Illinois to make first appearance in Maui Inv.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- In Bruce Weber's 27 years of coaching, his teams have never played in the Maui Invitational.

That will change Monday when the Illini face Arizona State in a game that Weber says will put both teams on college basketball's center stage.

"Of all the exempt event tournaments, it probably has the most prestige," Weber said. "It's the kickoff to the college basketball season and it seems like everybody's watching because it's a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday."

The Illini return three starters -- senior forward Brian Randle, senior center Shaun Pruitt and junior guard Chester Frazier -- from last season's 23-12 team that lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but Weber's 14-man team also includes five freshmen and a junior college transfer.

Illinois will play four games in six days, including a non-tournament game Friday against Hawaii. With that packed schedule, Weber hopes to leave the tournament with a better understanding of his young club.

"You get a great evaluation of where you're at," Weber said. "If you have high goals as a team, you have to beat good people on the road. You're going to have to beat people in the NCAA Tournament on the these neutral courts so it's a valuable experience."

A few weeks ago Weber hoped two of his players would red-shirt the season, but he now says a number of the younger ones are playing well enough to contribute.

In Illinois' season-opener last Sunday, a 63-55 home win over Northeastern, 11 players saw action in the first half. Weber admitted he likes Illinois' depth, but is looking for more consistency.

This year's tournament field includes No. 10 Marquette, No. 13 Duke, along Oklahoma State, 2006 Final Four participant LSU, Princeton and Chaminade.

To win on the road, Illinois might be able to draw on the experience of its four-game September exhibition tour of Canada, where the Illini had few fans.

"We're going to have to have our own energy, that's something [that] on the road it's different, nobody's there for you really," said Pruitt, who scored 12 points and had a career-high 17 rebounds against Northeastern. "It's not like you are at home; it's very difficult to play."

Before Weber scheduled the Illini to play Hawaii, he said, he talked with Michigan State coach and friend Tom Izzo, whose team played the Rainbow Warriors before taking part in the 2005 Maui Invitational. Izzo advised allowing enough time before the tournament to adjust to the change in time zone.

"I know that when Tom went he did have some success once he got over to Maui and they did get to the championship games," Weber said. "So maybe another game under (our) belts, especially in that time zone, will benefit us."

Illinois will play Arizona State at 10:30 p.m. CST Monday on ESPN2. The Illini will play either Duke or Princeton on Tuesday, a game that, if the Illini beat Arizona State Monday and stay in the winner's bracket, will be at 8:30 p.m. CST on ESPN. If Illinois falls to the Sun Devils, its second game will be at noon CST on ESPNU.