PREDICTION: Illinois 64, Ohio State 63

Seated in the second row behind one basket, Mike Tisdale's mother had her eyes closed in the final minutes against Wisconsin. "Sometimes I can't watch; I get too nervous," Robin Tisdale said earlier this season. Mike added, "It was probably for the last 20 minutes (of the game), just because I know her. She's just nervous. I can't blame her. I got a little nervous, too, when they started hitting those threes." Illini nerves will get another workout if Ohio State makes it 3 for 3 against Illinois today. It would seem Illinois is in the NCAA tournament as it is. But strange things happen – take Illinois' win against Wisconsin, for example – and the Illini would prefer to lock up a bid on their own. The key is Mike Davis; not on offense, but on defense. If the forward can stay with the swift wings of Ohio State – such as David Lighty – Illinois will play for its third Big Ten tournament title. (News-Gazette prediction record: 21-10).