Illinois wants to get back on track

No. 1 team seeks to reclaim momentum after loss to Ohio State.
CHICAGO (AP) -- With the conference title already in hand and a No. 1 NCAA seed virtually assured, the Big Ten tournament isn't the must-win situation for Illinois as it is for, say, Indiana or Minnesota.
Try telling that to the Illini. After last Sunday's loss at Ohio State, they're as determined as a bubble team to win the conference tournament.
"We want to have both [titles]. That's been our goal from day one to get both of these, so we really think it's important," guard Deron Williams said. "Especially after losing like we did at Ohio State, so we can get our confidence back and get back rolling."
Though Illinois (29-1) wasn't a unanimous No. 1 this week -- 22 voters went for North Carolina -- the team could probably lose a game in the Big Ten tournament and still get the top seed. Of the other Top 25 teams, all but No. 18 Pacific have at least three losses. The Tar Heels dropped three while Wake Forest and Kentucky have each lost four.
The Illini still have a margin of victory of almost 18 points, and their RPI trails only Kansas and Wake Forest.
"We've won 29 games, no one else has done that. And that one game, we led for 39 minutes and 54 seconds. If we lose the No. 1 seed over 6 seconds, something's wrong," Illinois coach Bruce Weber said.
"[But] it would be nice to play well," he added. "Get some confidence."
Home away from home
And there's no better place than the United Center. The arena may as well be Assembly Hall North, with thousands of loud, orange-clad alums packing the stands whenever the Illini visit. Illinois has won 11 straight at the UC -- including a victory over Oregon in December -- and is 24-6 there since it opened during the 1994-95 season.
Most of the team is from the Chicago area, too, so the Illini will have a definite homecourt advantage when they play Friday morning.
The top five seeds -- Illinois, No. 13 Michigan State, No. 23 Wisconsin, Indiana and Minnesota -- have byes into the quarterfinals. First-round games today feature: Michigan against Northwestern; Ohio State vs. Penn State; and Iowa against Purdue in what could be the last game for Boilermakers coach Gene Keady.
Sitting on the bubble
"We're going to go out there and play hard," Illini guard Luther Head said. "Probably as hard as we've ever played just because we're coming off a loss and we know we need a win."
If the Illini "need" a win, than other teams are desperate for one. Or two, or three. While Illinois, Michigan State and Wisconsin are all assured of making the NCAA tournament, Minnesota, Iowa and Indiana are still iffy. They don't have much time to make their case to the selection committee, either, facing off Friday afternoon.
Short on depth and experience, Minnesota coach Dan Monson got far more out of the Golden Gophers than anyone expected. Their 20-9 record includes home-and-away wins over Ohio State and a victory against Wisconsin, and they come into the tournament on a four-game winning streak.
"We can control only that game," Monson said. "We need to go in and play well and win. Hopefully the committee rewards us for that. If we don't, I hope the committee still thinks we're deserving."
Indiana is just 15-12 overall, but the Hoosiers have won five of their last seven, including an overtime victory against Michigan State.
One of the losses was by two points to Wisconsin in Madison, where the Badgers are 43-1 over the last two years.
The Hoosiers also played a brutal non-conference schedule, losing to North Carolina, Connecticut, Kentucky and Charlotte.
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