Redhawks face major challenge

~ Southeast's game at No. 6 Illinois will be against the highest-ranked Division I opponent in the program's history.

It's not that Bruce Weber didn't expect the University of Illinois to eventually make its mark on this season's college basketball landscape.

But the Illini have gotten there a lot quicker than even Weber could have imagined.

"I don't think there's any doubt," said Weber, the Illini's third-year coach. "When you lose two NBA first-round picks [Deron Williams and Luther Head], you lose somebody who's doing well in the CBA [Roger Powell], another doing well in Europe [Jack Ingram], you're losing a lot of experience and a lot of talent.

"But we do have one of the top guards in the country [Dee Brown], a big man who is playing very well [James Augustine], and then I think you have some guys who are hungry."

The result is that the Illini, barely six months removed from an amazing run that saw them reach the NCAA championship game, are flying high again with a 12-0 record and a No. 6 national ranking.

Southeast Missouri State will get a first-hand look at just what is brewing in Champaign, Ill., when the Redhawks (4-6) and Illini square off at 7 tonight in Assembly Hall.

The second meeting between the programs -- Illinois won 89-70 at home during the 1995-96 season -- will be nationally televised by ESPNU, and televised locally by WDKA (Channel 17).

"It's a huge challenge for us, to say the least," said Southeast coach Gary Garner, whose squad is reeling with three straight Ohio Valley Conference losses, dropping the Redhawks to 10th-place in the 11-team league at 1-4.

Weber led the Illini to a magical ride last season, when they won their first 29 games and were ranked No. 1 for 15 weeks, which is the longest streak in the nation over the past eight years.

Illinois lost to Ohio State, then didn't taste defeat again until North Carolina prevailed in the national championship game. The Illini finished with a 37-2 record.

But after Williams and Head were gobbled up by the NBA, and third starter Powell, Ingram and fellow senior Nick Smith completed their eligibility, Illinois was expected to come back to the pack this year.

So far, that hasn't happened. The Illini entered the season ranked 17th nationally, but they have steadily climbed the polls by winning their first 12 games by an average of 18 points.

Only three of Illinois' victories have been by less than 10 points. Weber acknowledged that the Illini have not exactly faced a brutal schedule, but they do have a few quality wins, including at North Carolina, which is ranked 23rd this week.

"Some of it is early scheduling," said Weber, who led Illinois to consecutive Big Ten Conference titles in his first two seasons after a five-year run at Southern Illinois. "But we go to North Carolina, we beat Xavier, Georgetown, Missouri. None are powerhouses, but they're still good wins.

"As a staff, we couldn't be more pleased with where we're at right now."

Brown, an All-American, is the person who really makes the Illini go. The 6-foot senior point guard is averaging team highs of 14.8 points and 5.3 assists per game.

Augustine, a 6-10, 235-pound senior forward, is the Illini's other returning starter. He is averaging 14.2 points and a team-leading 9.3 rebounds.

While Brown and Augustine are Illinois' only two players who entered this season with considerable experience, several others who did not see all that much action have fit in well, including freshman guard Jamar Smith, who has made 30 of 54 3-pointers (55.6 percent).

"Brown is one of the best guards in the country, Augustine is very good, and their other guys have played well," Garner said.

Illinois is coming off a 82-50 thrashing of Missouri on Dec. 21 in the annual Border War, and the Illini will begin defense of their Big 10 title Jan. 5 against Michigan State.

Given the above, Weber knows the natural inclination would be for Illinois to look past its final two nonconference games -- both against OVC opponents, including Friday's date with Tennessee-Martin.

But Weber, as a former coach at a midmajor program, knows better than most that it's not wise to take any opponent lightly.

"You can't look over anybody in college basketball. You look at scores, and crazy things happen all the time," Weber said. "They [Southeast] have some athletic ability, some ability to penetrate and pitch. I know coach Garner is going to get them to play hard; he always does."

The Illini, who will be the highest-rated Division I team Southeast has ever faced, have the nation's third-longest home court winning streak at 27 games, and they have won 44 straight nonconference home games.

"They're one of the best teams in the country, no doubt about it," Garner said. "And they're almost impossible to beat on their floor."

Still, Garner sees the game -- which just about everybody expects to be extremely lopsided -- as an opportunity for the Redhawks.

"We've really got nothing to lose," Garner said. "We'll go there and give it our best shot. There have been bigger upsets."