It has been a problem that has plagued them all year and last night it more than just plagued them--it obliterated them.

No. 19 Illinois used a strong post presence, especially from senior center Robert Archibald who poured in 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds on 11-for-12 shooting from the field to defeat the Nittany Lions 83-56 in Champaign.

The Fighting Illini (20-7, 8-5 Big Ten) opened up the game early on as they went on a 16-0 run to blow open a 4-4 game.

The closest the Lions (7-18, 3-11) would get was nine points at 33-24 on junior B.J. Vossekuil's breakaway layup.

Once again, the Lions shooting was more than sub-par as they shot a season low 26.3 percent from the field, following up on their less than admirable 31.6 percent performance against Northwestern.

"When we did get the ball inside, we didn't make anything happen that was positive," Penn State coach Jerry Dunn said on WMAJ radio.

Penn State made just 15 field goals in the contest compared to 28 for the Illini. The Illini are the 12th team this season to shoot above 50 percent from the field against the Lions as they shot a sparkling 56 percent.

The game was sloppy in general as the teams combined for 41 turnovers, with Illinois overcoming their 22 turnovers.

The rebounding game gave the Lions problems, as Illinois pounded the Lions on the glass 43-29. Outside of Archibald's 10 rebounds, junior Brian Cook grabbed six rebounds to go along with his 12 points.

After tying the game at four apiece the Lions went scoreless for the next 7:50.

The Lions trailed by 13 at the half 37-24, but all chances for a comeback were erased when the Lions opened the second half with a drought lasting six minutes and three seconds. This allowed the Illini to go on a 14-0 run and put the game away for good at 51-24.

"It doesn't matter what offense you run we've got to do a better job of getting open," Dunn said. "Big guys screening for perimeter guys and that didn't happen tonight."

No Penn State player could get in rhythm throughout the game as sophomore Sharif Chambliss led the Lions with 18 points including a 4-for-11 effort from three-point land. Junior Brandon Watkins struggled all night shooting just 5-for-19 in front of the hometown crowd. With the win Illinois gets to 20 on the season and this is their fifth straight win. Their once fleeting NCAA tournament hopes are gone and with 20 wins they should all but be assured of an NCAA tournament berth.