“STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Bruce Weber searches for motivational tactics like that guy on a sandy beach waving a metal detector. Going into Wednesday night’s game against Penn State, the Illinois coach thought he had found a gem: No. 2- ranked Kansas and No. 3 Kentucky each lost road games this week.
“‘I saw both of the games, so he doesn’t really have to mention anything to us,’ Illini guard Dee Brown said. ‘We understand the importance of it. We’ve got vets on this team.’
“Brown said Illinois, the No. 1 team in the country, was riled up about playing unranked Penn State because ‘we don’t want nobody storming the court on us.’… “