The Illini are playing on Super Bowl Sunday for the ninth time in program history and enter today with a 5-3 mark on the day of the NFL's big game. They lost last year to Northwestern 74-70 at home on Super Sunday. The only affect, they say, might be in attendance. The team won't be distracted. "These guys are used to it. When you're at Illinois at a place like this, if you want distractions to be a part of what you're going through on a daily basis, there's a lot of them out there," Groce said. "We try to lock in on what we can control and keep very focused on what we're doing and the game plan. At the same time, I want them to be loose and be aggressive, have fun, compete, trying to keep that all in perspective."

Marcus Jackson