ChicagoSports.com – Illini want to avoid lull:
“CHAMPAIGN — Illinois basketball players excitedly talked up their dates with Wake Forest and Cincinnati months before tipoff. A fraction of that enthusiasm could be enough Wednesday night to defeat floundering Penn State.
“But will the top-ranked Illini (16-0, 2-0) muster any eagerness for this Big Ten game against the Nittany Lions (6-9, 0-2), who have lost seven of their last eight games?
“Illinois coach Bruce Weber wants to stir up his team’s intensity, like previous attempts before playing Longwood and Northwestern State two weeks ago in the Las Vegas Classic. His success rate has been 50-50.
” ‘It’s the first time in my career I’ve actually told them before games if they don’t win by 30, it’s disappointing,’ Weber said Monday. ‘You’re not living up to your potential. I already know they’re mentally complacent. I’m trying to give them a challenge.’ …”