It’s not in the DNA of college basketball coaches to take too many chances.
So Illinois coach Bruce Weber doesn’t mind if his Illini think they have to win a couple of games at the Big Ten tournament to be assured of an NCAA tournament berth.
Such talk can be expensive, especially if the sixth-seeded Illini come out playing not to lose when they face No. 11 seed Penn State on Thursday at the United Center.
“We talk about that a lot,” Weber said. “We just have to play basketball, enjoy it. We can’t control it. We haven’t been able to control injuries. Just go play, take it to somebody.”
Although a 9-7 record in the Big Ten, a league that has only two Top 25 teams, is in some ways unimpressive, the bubble the Illini are sitting on still has a lot of air in it.
Based on RPI, the computer formula the NCAA selection committee uses as an aid in picking the 34 at-large teams for the 65-team field, the Illini haven’t lost to a bad team. Their worst loss was Saturday at No. 83 Iowa.
Penn State is No. 189 in RPI, so a loss would draw unwelcome attention.
“If we don’t [make the NCAA], it wasn’t meant to be, but don’t have regrets,” Weber said. “It’s a fear, but we’ve been through so much, I don’t think it should be a factor in the game.”
Based on RPI, the Illini’s best victories were over No. 22 Michigan State and No. 23 Indiana. They beat both at home and lost to both on the road.
A victory over Penn State would mean a third meeting with Indiana, which has a bye to the quarterfinals as the No. 3 seed. It also would improve the Illini’s record to 22-10.
“We do have a sense of urgency,” center Shaun Pruitt said. “We still need to get to 22 wins to feel safe about the [NCAA] tournament. We just have to stay focused.”
Penn State comes to Chicago after snapping a 13-game losing streak with a home victory over Iowa last week. But the Nittany Lions closed out conference play Saturday with a 31-point loss at Indiana.
What’s more, the Nittany Lions are without starting guard Ben Luber, who injured his wrist Feb. 21 against Ohio State.
The Illini beat Penn State in their only meeting, 68-50 on Feb. 24 at State College. They limited leading scorers Geary Claxton to 12 points and Jamelle Cornley to five.
“We found some ways to attack them inside,” Weber said. “I thought our matchups were pretty good. Brian [Randle] did a good job [on Claxton]. Shaun did a good job on Cornley. We didn’t have breakdowns defensively.”
With Claxton and Cornley back this season, the Nittany Lions (11-18, 2-14) had been expected to at least contend for an NIT berth. Instead, they tied for last in the league.
“We’ve never had a consistent third scorer,” coach Ed DeChellis said.
“Looking back at least year, we had Travis Parker, who was a 15-point scorer who helped us win a couple of games. Geary’s done a good job, Jamelle has done a good job scoring and rebounding, but we didn’t find a third scorer.
“And defensively we’re not as good. We haven’t covered the perimeter like last year. Defensively, we’ve struggled.”
Penn State has nothing to lose.
“They’re going to play loose and free,” Weber said of the Nittany Lions. “You don’t want to play uptight. You have to play determined.”
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tabannon@tribune.com
