With upsets pouring in across the nation over the last few weeks, only one thing is certain in college tennis – anything can happen.

The Illinois men’s tennis team will keep that in mind this afternoon when they face Purdue at 2:30 at the Lafayette Sports Center. Purdue is one of the teams that recorded a huge upset last weekend when the then-73rd-ranked Boilermakers defeated then-No.17 Vanderbilt.

“Anything can happen – it is not a matter of ranking,” said Illinois head coach Craig Tiley. “Purdue is tough to beat indoors at their place. Before, when we have had great teams, we have struggled there.”

After the tough trip to Purdue the Illini will have less than 24 hours to recover. The team faces Indiana on Saturday at the IU Varsity Tennis Center at 12 p.m.

In Bloomington, Ind., the Illini will not only compete against the Hoosiers, but also the environment. The courts at the IU Varsity Tennis Center are slower than what most of the Illini are accustom to, Tiley said. When playing on slower courts, tennis balls bounce differently and the athletes have to compensate for that as well as their opponents’ strengths. Indiana is also home to former Big Ten Player of the Week Jakub Prabis, who will most likely face Illinois junior Ryler DeHeart.

Although the Hoosiers tend to play well at home, Tiley is confident that the match will turn out well if the team does “what we are prepared to do.” However, Tiley still has some concerns.

Illinois sophomore GD Jones will not be in attendance for this weekend’s matches. Jones, who hails from Auckland, New Zealand, is representing New Zealand this weekend in Davis Cup competition. Before his departure, Jones had been playing in the No. 1 and No. 2 spots for the Illini in both singles and doubles. Jones had also recently defeated defending NCAA singles champion Benjamin Becker of Baylor. In Jones’ absence, the Illini will need to turn once again to their strong freshman class.

The Illinois freshmen have combined for a 25-4 record since starting the dual-match season – a feat not even Tiley predicted when the men arrived on campus.

“We just need to continue to have good practices and do the things that we can take care of over the weekend,” said Illinois freshman Kevin Anderson, a former Big Ten Player of the Week. “I’ve learned just to take care of the things that you can take care of and if you just prepare your best and try to do it, the results will take care of themselves.”

Freshman Monte Tucker said that it will be important for the team to build off last weekend’s results. Last weekend the Illini played their first Big Ten match of the season.

“We can’t underestimate (Purdue and Indiana), but we have to go over there and play our games and be aggressive,” Tucker said. “This one will be a little bit more fun. Hopefully we’ll play a little better.”

Although the Illini clinched a 6-1 victory at Penn State last weekend the matches were close and the men’s doubles performance “wasn’t that pretty,” Tiley said.

But the Illini are prepared to fix that part of their game, which has been a sore spot for the team since January.

“Doubles is simple, but it’s complicated at the same time,” Anderson said. “It’s not just so much about what you do, but about what you and your partner do as well.”

The keys to good doubles play are communication, movement, attacking the net and being aggressive, Tucker said. He said the team is ready. Tiley is slightly less confident.

“We’ve been doing a little bit better in practice, but I still feel that they can do a little bit of a better job,” Tiley said. “I think that if they continue to make improvements, then we’ll be fine. Our expectations are that they will go in and do a good job.”