With a top-five finish in the Big Ten, No. 9 Illinois secured itself a bye in the conference tournament and an extra day of rest before taking on the winner of today’s Michigan State-Purdue matchup. But the Illini will still be paying close attention to what happens in Indianapolis today, as they prepare to begin their postseason run at the Big Ten Tournament.

The Big Ten Tournament begins today at Indianapolis’ Conseco Fieldhouse with Penn State playing Northwestern at 11 a.m. The Michigan Wolverines will face the Minnesota Golden Gophers at 1:30 p.m., and Michigan State and Purdue will finish the session with a game slotted for 4:05 p.m.

Illinois is the No. 3 seed in the tournament, and head coach Bruce Weber said his team couldn’t ask for a better position. They can relax an extra day and head into Friday night’s competition rested and ready for action.

“You want to be in the top five so you get the bye,” Weber said. “(The other teams) have to go through a tough game, get back to the hotel, eat, figure it out.”

Illinois’ focus today will be on seeing whether Big Ten bottom-feeder Purdue can pull out a win against middle-of-the-pack Michigan State. The Illini closed their regular season with a road win against the Spartans, but they know Michigan State can be a tough competitor.

“We have to look at Purdue and Michigan State, but you have to feel like Michigan State might be too much for Purdue, especially late in the season on a neutral court,” Weber said.

For the Illini, this tournament will be what Weber calls “a taste” of what’s to come. The regular season is like a marathon, Weber said, while March features several sprints towards the ultimate prize. In 2005 the Illini figured out their pacing, and made it to the national championship. But with an inexperienced team and a very different lineup, the coach is happy to have this dry run at tournament time.

“It gives you a taste of how if you lose you go home,” Weber said. “There’s that intensity of the tournament, leaving it all on the court, all those clich‚s we use as coaches.”

Senior forward James Augustine said that playing up to four games in four days can be extremely draining. But knowing that one loss will send you home, he said, can be the motivation athletes need to overcome fatigue and mental strain.

“It keeps you in the games,” Augustine said. “You lose that first round Thursday, you have to wait a whole week to play again. Lets say we lose Friday, we play one game in two weeks.”

Illinois’ clearly stated goal is to pick up another ring. After allowing losses to Ohio State, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan and Penn State, the Illini would like to send a message to their critics by finishing the Big Ten tournament undefeated. That goal, Augustine said, is another big motivational factor during the beginning of the season’s toughest stretch.

“It’s basketball,” Augustine said. “You play, you wake up, you play again.”