Penn State’s record is just over .500 going into Saturday’s match up at the Assembly Hall, but that doesn’t mean the Illini expect an easy win.

“They’re a great team, they played Michigan State tough, they’ve been playing well at home,” senior forward James Augustine said. “They’re one of those teams that people overlook and at the end of the year they always knock off a Wisconsin or an Illinois and mess up the Big Ten running.”

That’s one thing Illinois does not want to see happen this weekend. The No. 6 Illini (20-2, 6-2) currently own a 33-game home winning streak and a spot at the top of the Big Ten, both of which they plan to hold on to long after the Nittany Lions have packed up and headed back to Pennsylvania.

To do that, Illinois needs to keep up its team play and get big results from the frontcourt. If Augustine can crash the boards and stay out of foul trouble, chances are good that the team can keep the Nittany Lions at bay. But even if Augustine doesn’t get big numbers, his senior leadership can encourage other players to step up.

“Sometimes I play with confidence, sometimes I don’t,” Augustine said. “Hopefully the bigs just look at me as an older guy who’s been in that position, been there before.”

Also important will be Illinois’ ability to penetrate Penn State’s zone defense. Penn State has been playing 40 minutes of zone in its last few games, which forces players to take outside shots. If the Illini can break through, they should have no trouble scoring.

Weber also hopes to see Illinois’ lesser-known players continue to improve. He said guards Rich McBride and Jamar Smith have been putting in extra time in the gym lately, and that the results have shown come game time.

“I’m happy. You expect your guys to improve, keep getting better,” Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. “We work hard on fundamentals, we work hard on the shooting, conditioning, weights, and now we’re starting to see that with some of the other players.”

Weber said his biggest concern Saturday will be keeping Penn State’s experience from becoming an advantage. While Illinois has won the last six matchups in the series, the Illini are younger than the last time the two played – but the Nittany Lions are a year more seasoned.

“Last year about this time they were starting to wilt,” Weber said. “I’ve talked to several other Big Ten coaches, and they’re scraping. Last year in our game at their place, they just gave in. That’s not the case right now.”