Yours truly just arrived in the grand city of Portland and couldn't be more fired up about it. It's overcast with a drizzle, something the N-G's contributing weatherman, Tim Joyce of KOIN-6 in Portland, told us he expected during the first- and second-rounds and the Rose Garden. He also said something about "sun-breaks" throughout the week, and though I spent four years in the Pacific Northwest, that was a new term. "You'll know it when you see it," Joyce said.

"Portland has a reputation for being a rainy place and we're going to live up to that this weekend," local weathercaster Bruce Sussman wrote today in an email. The hotel offers a complimentary umbrella, if that gives you an idea. Other than that, Portland is about as good as it gets, one of my personal favorites.

The faraway locale, though, limited the number of Illinois media heading west. Team spokesman Kent Brown said he plans on about 32 UI media in attendance. Compare that to the three-city swing for the '04-05 tournament run, when about 100 scribes and TV types were credentialed.

- The Illini will hold a practice at the University of Portland prior to the open practice. Here's the open practice schedule Wednesday at the Rose Garden - all practices are free and open to the fans.

Noon (local): Northern Iowa
12:45 pm: Mississippi State
1:30 pm: Purdue
2:15 pm: Washington

4:25 pm: Gonzaga
5:10 pm: Illinois
5:55 pm: Akron
6:40 pm: Western Kentucky

- Western Kentucky's first-year coach, Ken McDonald, showed a sharp wit in a conference call with reporters Monday.

"We are the most overrated team in the tournament," he said, drawing laughs. "We're hoping that we're taken lightly."

McDonald was very much at ease. Remember, WKU was picked to finish third in the Sun Belt's East Division, so the 'Toppers share something in common with the Illini: lowered expectations relative to their recent successes.

"I talked about nothing but dominating the conference, winning the conference title outright and getting to the NCAA tournament," McDonald said, adding, "We're borderline cocky and we liked being in that position."

Of course, the Illini are playing with a chip as well. You can read about their reaction Seth Davis' upset prediction here.

- On another note, Chester Frazier's older brother told me last he's not counting Chester out of the NCAA tournament. The most likely scenario, if he is to get minutes, would be the game Saturday, if Illinois advances. Either way, our conversation was the first time someone has confirmed it was a broken hand that sent Chester into surgery. You can read it here.

- Kentucky just ended the season of UNLV and former Illini Lon Kruger. What a trip seeing UK in the NIT, and Brad Nessler said the attendance at Lexington's Memorial Coliseum was 8,327. So the 'Cats are probably off to Omaha to face the slighted Creighton Bluejays. Just doesn't feel right, does it?

Anyway, looking forward to loading up IlliniHQ on Illinois-WKU coverage throughout the week. The first media day is tomorrow at the Rose Garden, so we'll hit you with updates as that goes down.

Time to fill out my bracket over a green beer. Chat with you throughout the tourney.

pklee@news-gazette.com