The game was over, for all intents and purposes. The outcome was decided, and only the final seconds had to tick off the clock.

Another missed Penn State shot, and Illinois' Dee Brown broke out of the pack with the ball with no Nittany Lion defender in his path.

Brown took the ball and threw it off the backboard. The trailer, Luther Head, caught the ball and dunked it. Exclamation point. The officials were not pleased and Head received a technical for hanging on the rim. The irony is that Head was not on the rim for more than a few seconds. But it didn't matter in the outcome or in the player's mind. When asked about the play after the game, Brown said: "It's part of the game, we're just having fun." Brown added that there is no difference between that and an alley-oop, "it's an alley-oop just off the backboard."

"An alley-oop isn't showing anyone up," Brown continued. He added that he wanted to do it early in the game but the game was a little too tight, but the end of the game was a great opportunity to do it. He has practiced the play for a while.

The important thing -- they were just having fun. Even Brian Cook, who played a mere 17 minutes, was upbeat afterwards. Cook trailed Head on the play, and said he hoped that Head was going to leave it for him. "I was looking something maybe like the Globetrotters."

Not everyone had fun with the final play. Illinois coach Bill Self was not pleased, to say the least. It wasn't so much the play but the result of the call that followed the basket. He said there is no room in basketball for it, as it was showing up the Lions. Brown put it real simply: "That's coach for you. It's like shots, if you make them then good, but if you miss then you will hear it from him." Cook struggled to get involved in the game, after picking up a first-half technical, the second of his career, he could only laugh. He was questioned if he was starting to turn into a young Rasheed Wallace.

"Nah," he chuckled. "Hopefully, it's my last if I can keep my mouth shut. The gym was quiet and everyone heard it. I was just speaking my mind. I think he thought I was trying to show him up." Cook picked up his fourth foul with over 12 minutes and forced him into a cheerleader. Instead, Cook took the opportunity as it presented himself and acted as an assistant coach.

"What else can I do?" he told reporters. "It was the only thing I could do." Even freshman guard Deron Williams got into the act with the reporters. As he walked out of the locker room, he announced where all the other players were in order to dodge answering questions himself. When Williams wasn't the focus of any questions, he decided to switch roles and turned into a reporter. Williams grabbed a reporter's notebook and pen and stood alongside the rest of the reporters who were talking to Brown. With a can of Pepsi in his mouth he continued pretending to take notes, until he got a reaction from Brown. He didn't stop there as he broke out his cell phone and put it in front of Cook, until he finally reacted. Illinois wins and is stacked with an abundance of talent, so it's easier to have fun and just play the game. On the other hand, even following the scarce Penn State wins, it's just not the same as the players barely break a smile. The locker room is not open and basketball doesn't seem like just a game anymore. The interaction between players and reporters just isn't the same. The two or three Penn State players sit there, and rattle off exactly what everyone already knows in a robotic manner. It's as if talking with the media is another chore. It's obvious to everyone that they don't want to be there, the one exception might be Brandon Watkins after the Purdue game. Otherwise the players enter with their jackets on with the hope of making it as uneventful as possible and exiting the door quickly. The Illini were more than willing to talk. Even Cook after his worst game of the season with an NBA scout in attendance to watch him was willing to stand and answer any question anyone had. He didn't dodge them, or dodge the media all together, which he could have done. Illinois remained relaxed and comfortable and Penn State is normally uptight. Maybe if the Lions starting having a little more fun, it would translate into wins and that ugly goose egg would not be present.

Hey, it couldn't hurt.