When Brad Underwood scheduled No. 8 Illinois for home games on Saturday and Monday, he did it to simulate the NCAA Tournament's weekend format.

It's the only time during the regular season that the Illini will play twice in a three-day span. And, as is often the case in the NCAA Tournament, the quality of Illinois' opponent climbs from Game 1 to Game 2.

After dispatching NEC favorite Long Island by 40 points on Saturday, Illinois (5-1) tackles UT Rio Grande Valley (2-3) on Monday night in Champaign, Ill.

The Illini aren't fooled by the Vaqueros' record. They built a 14-point first-half lead at Baylor in their season opener before losing by 15. They led by 13 with 5:19 to go Saturday at Missouri State and lost by seven. They rank 11th in the nation in 3-point accuracy at 43.2%.

Even if

See Full Page