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GAME 23

Illinois at Wisconsin, 8 p.m. ESPN

Lineups

ILLINOIS  (18-4, 6-3 Big Ten)

Probable starters

No. P Name HT. YR. PPG

3 G Chester Frazier 6-2 Sr. 5.4

1 G Trent Meacham 6-2 Sr. 10.4

32 G Demetri McCamey 6-3 So. 12.0

24 F Mike Davis 6-9 So. 10.3

54 C Mike Tisdale 7-1 So. 11.6

Top reserves

23 F Dominique Keller 6-7 Jr. 6.3

25 G Calvin Brock 6-5 Sr. 5.7

33 G Alex Legion 6-5 So. 4.9

WISCONSIN (12-9, 3-6)

Probable starters

No. P Name HT. YR. PPG

3 G Trevon Hughes 6-0 Jr. 12.4

12 G Jason Bohannon 6-2 Jr. 10.6

45 F Joe Krabbenhoft 6-7 Sr. 8.1

52 F Keaton Nankivil 6-9 So. 5.2

1 F Marcus Landry 6-7 Sr. 12.8

Top reserves

30 F Jon Leuer 6-10 So. 9.1

24 F Tim Jarmusz 6-6 So. 3.1

11 G Jordan Taylor 6-1 Fr. 1.8

FACTS & FIGURES

Site: Kohl Center (17,230), Madison, Wis.

Radio: Brian Barnhart and Jerry Hester call the action on WDWS 1400-AM, WHMS 97.5-FM, WDAN 1490-AM, WDNL 102.1-FM and WPXN 104.9-FM.

TV: ESPN. Brent Musburger is on play-by-play duties, and former UCLA coach Steve Lavin provides the expert analysis.

Series: Illinois leads 107-73. With a 64-57 win Jan. 24, the Illini snapped a five-game losing streak to the Badgers. Illinois also has won two of its last three at Kohl Center. As the Illinois coach, Bruce Weber is 6-7 against Wisconsin.

Coaches: Weber (146-51 in sixth season at Illinois, 249-105 in 11th season overall); Bo Ryan (185-68 in eighth season at Wisconsin and 568-172 in 25th season overall).

STORYLINES

1

Scouting reports

Wayne McClain's right index finger - the digit that hits "rewind" on the remote control - has gotten a workout in the past two weeks. In a rare twist, the longest-tenured coach on the UI staff has been responsible for the scouting report in four consecutive games: Wisconsin (Jan. 24), at Minnesota (last Thursday), Iowa (Sunday) and at Wisconsin (tonight). In preparing for each matchup, McClain watched film of at least five of the opponents' games, usually more. The Illini know what to expect from Wisconsin - "Bo is Bo," Bruce Weber said. "Their style remains very constant" - but they'll be ready for an occasional wrinkle.

2

On the mend

By his own admission, sophomore Mike Davis is not 100 percent. He has struggled with breathing issues, especially in the cold weather, due to a condition Bruce Weber called "tonsillitis." Davis said he's on medication for the condition, and he was visibly slowed in practice Tuesday and Wednesday. "I'll probably be ready by (today)," he said. "It's trying to go away. It's going away slowly but surely. I'm starting to feel better." Teams are increasingly aware of Davis' scoring ability, so they're scouting him better, and he's averaged six points during his last six games. But it's clear he's not healthy, either.

3

Winding down

It hit Calvin Brock over the weekend. "I looked at my (basketball) schedule and there's only four home games left," the fifth-year senior said. And Illinois' second game in February is the second time it has played Wisconsin. About two weeks ago, the Illini beat the Badgers 64-57 at the Assembly Hall. Illinois hasn't swept a pair of regular season games from Wisconsin since the Final Four season of 2004-05. "They stay within their system, nobody's going to take bad shots, and they make you play defense for 30 seconds, until somebody on the defensive end collapses," Brock said. "Then they get an easy basket."

PREDICTION

Wisconsin 61, No. 23 Illinois 56

Minutes before the Illini began practice Tuesday, five sophomores (Bill Cole, Mike Davis, Jeff Jordan, Demetri McCamey and Mike Tisdale) recited the Gettysburg Address. It was taped by representatives from the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum in Springfield and will be used in a presentation on Lincoln's birthday, Feb. 12. So that was one history lesson for the speakers in the house. Here's another: Bruce Weber has a losing record against only two teams in the Big Ten. One is Ohio State (4-5). The other is Wisconsin (6-7), and the slumping Illini won't even the score tonight. (News-Gazette prediction record: 18-4)