With eight days to ruminate the loss to unranked Penn State, the Illini are ready to get back into competition. And with a trip to Ohio State – where Illinois’ 29-game winning streak came to a sudden end in 2005 – next on the list, there’s plenty of pressure to pick up a 21st win.

But the Illini (20-3, 6-3) are most worried about surviving the increasingly competitive race for the Big Ten Championship, which is likely to be decided in the last week of conference play. With just three home contests remaining, Illinois needs to pick up some important road victories if it hopes to stay afloat.

The Illini took Sunday and Thursday off from practice to give players a chance to rest and recover from nagging injuries and soreness.

“Your in the middle of the season, it’s the dog-days of practice, and at this point you can’t go three days in the gym without losing their attention,” Weber said.

But when the team was in the gym, the focus was on competing against a zone defense, something they’ve struggled with throughout the season. While Weber was busy with I-Fund appearances during Tuesday’s practice session, the assistant coaches ran a session of work on half-court defense and shooting.

“I think it’ll be as challenging for us defensively as anybody we face this year,” Illinois head coach Bruce Weber said.

The Buckeyes are 16-3 overall and 5-3 in the Big Ten. Their lineup features several returnees from the 2005 team, including fifth-year senior forwards Terence Dials and Matt Sylvester. Sylvester is the player who made the shot that ended Illinois’ shot at an undefeated season.

“I’m not sure they’re much different,” Weber said of this year’s team. “They’re older, a little better. The one thing they don’t really have is another backup big. They play small, four smalls and Dials. That’s where they put you in a bind.”

Important for Illinois will be improved shooting and staying out of foul trouble. The Illini are last in the league from the foul line, and have performed inconsistently. Weber says they’re continuing to run a “hope offense,” in which the rest of the team hopes Dee Brown can sink a 35-footer to secure a win.

While the Illini have counted on Brown for solid shooting, just as important in securing victory is keeping James Augustine out of foul trouble. Game after game the forward has picked up “ticky-tack” fouls, sending one of Illinois’ key rebounders to the bench.

“He knows he’s got to break a bad habit,” Weber said.