“When things don’t go your way, how are you going to stand up to it?”

Flanked by reporters, Illinois senior center Nnanna Egwu posed the question a day after star teammate Rayvonte Rice broke his hand in practice. Egwu and his teammates had just found out that the injury would sideline senior Rice for roughly 4-6 weeks.

The next evening, Egwu was the anchor of a defensive performance that helped dismantle then-No. 11 Maryland, as the Illini won 64-57 in their first game without Rice in the lineup. Following the win, Egwu said that he and his teammates drew inspiration from the way Rice handled misfortune, and Egwu answered his own rhetorical question as he and his teammates stood up to the challenge on the court.

But what happens when the reality of losing your leading scorer, rebounder and 3-point shooter begins to set in? Four days after the Maryland win, the Illini traveled to Nebraska, where they played like a team was missing its senior leader.

Illinois shot 27 percent from the field and six of 29 from 3-point range, looking anemic offensively all night long. Rice, a plus-defender, would have likely guarded Nebraska’s Terran Petteway. Instead, Petteway scored 18 points as Rice watched helpless on the sideline, and the Huskers won, 53-43.

“It’s hard to see your team struggle, but I just help out any way that I can,” Rice said. His contributions are now limited to off the court, and he acts like another assistant coach on the bench, offering encouragement and advice to his teammates.

To understand how big of a blow losing Rice was to Illinois, a quick look at the numbers helps one comprehend the 6-foot-4 senior’s contributions to his team. When Rice went down, he was averaging 17.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

He was also ranked No. 6 in the entire country in ESPN’s Player Efficiency Rating system. His 15 games played is still enough to qualify for the ranking, and he’s actually moved up to No. 3 in the country during his period of inactivity. Rice now trails only Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky and Duke’s Jahlil Okafor — two Naismith Award candidates — in terms of efficiency.

Rice was the player the Illini deferred to — for better or worse — when the team needed to score. He was the hero against Missouri, hitting a game-winning, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to beat the Tigers. He was also the subject of some criticism in an overtime loss to Michigan, when he badly missed a three (and a wide-open Malcolm Hill) that would have won the game for Illinois in regulation.

But no matter how the team performs in Rice’s absence, it’s hard to argue with his numbers.

Rice’s mammoth amount of production on both ends of the floor is a lot to replace over an extended period of time. But Illinois head coach John Groce won’t make excuses, even if he was dealt a bad hand. He stressed a “next man up” mentality to his team, and it’s become a sink or swim situation for an Illini squad that is desperately trying to reach the NCAA tournament for the second time in Groce’s three years in charge.

“Not one guy can replace Ray,” Groce said. “It’s got to be a collective effort.”

The majority of that effort will have to come from Hill, who scored 28 points in the Maryland win, and fellow sophomore Kendrick Nunn, who dropped 25 against Northwestern. Transfers Aaron Cosby and Ahmad Starks are also being relied on to pick up the scoring slack. This seemed like a tall order, as both have seen their share of shooting struggles, shooting under 33 percent from the field on the year. But both Starks and Cosby have begun to come around as of late, as both scored in double-digits against Northwestern.

The hope for Illinois fans is that the Illini’s collective scoring effort — complemented by a revived defensive intensity — can keep them afloat until Rice returns.

Rice had never been seriously injured in his playing career before he went down this year. And now, he’s forced to look on as his teammates try to keep their NCAA dreams alive.

This is Rice’s last chance at the Big Dance — he’s never made it as an active member of a team — and his injury now serves as added motivation to get back on the court and lead his team to the tourney.

“It just motivates me even more,” Rice said. “I was part of the (2012-13) team that went but (as a redshirt) I didn’t get to play. Nnanna’s been there, he’s thirsty to get back. We’re all just going to do what we can to try and get back.”

Rice’s expected return date is still unclear. His doctor told him that “the hand will tell” Rice when he’s able to come back, meaning Rice will be able to feel when he’s able to play above a certain pain threshold.

With or without their star player, Groce and the Illini will march on. A day before Rice’s surgery, Groce made it clear how his team will respond to the situation:

“We’re not going to shut down the season. We’re going to play.”

Alex be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @aroux94.