellence.

Illinois was just starting to look like a contender, and the Gophers shuttered it, leaving Smith pumping his fists and pointing into the stands with two minutes left.

"We're a very good defensive team," Smith said. "Yeah, 36 points, you hold the best-shooting team in the league to that ...

"We've been pretty sound all year defensively."

Smith might have bigger victories ahead at Minnesota, but it's hard to imagine a more smothering defensive performance against a worthy opponent.

It's one thing to beat a ranked opponent at home, it's another to win so convincingly that you can pull your players to standing ovations because the game was long ago decided.

Maybe the best of the increasingly promising Tubby Smith era.