Basketball coach Bruce Weber is worried.

With Rich McBride suspended and Brian Randle and Jamar Smith on the bench with injuries, the Illini will face the first real personnel problems of Weber’s coaching career against Jackson State at 7 p.m. tonight.

“It’s definitely a challenge as a coach,” said Weber in a press conference Tuesday. “We’ve been blessed with not having injuries, so sooner or later it catches up with you.”

With a runaway victory against Austin Peay under their belts, the Illini should be riding high into the second game of the season. But injuries have changed all that.

Randle, a junior forward, was expected back tonight and played nine minutes of Monday’s 80-35 victory.

But Randle aggravated a groin-area injury when he went up for his second dunk of the game, and is now considered week-to-week through Christmas.

“He over-extended himself,” Weber said. “He’d been in practice for three or four days, but it just happened.”

Smith, who led Illinois in shooting despite sitting out most of the second half, suffered a high-ankle sprain Monday. X-rays showed there was no fracture, but Weber said the sophomore guard, who led the Big Ten in three-point shooting last season, will likely miss four to six weeks because of his injury.

Illinois will look to point guard Chester Frazier for significant minutes and momentum, as the sophomore may be needed to play the entire game. Frazier struggled with turnovers and free-throw shooting against Austin Peay, but Weber said he’s happy with how Frazier is controlling the court.

“I’m worried about minutes right now,” Weber said. “Chester, I want to keep him around 30 minutes per game. He played 32, and he exerts energy for all 32 minutes, more than anyone we’ve ever had.”

With Rich McBride still sitting out after a DUI arrest in September, Weber said Illinois’ backcourt will be extremely understaffed. Weber said it is likely even walk-on Chris Hicks will get significant playing time tonight, as the Illini look for any relief for remaining guards Frazier, Calvin Brock and Trent Meacham.

“I don’t know, what do you do?” Weber said. “You have to play the guys you have. Chris is going to have to play a significant stretch until we get Rich back.”

Illinois’ other option will be to go big.

Late in Monday’s game the Illini looked to a four-post lineup, and while Weber said he’d rather avoid that kind of big man-heavy roster, he sees little choice.

“It’s been an awful five months, and it keeps getting worse,” Weber said. “Life tests you all the time, basketball’s like life. Things happen to you in life, and you have to deal with it. Basketball’s the same way.”

“Athletics hopefully helps prepare you for life. We can’t sit and cry,” he said.