CHAMPAIGN – No smiling. No congratulations. No pats on the back.

Eastern Illinois scared the team from the big league in the big arena. The Panthers wanted more.

"We always thought we had a chance to win," EIU forward Michael Forrest said.

The Panthers were right. They led by five at halftime and by nine with 14:45 left. Illinois didn't take the lead for good until the final three minutes.

By that time, EIU had proved its point. These weren't the old Panthers.

In the three Illinois-EIU games before Saturday, the Illini won by a combined 85 points. The closest was a 19-pointer back in 1990. The '95 Panthers stayed close until they left the locker room, losing by 32.

Coach Rick Samuel skipped the "we owe them one" speech. Instead, he asked the Panthers to worry about now.

"He just told us we have a chance to beat this team as long as we execute offensively and defensively," guard Greg Ktistou said. "He always stresses that everyone on this schedule we can beat."

The Panthers played a close game earlier at Purdue. Next weekend they'll visit Hawaii, and they host Illinois State late in the month.

Forrest and the Panthers don't mind playing big schools. It's much easier on the nerves.

"It's really harder for them because we're just trying to stay with them," Forrest said. "They're expected to beat us. We're not really expected to beat them."

The Panthers let the Illini know early it wouldn't be an easy day.

They nailed five three-pointers in the first half to quiet the Assembly Hall crowd.

"Of course, it's always fun to get the crowd out of it and show people we can play with anybody," guard Kyle Hill said. "Illinois is a good team. I think we're as good as they are."

"Early, they didn't think we were going to come out and do this to them," Forrest said.

Illinois motivated the Panthers with the timing of a pregame celebration. The school raised its Big Ten championship banner right before tipoff.

The Eastern Illinois players found it odd that Illinois wouldn't wait until the conference season to hoist the conference banner.

"We didn't say much as a team, but I think everyone pretty much knew why they were raising it tonight, not the Big Ten opener," Ktistou said.

"It was probably in the back of our minds. It's nothing new to us as far as people looking down on us."

The Panthers might not know it, but they have a fan on the Illini bench. Forward Rich Beyers followed the team while growing up in Shelbyville. Samuels was the first coach to contact Beyers.

"I think they're just a really good ball team," Beyers said. "I think they're great shooters, great athletes. They know how to win."