updated 9:32 a.m. ET March 7, 2005

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Their perfect season gone, the next challenge for the Illini is turning a loss into a lesson.

“Everyone says a loss will help. We’ll find out,” Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. “We’ll learn from it and move on. This next stretch is the most important of the year and that’s what people are going to remember.”

Ohio State reserve forward Matt Sylvester hit a 3-pointer with 5.1 seconds left on Sunday to hand the top-ranked Illini their first defeat, 65-64.

The Illini (29-1, 15-1) were trying to cap the Big Ten’s first unbeaten season in 29 years. Instead, they frittered away a 12-point lead in the second half and didn’t score over the final 3 minutes.

Sylvester scored a career-high 25 points — eight more than his previous best — for a team that was banned by its own administrators from the postseason two months ago to mitigate possible NCAA violations committed under former coach Jim O’Brien.

“We were in the huddle and Coach told us, ’We’re not going halfway. We’re going for the win,”’ Sylvester said.

First-year coach Thad Matta drew up a play in which center Terence Dials set a pick and rolled to the basket and guard Tony Stockman was used as a decoy. The Illini bit on the deception.

“As we left the huddle, Matt said, ‘I’ll make the shot,”’ Matta said. “And he did.”

Ohio State (19-12, 8-8), a team with problems all year hanging onto the ball, didn’t have a turnover in the second half. The Illini, who had hurdled tough games in loud environments all season, had seven turnovers after halftime.

“We didn’t take care of the ball and they made all the plays at the end,” Illinois center Jack Ingram said. “They won it.”

It was the second straight season a team coached by Matta ended a run at perfection. Matta’s Xavier team handed Saint Joseph’s its first loss last season in the Atlantic 10 tournament.

“I’d like to be the other team just one time,” Matta said with a laugh. “I’m living for the day I’m the No. 1 team and someone else is trying to do it to us.”

The last team to reach the NCAA tournament without a loss was UNLV in 1991. On Saturday, Matta had shown his players film clips of several huge upsets and the Rebels’ loss to Duke in the national semifinals that year was one of them.

The Illini led 64-58 after James Augustine’s layup with 3:23 left — but didn’t score again.

The Buckeyes ran off the next seven points, with Dials, who had 21 points, scoring on a half-hook before Sylvester drove the lane for a left-handed scoop to cut the lead to 64-62 with 1:40 remaining.

“They were loosey-goosey,” Weber said of the Buckeyes. “They didn’t quit. They’re an NCAA tournament team. Playing on their home court, they made the plays.”

With just over a minute left, Illinois’ Deron Williams drove the lane and wrapped a pass around a defender to Roger Powell, but Dials swatted the shot away to teammate Je’Kel Foster. Sylvester missed a 15-footer for the Buckeyes and then Illinois’ Luther Head misfired on a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left.

Ohio State called a timeout with 12 seconds left. Foster inbounded to Brandon Fuss-Cheatham who passed to Sylvester on the right wing, in front of the Ohio State bench. His quick shot seemed to surprise the Illini, nestling in the net while a capacity crowd at Value City Arena roared.

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