CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In a brief appearance in court Thursday afternoon, Illini senior guard Rich McBride pleaded guilty to driving under the influence.

The 22-year-old, dressed in a maroon dress shirt, black pants and a tie, entered the plea at the Champaign County Courthouse before Judge Richard Klaus. He is scheduled to be sentenced May 1.

McBride’s court appearance consisted primarily of a series of rapid questions from Klaus.

The judge moved quickly, first questioning whether McBride understood that with a guilty plea he would give up his right to a trial, then to asking him about the bottom line:

“Sir, do you plead guilty?”

“Yes sir,” McBride answered from behind the table where he sat with attorney Mark Lipton.

McBride was accompanied by Illini assistant coach Wayne McLain. Both declined comment.

The 6-foot-3 senior was arrested on Sept. 29 and charged with DUI and improper traffic lane usage in Savoy, a small town just south of Champaign. He lives in a nearby apartment complex.

Assistant State’s Attorney Stephanie Weber said McBride, who was 21 at the time, was arrested after a Champaign County sheriff’s deputy noticed his car drift across the center line.

McBride’s blood-alcohol level was .18 percent, Weber said, more than twice the legal limit.

Klaus said Thursday that the traffic lane charge would be dropped at McBride’s sentencing.

Driving under the influence is a Class A misdemeanor and carries a maximum possible sentence of 364 days in jail and a $2,500 fine. Drivers convicted of a first-time DUI in Illinois also lose their driver’s license for a year.

Lipton said in an interview that he plans to argue May 1 that, as a first-time offender, McBride should be sentenced to court supervision – probation without a conviction. That, according to Lipton, would allow McBride to keep his license.

State’s Attorney Julia Rietz said McBride’s blood-alcohol level demands a stiffer sentence than court supervision.

“We’ll be objecting,” she said.

A university spokesman said McBride, who was suspended for two exhibitions and four regular-season games after his Sept. 29 arrest, isn’t expected to face further in-team discipline.

“No, not at this time,” sports information director Kent Brown said.

Neither the University nor Illini coach Bruce Weber were expected to make any further statements about McBride’s plea, Brown said.