At this point in the season, there are no secrets. Illinois basketball knows Indiana well, and Indiana knows Illinois well. That’s the nature of conference play, and it’s the nature of the Big Ten Tournament.

When the Illini and Hoosiers face each other in the early morning game Thursday in Indianapolis, it will be the third time the teams have squared off this year. The Illini bested the Hoosiers in Champaign on Dec. 31 and the Hoosiers returned the favor in Bloomington, Ind., on Jan. 26.

“Conference tournaments are unique because you’re playing teams for the second or third time,” Illinois head coach John Groce said. “Familiarity breeds contempt. There’s not a lot of secrets with video today and scouting.”

Kendrick Nunn is no longer a secret outside of Champaign. Neither is Noah Vonleh a secret outside of Bloomington. The two freshmen — both named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team this week — have made their mark on their respective teams this season.

Vonleh, the conference’s freshman of the year, has posed a challenge for defenders all year long. He nearly averages a double-double with 11.4 points per game and 9.1 rebounds per game as Indiana’s center. But the problem he poses is his versatility.

Illinois center Nnanna Egwu said Vonleh doesn’t quite compare to any player he’s ever been matched up against.

“He can face up, he can drive to the basket, he can pick and pop, shoot the three. He’s an all around player,” Egwu said. “He doesn’t play like a freshman. He does things that veterans do and he’s just a really good player.”

Vonleh will present challenges for Illinois, especially if Egwu finds himself in foul trouble.

Another thing that could present a challenge for both teams is the early time slot. Illinois and Indiana tip off at 11 a.m. in the tournament’s opening game.

Groce doesn’t figure the start time to be a problem though. He and his staff have prepared the team for that all year, scheduling practices both early and late in the day throughout the year. Illinois has not played a game earlier than 1 p.m. this year.

“I’ve played some early games before,” Groce said. “You have to adjust how you do things. But you’ve got to be unconditional. I tease the guys all the time; we can’t control the dates of games or times of games. It’s not like we can tell the Big Ten to change the time.”

Illinois has a chance at an NCAA Tournament bid. But a lot has to happen this weekend. The Illini figure to need three or four wins to secure a spot in March Madness. Anything less than that likely results in a trip to the NIT, in which Illinois last participated in 2010.

“Everybody’s record is 0-0,” freshman Malcolm Hill said. “I expect it to be fun.”

It doesn’t matter what the other 349 Division I college basketball teams are doing on that particular day. March is about matchups. Thursday is about Illinois and Indiana. There are no secrets.

“This time of year it’s simply trying to be better than the team you’re playing that night,” Groce said. “It’s us and them.”

Sean can be reached at [email protected] and @sean_hammond.