Senior center Nick Smith can “bling” one of his entire hands with the rings he has collected at Illinois. But tucked away with all those championship memories will be Senior Night at Assembly Hall tonight when the Illini host Purdue.

Almost a month ago Bruce Weber wrote “March 3rd” on the board and asked his players what that meant to them. It was a senior, Jack Ingram, who had his finger on the pulse of Illinois’ schedule and spoke up, saying it’s Senior Night and the night Illinois could clinch the outright title.

While Ingram didn’t count on Michigan State blowing a game at Indiana, this game still means as much.

“I don’t know if it was disappointing; it would have added adrenaline,” Weber said. “I added that date for them to build through; it’s certainly not backing into the championship because it’s what we’ve done for 14 games prior.”

This game against the 7-18, 3-11 Boilermakers also has sentimental value to Big Ten basketball as a whole. Tonight will mark the last time Purdue’s head coach Gene Keady visits Illinois. Keady is the man who tutored Weber for 17 seasons and has seemingly been at Purdue since its inception.

“We are trying to figure out gifts and stuff, but I don’t think I can ever repay him,” Weber said. “He has given me a chance in life. I have had so many great experiences with him. It’s hard to put in words.”

When Weber ran out of ideas and asked Keady what he wanted and didn’t already get, the retiring coach responded that he only wants a victory.

“And I said, ‘Well, I can’t give you that,'” said Weber in response to Keady’s request.

A win at Assembly Hall became harder for the Boilermakers when star player Carl Landry was knocked out of the line-up. He was the conference’s leading scorer. Purdue’s offense could be seriously hampered as they have grown accustomed to working through their big man.

“We’re going to have to search through our tapes to find how they are going to attack us,” Weber said.

With the championship guaranteed, Illinois can celebrate at home following the game tomorrow.

“Now we can’t hex ourselves, we know we won it, and we can plan whatever we want,” Weber said. “We will honor the seniors before the game, maybe coach Keady and celebrate the championship after the game. I hope everyone stays because it is something to celebrate – you’ve got back to back outright championships.”

While the conference championship is coveted, Weber did not miss a beat before establishing new goals.

“At the same time, there is much more to do,” Weber said. “I think conference championships are very important, but at the same time we have a team that you think can do more; there are bigger and better things.”

The seniors who will be honored tomorrow are Luther Head, Jack Ingram, Nick Smith, Roger Powell Jr. and Fred Nkemdi. Weber said that if there is one word to attribute to this bunch, it’s persistence. They all paid their dues and are currently reaping the benefits of hard work.

“The best part about all of them is they should graduate,” Weber said. “They’ve done it the right way, and that’s why we’ve been successful.”