CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Indiana coach Mike Davis said he gave his young team a "growing-up pill" by starting four freshmen at top-ranked Illinois.

"I just figured they would never be in this situation or have this opportunity to play the No. 1 team in the country as a freshman on the road in a tough place to play," Davis said Sunday after the Hoosiers lost 60-47 to the unbeaten Illini.

James Hardy replaced injured guard Bracey Wright and joined fellow first-year players D.J. White, A.J. Ratliff and Robert Vaden, leaving junior Marshall Strickland as the only upperclassman in the starting lineup.

The Illini (23-0, 9-0 Big Ten) threatened to make it a blow out early, taking a 20-3 lead behind the sizzling passes of point guard Deron Williams, who had assists on Illinois' first seven baskets.

"I thought we came out really unfocused," said White, who had 12 points. "We had a really bad start to the game. But we battled back."

The Hoosiers (10-10, 5-4) outscored the Illini 17-6 over the final 8:15 of the first half to cut the deficit to 26-20, but opened the second half with a 13-2 run to take control.

"I'm not sure our guys were mentally ready to play like we need to," Illini coach Bruce Weber said. "They sat in the locker room disappointed. They didn't feel real good about themselves."

Illinois won its 19th straight regular-season Big Ten game and its fifth in a row over Indiana despite its lowest-scoring game this season. With shooters struggling against the Hoosiers' zone, the Illini held the Hoosiers to their lowest output since a 55-45 loss to Notre Dame on Dec. 8.

"I think we can shut down anybody in the country if we defend and just play in a frenzy like we always do," said guard Dee Brown, who scored 12 points. "Everbody's looking at the offensive game, especially the fans, but I think we win games off our defense."

Illinois and No. 5 Boston College (20-0) are the only unbeaten teams remaining in Division I.

James Augustine scored 16 points and Luther Head had 13 for the Illini, who should remain the unanimous No. 1 in The Associated Press' college basketball poll for a second straight week. Roger Powell Jr. scored 10 points to reach 1,003 for his Illinois career.

Williams finished with 11 assists but scored only one point.

"We got a 'W,' That's all I care about," said Williams, who was 0-for-7 from the field. "I just didn't shoot the ball well. I still got my teammates involved. That's what I try to do."

After two free throws by Augustine opened the scoring, Williams punched a loose ball to a streaking Augustine for a dunk.

"I just hit it ahead to James, rather than catch it and throw it," Williams said. "I thought it would get there faster if I just hit it ahead."

Then as the Hoosiers brought the ball up court, Brown poked it away from Strickland and found Williams, who passed to Head for another flying dunk that made it 6-0 just 3:02 into the game.

"I think if you look at the point guards across the country, he has to be in the top two," Davis said of Williams. "He plays at a pace that is probably too much for any normal guard to play on both ends. Defensively he's flawless and offensively he can get the ball to people."

Wright, who was a teammate of Williams in high school, sat on the bench in street clothes because of an injured left ankle. The Hoosiers missed his team-leading 18.5 points per game, but the experience gained by the younger players will help make Indiana a better team, according to White.

"Us four freshmen together, we can do a lot," he said. "Sticking together we can accomplish what Illinois has done down the road."

Rashad McCants had 16 points for the Tar Heels (19-2, 8-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who blew the game open with a 25-6 run in the second half. Raymond Felton had 14 points for North Carolina, which had just nine turnovers for the second straight game.Von Wafer had 14 points for the Seminoles (11-11, 3-6), who rallied from an 18-point first-half deficit to get within 49-48 before the visiting Tar Heels went on their big run. Florida State overcame a 24-point deficit last year to beat North Carolina in overtime.