No. 1 IU to face struggling Illini

At the onset of conference play this season, it looked as if Illinois would be right in the thick of things, competing with IU, Michigan, Ohio State and the rest of the Big Ten for the 2012-13 regular season title.

When the Dec. 31, 2012 polls were released, the Fighting Illini were ranked as high as No. 11 in the country with a 13-1 record, including a convincing win against Butler — the only team the Hoosiers had lost to — to take the Maui Invitational title.

IU stood at No. 5 in the polls, still trying to recover from the loss to the Bulldogs and waiting for the shuffling of the polls to begin during conference play.

As IU travels to Champaign, Ill., today to take on Illinois in its own Assembly Hall at 7 p.m., both teams find themselves in different spots halfway through conference play.
After defeating then-No. 1 Michigan last Saturday, the Hoosiers reclaimed the top spot in the country in this week’s poll, and they also sit atop the Big Ten standings with an 8-1 conference record.

IU Coach Tom Crean said his players are prepared to take on what being ranked the top team in college basketball has in store.

“I think the whole thing with the team is that they have been down this road before,” Crean said. “They know what it means to the opponent’s fan base. They know what it means to the opponent. They know what that means on a national level.

“I think we understand the responsibility that comes with it, especially on the road and knowing that you are going to get the best shot from those teams.”

Illinois, on the other hand, has all but free fallen out of the polls during the past month, going unranked after the release of the polls on Jan. 21. Since the start of conference play, the Fighting Illini have dropped seven of nine, including losing three of four in Champaign.

Their lone win inside Assembly Hall, though, was against current No. 10 Ohio State in dominating fashion, 74-55.

IU Associate Head Coach Tim Buckley said even though Illinois sits third-to-last in the conference standings, the Ohio State victory proves that they won’t be a pushover on the road for the Hoosiers.

“We know we’ve got to go and play Illinois like the team that has played earlier in the year and played at their best because they are very capable of that,” Buckley said. “They’re a team that can score points. They can make threes. They can beat you off penetration, so our focus and our mindset defensively is going to be very important going into this game.”

Buckley said when they’re in their rhythm, the Fighting Illini are one of the best shooting teams in the country, especially from beyond the arc.

The team’s top three scoring threats, guards Brandon Paul, D.J. Richardson and Tracy Abrams, all average double figures in points, and six players on the Illinois roster average between 3.6 and 4.8 rebounds per game.

For Illinois this season, Buckley said it just has come down to whether their shots are falling or not on any given night.

Even though the Fighting Illini have struggled as of late, Buckley said he and the rest of the coaching staff have prepared their players to defend what Illinois does when they’re at their best.

“They’re making shots and in their rhythm and playing the way they want to play,” Buckley said. “They’re probably playing better defensively. They’re playing better on the backboards.

“You can’t let them get into that rhythm.”