Indiana travels to Champaign Illinois Saturday afternoon to take on everyones favorite coach Bruce Weber and his Fighting Illini.
Here's a quick look at U of I, and be sure to check out the IDS tomorrow for full coverage from yours truly, Dolly and the pride of Georgia Zach Osterman.
* Illinois record is markedly improved from last year, they stand at 13-2 and 1-1 in the Big Ten. Like Indiana, Illinois lost to Michigan. However, the Illini upset Purdue in West Lafayette in overtime in late December.
* Demtri McCamey, who you may remember as the guy who dropped 31 on IU last year in Champaign, is the teams leading scorer. But the Illini have a balanced offense, with four players averaging double digits. Another player to watch out for will be forward Mike Davis, who leads the team in rebounds and is second in scoring.
* The recent squabbling between the two schools has been well documented - notably Bruce Weber and Kelvin Sampson's strained relationship. But even with Sampson out of college basketball, Weber still apparently holds some hostility for Indiana. Back in June he predicted that 'Indiana will suck' to an Illini crowd.
* Oh and in case anyone was curiuos Illini guard Chester Frazier is still around, apparently he's a senior.
I've tried to catch every team in the Big Ten play at least once this year, but must admit I have yet to see the Illini in action. Given the history of Bruce Weber's team, I would imagine we can expect a very tough and talented on the ball defense from Illinois, and lots of motion on offense. Has anyone seen this years version - and if so, what are your thoughts? What are Illinois's strengths? Weaknesses? What are the odds Indiana can pull off an upset?
