To see Ed Bond's behind-the-scenes photos from Portland, click here.

Illinois vs. Western Kentucky, 8:55 p.m.

Site: Rose Garden (19,570), Portland, Ore.

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: CBS (WCIA locally). Kevin Harlan is on play-by-play duties, and Dan Bonner handles the expert analysis.

Series: Illinois leads 2-0. The Illini won 93-80 on Dec. 12, 1959, in Champaign. But you probably will remember their most recent meeting. Illinois beat Western Kentucky 65-60 in the first round of the 2003 NCAA tournament. Brian Cook (17 points) and Dee Brown (16) led the way for Illinois. The Illini lost to Notre Dame in the second round.

Did you know? Several of the men on the sideline today were on the court the last time Illinois and Western Kentucky hooked up in the NCAA tournament. Illinois director of basketball operations Sean Harrington played 13 minutes in the Illini victory at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. "I remember Patrick Sparks was their main guy. He had a couple good years there before going to Kentucky," Harrington said Wednesday. "Obviously this (WKU) team is a very different team, other than the fact they've been very successful over the last five years." WKU assistant coach David Boyden was a starter for the '03 Hilltoppers. He had eight points and six rebounds in a loss that ended the Hilltoppers' season and sent the Illini into a second-round matchup against Notre Dame. WKU graduate assistant Anthony Winchester played 25 minutes against Illinois.

The Illini win if ... they dance with the hand that brought them. Illinois must channel its inner Chester Frazier and play defense like it did throughout the Big Ten season. Only three teams – Memphis, Louisville and Connecticut – own a better defensive efficiency rating than Illinois, and those three are considered Final Four contenders. They have to pressure the ball and allow few open looks. Illinois is not a self-motivated bunch, but all of the experts picking Western Kentucky have stirred the pot.

The 'Toppers win if ... they limit turnovers and crash the boards. Despite a smallish lineup – only one starter is taller than 6-foot-5 – the Hilltoppers rank 40th nationally in rebounding margin. WKU shoots a lot of three-pointers (151 more than Illinois) and grabs a lot of long rebounds as a result. "They're a very good rebounding team," Bruce Weber said. If the Hilltoppers can take a lead or keep it close heading into the final minutes, the crowd will turn in the underdog's favor and the Illini, without their steadying rudder (Frazier), will get tight.

N-G PREDICTION

No. 5 Illinois 59, No. 12 Western Kentucky 57

Truth is, these Illini have been at their best when skeptics come out of the woodwork. That trend goes all the way back to the win at Vanderbilt through the second win against Purdue. It's not so much the experts are picking Western Kentucky, but that the experts are picking against Illinois. We think differently. It's on to Saturday and a matchup against Gonzaga. (News-Gazette prediction record: 24-9)