The Maalox moment is over, but the question still remains.

Does Illinois need to lose a game?

The answer may not be what you’d think.

Illinois does not need to lose in order to learn a lesson. Those can be learned from a close call like the 73-68 overtime win against Iowa.

But the paparazzi hovering over the Illini’s every move?

That is a different issue. They will disappear with a loss and Illinois can go back to being just a basketball team. Just one loss and things could go back to how things were.

If, that is what the Illini want.

Mature teams find ways to make adjustments without losing. Illinois has won 29 straight regular season games over the last two years. Teams don’t go 29 games without a problem. They adapt. Then the media follows.

In the last two years Illinois has overcome poor zone offense, lack of production from its bigs, poor three-point defense and against Iowa – a lack of preparation.

“The lesson I want them to learn (from Iowa) is you practice how you play,” said Illinois head coach Bruce Weber.

But through every misstep, Illinois still walks into the winner’s circle.

“They always say you need failure to learn but I guess these types of games you learn from as well,” said Illinois junior guard Dee Brown.

And Weber may have figured out how to keep the wins coming in.

Turn the three-ring spectacle that has become Illinois basketball practices back into a private one-court performance by keeping the players away from the media until the final buzzer sounds in Madison.

“It’s been a circus this week, to be honest,” Weber said. “There was a lot more media attention, more national media attention. People ask me what’s the difference between being an assistant and a head coach. It’s the mental fatigue. There’s so much media coverage, maybe they are mentally drained a little bit.”

Practices are a 45-minute sanctuary of silence in an endless onslaught of questions centering on “Who is the team MVP?” and “Can the team go undefeated?”

How can anyone concentrate on stopping Mike Wilkinson when you have to think of a new way to say anyone is going to play tough against Illinois because everyone gives their best shot at the No. 1 team?

You don’t want to feel like a robot the next few days having to answer the same question 1,000 times.

But the problem with shutting out the media to focus on ending the nation’s longest home court winning streak? The more Illinois wins, the more media jumps onto the Illinois bandwagon. It’s a vicious cycle for preparation.

No matter how hard Weber tries to shield his team from the media, he won’t be able to. More wordsmiths will bring up going undefeated.

With a loss, everything would change. The Illini would immediately turn into No. 7 Syracuse.

Just another one-loss team the nation ignores.

Illinois wasn’t the media darling of college basketball before the season started. Why would they be after they’re no longer the best story?

The paparazzi would go back to shooting Lindsay Lohan. The army of recorder-carrying reporters would move their hardwood home front probably back to the ACC.

Illinois would be left on their own.

The Illini could practice in peace. The Illini could run through the Big Ten unnoticed. The Illini could inconspicuously earn a No. 1 seed – just like in 2001.

They could do the same things with the nation’s gaze focused on them.

But would it be the same without the rock star treatment?

I think not.

Bobby La Gesse is a senior in communications. He can be reached at [email protected].