Mike Tisdale had a career-high 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Illinois spoiled No. 25 Northwesterns return to the rankings after 40 years with an 89-83 overtime victory Wednesday night in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
Fellow big man Mike Davis had 20 points and 17 rebounds _ his conference-leading seventh double-double _ for the Illini (9-4), who beat Northwestern for the 11th straight time.
John Shurna had 27 points, including four 3-pointers, for the Wildcats (10-2), who moved into the rankings on Monday for the first time since January 1969 when the poll was still a Top 20.
The 7-foot-1 Tisdale and Davis combined for 10 of Illinois' 15 points in the overtime.
Ranked seventh in that nation averaging 9.55 3-pointers per game, the Wildcats converted a 3 on their first four possessions to take a 12-4 lead. The Wildcats made 16 3-pointers in the game, shooting 24 percent from behind the arc.
Trailing 42-33 at halftime, Illinois crept back into the game by picking apart Northwestern's 1-3-1 zone. A 19-8 run capped by consecutive 3s by freshman Brandon Paul gave Illinois a 56-55 lead.
After exchanging baskets, the Illini extended their lead to six points on a dunk by Tisdale with 3:33 left in regulation. But the Wildcats, led by Drew Crawford's five points in 3 minutes, closed with an 11-5 run to force overtime.
The Illini struggled to defend the perimeter in the first half, allowing the Wildcats to make 11 of 23 3-point attempts.
A second-half defensive adjustment of switching on screens limited Northwesterns open looks from behind the arc which resulted in Illinois allowing only five 3-point field goals after halftime.
The Wildcats attempted 84 shots and committed only three turnovers.
The game featured 13 lead changes and six ties.
