IU prepared for No. 9 Illini

The Hoosiers have been looking forward to this one. And the anticipation began long before today.\nTheir eagerness showed when Mike Davis spoke earlier this week about not looking past Penn State. To win a third conference road game before coming home for five of it's next six games would be big for IU.\nAt the same time, Davis admitted his team was looking forward to Saturday's 1 p.m. showdown with No. 9 Illinois at Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers look at this as their chance to prove themselves.\n"We're not going to look ahead to Illinois, (but) in the back of our minds, we're thinking about Illinois," Davis said early this week. "If we can win on Wednesday and come in 5-1, (Saturday) will be a statement game."\nNow that the Hoosiers (12-6, 5-1 Big Ten) have taken care of business with an easy 85-51 victory over the Nittany Lions Wednesday night, their focus is on Illinois (15-4, 4-2). That focus on the defending conference co-champions began long ago for IU.\nBefore the season began, Illinois and Iowa were supposed to battle for the conference title this season -- and maybe even Michigan State. But while Michigan State and Iowa have struggled and the Illini lost two of their first three league games, the Hoosiers have positioned themselves for a shot at the conference crown.\nSaturday will be the biggest test yet for the Hoosiers. A victory would likely show any doubters that IU's hot start to the conference schedule is no fluke. And it would give the Hoosiers a two-game lead over Illinois, something they covet.\n"We knew coming into the season Illinois was the team to beat," Davis said.\nThe two teams will meet again at the end of February in Champaign, which makes Saturday's home-court game an almost must-win for IU if it wants to win a league crown. \nA victory for the Hoosiers will allow room for error later in the season without the threat of the Illini catching them. Illinois already has two conference losses and a third this early in league play would be devastating.\n"Its a big game for us and them, but its at our home, so we have to come ready to play," Jared Jeffries said.\nLast season, the two teams met twice. In the first meeting in Bloomington, Illinois muscled its way to a 67-61 victory. The Illini bench outscored the Hoosiers' bench 30-5 and outrebounded it 20-2.\nIU got its revenge in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament last March with a 58-56 victory against Illinois.\nIllini coach Bill Self will have his full arsenal for the first time this season, with forwards Lucas Johnson and Damir Krupalija both having returned from injuries in Wednesday's 80-48 route of Wisconsin. \nThe Hoosiers had success shutting down Illini guard Frank Williams in the second half of the IU victory in the Big Ten Tournament. But Self said although Williams is Illinois' star, the Illini will try to use a balanced attack.\n"I think if we play to our strengths as opposed to being one of five, we'll look much better," Self said. "Every good team, regardless of who scores the points or grabs the rebounds, has to have balance."\nWilliams does lead Illinois with more than 17 points per game, but Brian Cook, Cory Bradford and Robert Archibald all average at least 11 points per game. Archibald and Cook should give IU's forwards, who have been playing well, a significant test Saturday.\nAs has been documented, the Hoosiers have not started the conference season with five victories in their first six games since the 1992-1993 season, when they ran off 13 straight before losing at Ohio State, which is where they lost last Saturday for their only Big Ten loss this year.\nSaturday, for only the fifth time this season, the Hoosiers won't have to worry about being on the road.\n"You can bet that (Assembly Hall) will be packed and loud, because this is how Indiana basketball is supposed to be played," Dane Fife said.\nDavis continues to talk about a Big Ten title, and so far his team has been stepping to the plate. With IU finally at home for most of the next three weeks, the Hoosiers are ready to take advantage of Assembly Hall.\nAnd what better way to start than against a team they know they must beat to get what they want.\n"They're going to come out ready and as a focused team," Jeffries said. "So are we. We're going to come out ready to play them"