CHICAGO – The University of Illinois is given credit for inventing Homecoming. Saturday afternoon, Illini guard Luther Head reinvented it while leading his team to an 83-66 victory over previously undefeated Oregon.

Head grew up five minutes away from the United Center and had a lot of fans at the game who cannot make it to Champaign regularly. His family wore shirts with his picture on the front reading, “That’s my nephew.” When Head was taken out of the game with 4:44 left on the clock in the second half, he had all of Chicago claiming him as their own.

Head led all scorers with 23 points, while shooting 8-of-10 from the field.

“I grew up with Luther, I know what type of player he has always been,” Dee Brown said about his teammate. “He is playing great basketball and now when people scout us they can’t say Dee and Deron, they have to say Luther too.”

The Duck dismantling took place in front of 21,224 people. The sold-out United Center crowd witnessed the Illini’s balanced attack; all Illini starters scored in double digits. While Oregon had not let any team shoot above 40 percent from the field, Illinois shot a blistering 58 percent.

“We have confidence in each other and when the shots come we take them,” Brown said. “We are doing a great job moving the basketball and a lot of guys are just making shots.”

The Ducks have a reputation as a team that will push the ball and kill a team in transition, but Illinois had a 13-point edge in fast-break points.

“We knew it was going to be a track meet,” Williams said. “(Point guard) Aaron Brooks likes to catch the ball on the run, and Dee did a great job of getting out there and bumping him a little bit to keep them out of transition.”

The Ducks entered as a team with proven big men; Illinois had a 14-point edge in points in the paint.

The Illini took just about every accolade away from the Ducks besides having a sensational freshman class. Oregon was led by two freshmen; wingmen Malik Hairston and Bryce Taylor combined for 33 points.

Illinois head coach Bruce Weber continued milking the No. 1 ranking, bringing in his top recruits from the Chicago area to watch the game. The Chicago public leagues Simeon and Westinghouse had entire teams in attendance, while several other key prospects came individually.

“When they see us playing as well as we have been playing, it can influence them to come to school here at Illinois,” Head said. “We have kids from this area that are watching. I think it helps this program a lot.”

Following another lopsided win, the team has yet to face a late-game challenge.

“I sit with the coaches every game and go through last-second situations,” Weber said. “Every once in a while we do a shot-clock play, but that’s about it. Sooner or later that test will come, and if it doesn’t that means we’re pretty good. I’ll take 20 or 30 point wins all the time.”

Since being named No. 1, Illinois has won three games and is expected to keep its ranking atop the country, just in time to concentrate on finals.

“It’s good having the No. 1 ranking,” Williams said. “We just want to play like we are No. 1, keep doing that and keep winning.”