NCAA or bust

Before practice Thursday, Bruce Weber channeled his inner Joe Lunardi and showed the players that various bracketologists still had the Illini in the NCAA tournament. Illinois is, of course, on the bubble. And the schedule and late-season free fall don't bode well for their chances. But the coaches are looking for any sort of positive reinforcement for a team that has lost seven of eight games down the stretch. "I had told them we were still in the tournament, that we controlled our own destiny," Weber said. "The kids felt good about it, seeing that Illinois was still in the tournament. But, first, it would obviously help if Nebraska was the first one."

Klee