I think the next few weeks, much like the last few weeks, could be a challenge for Illinois sophomore Mike Davis. He has a couple things working against him, and he hasn't had to deal with them before.

The first one is his health. Davis said today he's not 100 percent, and he's been visibly slowed in practice. He has struggled with breathing issues, especially in the cold weather, due to a condition Bruce Weber has described as tonsillitis. (Davis said he'll have his tonsils removed after this season.) Davis said today he's taking medication for the condition.

"I'll probably be ready by Thursday (at Wisconsin)," he said, adding, "It's trying to go away. It's going away slowly but surely. I'm starting to feel better."

The second thing is that teams are now fully aware of Davis' scoring ability, so they're scouting him better, and he's averaged just six points over his last six games. But he had 10 rebounds against Iowa, an example of how he can be effective even when his shot's not falling.

"I'm not getting open shots. But also in practice I'm working on putting the ball on the floor, trying to get comfortable with that, so when game time comes around, I won't be so uncomfortable going to the basket," Davis said. "Teams are scouting me better and shutting me down. I've got to work around it."

The freshman-to-sophomore leap Davis has made is remarkable, and he figures to be a centerpiece in the next two-plus seasons for the Illini. Right now he's facing a patch of adversity. 

pklee@news-gazette.com