Northwestern lost a tough one to Illinois, and they didn't lose in the usual fashion. They rebounded and defended well, but essentially did nothing for a 20 minute stretch on offense, and thus lost a heartbreaker. The game appeared lost with 2 minutes left when Illinois had an eight point lead, but NU rallied to tie it, only to lose when Illini freshman Myke Henry hit one of two free throws with six seconds left. Brandon Paul appeared to run over Drew Crawford a few seconds before that, but no foul was called. Crawford's attempted game-winner was then rejected by Meyers Leonard.

This was a game Northwestern likely needed to have; three of the next four games are on the road and the fourth is against white-hot Michigan State. It's especially frustrating because NU played well for the most part: they just couldn't make shots, and you can't beat good Big Ten opponents when you miss so many open looks.