ESPN Men's Basketball

INDIANAPOLIS -- Evan Turner isn't saving himself for the NCAA tournament.

The Ohio State star is building his legacy right here at Conseco Fieldhouse, hoping for a return trip to Lucas Oil Stadium in exactly three weeks. If Turner keeps playing like this, it's hard to imagine the Buckeyes won't be back in town.

After hitting the game-winning 37-footer Friday against Michigan, Turner went for 31 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in Saturday's 88-81 double-overtime win against No. 5 seed Illinois. Although he fouled out with a minute left in the second overtime, it didn't matter.

Teammate David Lighty came through in the closing seconds with a huge layup and Ohio State advanced to the Big Ten tournament championship, where it will face Purdue or Indiana.

It wasn't always pretty for Turner, who committed 10 turnovers and seemed frustrated at times. But every time Ohio State needed a big bucket down the stretch in regulation and in the first overtime, Turner provided it in dramatic fashion. Illinois simply had no answer for him.

The Illini now nervously will wait to see whether they earn an NCAA tournament at-large bid. Five victories against top 50 RPI teams and an excellent effort Saturday against Ohio State should be enough, but Illinois was so close to essentially putting itself in the bracket.

The Illini had two chances to win the game, both at the end of regulation and in the first overtime. And both times, they couldn't get off a shot before the buzzer. Their inability to create a look in the overtime session had to be particularly frustrating.

After missing his first five shots, Illini guard Demetri McCamey came through with 22 points, five assists, four steals and four rebounds. Illinois also got a huge boost off the bench from freshman forward Tyler Griffey (13 points, 5-for-7 shooting), but it wasn't enough.

Ohio State remains alive for a possible No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. It'll need a win Sunday, but with Turner on the floor, I wouldn't bet against the Buckeyes.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Once again, Illinois is finding its groove at the Big Ten tournament and can cement itself in the NCAA tournament field with 20 more minutes of good basketball. Ohio State needs a sharper second half to remain alive for a No. 1 seed.

Quick thoughts at the halftime break, with Illinois leading, 37-31:

• Illinois did a great job of hanging tough despite Demetri McCamey's slow shooting start (0-for-5), and McCamey kept his head up, which hasn't always been the case this season. D.J. Richardson, Mike Davis and Brandon Paul sparked the Illini on a 14-0 run midway through the half that turned the game around. After getting picked by Evan Turner early in the half, McCamey returned the favor and scored his first points on a 3-point play. Illinois still likely needs more scoring from McCamey (three points, 1-for-6 shooting) to hold off Ohio State.
• Three Illinois freshmen -- Richardson, Paul and Tyler Griffey -- are all making nice contributions today. Richardson leads Illinois with 11 points, including three 3-pointers, and Griffey has seven points on 3 of 3 shooting after replacing Mike Tisdale, who fell into early foul trouble.
• Turner didn't have the greatest half with the ball i his hands (five turnovers), but backcourt mate William Buford picked up the slack with 11 points and five rebounds on 4 of 8 shooting. Buford will be Ohio State's top option in 2010-11 if he returns to school, and he certainly looks comfortable scoring the basketball today.
• Turner fell to the floor at the end of the half after coughing up the ball, and he seemed to be upset with an Illinois player as he walked off the floor. McCamey, who teamed with Turner in high school, might have said something to the star. It'll be interesting to see how Turner responds in the second half.