Illini ready for Hoosiers

Before this week, Bill Self had a problem. \nThe second-year Illinois coach didn't have enough healthy players to play five-on-five. The Fighting Illini were the walking wounded. Some of them could barely walk. \nNow, three weeks into the Big Ten season, Self has a full cast of characters -- "enough to play four-on-four on both ends of the court," he joked earlier this week. \nAfter playing the entire season without Lucas Johnson and six games without Damir Krupalija, Illinois is back. At full force. Kind of. \nJohnson and Krupalija both saw action in Wednesday's 80-48 pounding of Wisconsin. Both will be dressed and ready at 1 p.m. Saturday in Assembly Hall for a matchup of Big Ten frontrunners when No. 9 Illinois (15-4, 4-2 Big Ten) meets IU (12-6, 5-1), but they aren't expected to get major minutes.\nStill, having help for Big Ten Player of the Year Frank Williams and more bodies at Self's disposal is something the Illini are looking forward to. \n"They're almost in place," Self said early this week about the pieces of the Illini puzzle. "We'll be a better team because of it. We still haven't quite had everybody together all the time. We're two weeks away from probably being where we need to be."\nJohnson and Krupalija were a big reason the Illini tied for the Big Ten crown and advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight last season. \nThe 6-foot-8, 230-pound Johnson, who said he is playing at about 85 percent, ripped a knee ligament and had surgery in October. He played his first 12 minutes of the season Wednesday, scoring five points. He hopes to return with the same "reckless abandon" he has displayed in the past, he said. \nKrupalija, a 6-9, 230-pound forward who has had some of his best career games against IU, nursed a sprained foot for six games and has practiced only twice since mid-December. He played 11 minutes without scoring but had two rebounds. \nSelf said he expects the duo to ease its way back into play, and is excited about the depth the Illini have. Ten different Illini played at least 10 minutes Wednesday, and 12 players scored. \nRegardless of who they have on the floor, the Illini have IU's respect. \n"Illinois is the team to beat," IU coach Mike Davis said. "We respect them as the most talented team in the Big Ten. Coach Self is fantastic."\nSo is Williams, Davis said. \nThe dynamic 6-3 point guard scored 14 points in both of the meetings between IU and Illinois last season, helping the Illini upend IU 67-61 in Bloomington in February. Three weeks later, IU upset Illinois 58-56 in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. \nWilliams committed nine turnovers in the two games and showed signs of frustration in the finale in Chicago. He hit just nine of 27 field goals (33.3 percent) in the two games. IU senior guard Dane Fife spent much of the time defending Williams then and will do the same Saturday. \nDavis said he won't change his game plan for one player, a mistake he said he made against Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince. He said his best plan to slow down Williams is "pray he misses shots." \nFife also has unconventional ideas. \n"(Getting under his skin) is the only real way you can probably stop him other than graduation or injury," Fife said. "I don't think we're going to try to injure him, and we can't count on graduation. We're going to do what we can to stop him."\nWilliams scored a mere two points Wednesday and took just four shots. He's averaging 17.1 points and 4.4 assists per game this season and is one of four Illini players averaging double figures. \nWisconsin's plan to guard Williams tightly unraveled when senior guard Cory Bradford dropped in 16 points, senior forward Robert Archibald scored 14 and junior forward Brian Cook added 12. \nThe Illini could pose problems for IU, which has played three guards at most times this season. The addition of Johnson and Krupalija gives Illinois a rotation of five players who are 6-8 or taller. \nSelf said their return will allow him to keep his players fresher and develop the kind of rotation he had last season, when seniors Sergio McClain and Marcus Griffin lead the Illini. Making room for Johnson and Krupalija won't be easy, Self admitted. \n"Some guys will have to swallow their pride," he said. \nDespite the depth, Fife, whose history includes impressive defensive performances against some of the Big Ten's top guards, has faith in his game plan of doing whatever it takes to corral Williams and his resurgent teammates. \nA similar style worked in IU's 81-57 thrashing of Penn State Wednesday when Fife limited Nittany Lion sharpshooter Sharif Chambliss to 11 points on three-of-nine shooting. \n"This is the first time in my four years that I really feel comfortable out on the floor with every guy who's out playing 'D,'" Fife said. "I know that everybody on the floor is going to play defense and play hard."\nSomething will bend -- if not break -- Saturday. The Illini lost back-to-back league games at Wisconsin and Purdue early this month but are hitting stride. The Hoosiers are off to their best Big Ten start in nine seasons and play four of their next five league games in Bloomington. \nAn Illini win would pull them even with IU in the standings. An IU victory could help put space between it, league-leader Ohio State, and the rest of the league. \nDavis admitted prior to Wednesday's game at Penn State that Illinois was creeping into the back of his mind -- as well as the minds of his players. \nNow, the Illini have all of IU's attention.\n"(Illinois) certainly has been the team to beat the last couple of years," Fife said. "We have a rivalry with them dating back to the Big Ten Tournament last year. I know they're definitely wanting to come in and beat us pretty bad. We were circled on their schedule"