CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Tyler Griffey made an uncontested layup at the buzzer off a baseline inbounds pass and Illinois beat No. 1 Indiana 74-72 on Thursday night, the fifth straight week the nation’s top-ranked team has lost.
The Illini (16-8, 3-7 Big Ten) trailed 41-29 at halftime and by double digits for most of the second half before closing the game on a 13-2 run over the final 3:36.
With the score tied, Indiana’s Victor Oladipo turned the ball over and recovered to block a breakaway layup by D.J. Richardson out of bounds with less than a second to play.
Griffey, who was open after setting a screen, took the inbounds pass from Brandon Paul with .9 seconds left and gently laid the ball into the basket.
Hundreds of Illinois students rushed the court, but held their collective breath while the officials checked replays to make sure Griffey had beaten the clock. They erupted once more when the officials signaled the shot was good, and Paul and Richardson hugged and cried.