Illini take nothing for granted

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Indiana's Bracey Wright is listed as doubtful for today's game against No. 1 Illinois because of an injury, but don't expect the Illini to give up on the Hoosiers.

"We can't focus on that. These are big games for the Big Ten championship," Illini center James Augustine said. "We're thinking of it as if he's playing, and if he doesn't, that's just how we'll take it."

Wright, a high school teammate of Illini guard Deron Williams in Texas, trails only Purdue's Carl Landry in the Big Ten scoring race at 18.5 points per game. He hurt his left ankle early in the second half of Wednesday's 68-63 victory over Penn State and did not return.

"I'm hoping Bracey, for his sake and for their team's sake, I hope he's back," Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. But if Wright can't play, Weber said he expects no less effort from Indiana.

"They'll be loosey-goosey. They have a lot of young, talented kids," he said. "I have to believe they'd come in loose and free and just kind of take it at us."

The undefeated Illini will go for their 23rd straight victory this season and their 19th straight regular-season Big Ten win over the past two seasons. They also own a four-game winning streak over Indiana.

And the Hoosiers are still smarting from last year's 51-49 loss to the Illini in Bloomington, the first of six straight road victories that helped propel Illinois to its first outright Big Ten title since 1952.

"We had the game and didn't score a field goal in the last seven minutes," Hoosiers coach Mike Davis said after Wednesday's game, remembering last year's loss to Illinois. "We had the game won. We had open shot after open shot, but we missed them. That game got them going in the right direction."