With just under 9 minutes to play Saturday and his Illinois team down by two and on defense, Illini coach John Groce shouted a pointed reminder to his players.

"Hey! Know where the two shooters are!"

For 30-plus minutes Saturday, it didn't seem to matter whether the Illini knew where Ray Gallegos and Dylan Talley were. The Nebraska guards unlocked Illinois' defense early and scorched the Illini with long-range jumpers. Gallegos finished with 23 and Talley with 20.

But Nebraska (13-16, 4-12 Big Ten) didn't have much beyond them, and, when Illinois shut them out down the stretch, the Illini scratched out a win, 72-65. Illinois (21-9, 8-8) had five players in double figures, including Tracy Abrams with 16 and Myke Henry, who came off the bench to score 12 and grab nine rebounds.

"The two guards from Nebraska are rolling," Groce said. "I thought we didn't do a great job of finding them early and let them get going."

A close win over a Big Ten bottom-feeder at home, though, didn't bother Illinois, which added to its NCAA tournament case.

"Throughout the season we've found ways to grind it out at the end," Brandon Paul said. "I think once we get it going, guys are confidence grows and our coaches confidence in us."

Nebraska coach Tim Miles downplayed questions about whether his thin roster cost the Cornhuskers the game. The Cornhuskers didn't get a point from their reserves - Illinois had 38 off the bench - and played just seven players. Gallegos, Talley and Brandon Ubel each played all 40 minutes.

"If you can't enjoy playing college basketball, you're in the wrong gym," said Miles, whose team has dropped six of its last eight. "It's the opportunity of a lifetime, so I thought we managed some of the timeouts to make sure we were well rested."

Paul had 14 points for Illinois while D.J. Richardson had 13 and Nnanna Egwu had 10.

Talley's bucket with 14:29 to play tied the game at 42, and two minutes later he put the Cornhuskers up 44-42, first stealing the ball from Abrams and then breaking away for a layup.

For the next six minutes, Nebraska gave Illinois all it could handle, riding jump shots from Talley and Gallegos and finding points under the basket when they needed them to swap leads with Illinois.

But with Nebraska up 57-55, the Illini went on a 7-0 run that swung the game their way.

Paul and Richardson sank back-to-back jumpers - Richardson's was a 3-pointer - and Tracy Abrams drove for a final two off the glass to put Illinois up 62-57.

"I thought they made plays," Miles said. "I thought Paul hit some shots at the end of the (shot) clock. Abrams drove us. Richardson's 3 right at the corner, I thought that was a big play too."

Center Sam McLaurin left the game early with an injured ankle and returned only briefly, playing only 8 minutes. Without his inside presence, Groce turned to Henry in large part for defense - something the sophomore has struggled with. Henry responded with what the coach said was likely the best game of his two seasons in Champaign.

"Yeah, that's really one of my weaknesses coming in as a freshman," Henry said. "I figured out that defense is a part of the game."

Groce said he wasn't sure yet how severely McLaurin was hurt.

Saturday was senior day, with the core of the Illini roster - including Richardson, Paul, McLaurin and Tyler Griffey - honored along with their parents before the game. The day also marked the 50th anniversary of the opening of Assembly Hall, and there were ceremonies for that, too.

And the Illini, perhaps predictably, came out flat. Groce said he tried ahead of time to prepare his team for the emotional distractions they'd face.

"You worry about trying to get them back to center field, like, `Hey, there is a game today," Groce said. "I thought because we have an older group we would be mature and handle that."

On the big screens hanging above midcourt, Illinois reminded its fans of the high points from its past - the run-and-dunk Flyin' Illini from the '80s, the Deron Williams-led team that went 37-2 and lost in the 2005 NCAA title game.

What the packed house saw on the court below didn't look much like those teams.

Nebraska overcame seven first-half turnovers, some of them on glaring mistakes, to stay close over the first 20 minutes.

Talley's 3-pointer with 3:27 left in the half pulled the Cornhuskers even at 28.

But after getting a stop, Gallegos missed a 3-pointer that would have given Nebraska its first lead since the opening minutes.

Illinois took a 35-32 lead to the locker room, but got there on a desperation heave by Abrams with 4 seconds on the clock. Abrams dribbled out most of the half's final possession near the top of the arc before finally driving and finding no space, forcing him to shoot falling away from a defender.

Both teams have two games before the Big Ten tournament. The Illini play at Iowa Tuesday and at No. 16 Ohio State March 10. Nebraska hosts Minnesota Wednesday before closing at Iowa.

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