Give us your grade for the Illini

Player of the Game: Illinois' D.J. Richardson

The Peorian is showing his star potential. His team-high 20 points were matched by a proper job of defense on Talor Battle. Though Battle finished with 20 points on 7-for-15 shooting, "It was a hard 20 points," as assistant Jerrance Howard said.

Backcourt

Illinois: B

Penn State: C

Demetri McCamey's transition from scorer to lead guard is ongoing. He had nine assists against two turnovers, though, and Bruce Weber will take that every night.

Frontcourt

Illinois: B

Penn State: C

Mike Tisdale said his back is "feeling better" as rough-and-tumble games against Purdue and Michigan State go further in the rearview mirror. He and Bill Cole outrebounded the PSU frontcourt 14-7.

Bench

Illinois: B

Penn State: D

Bench scoring: UI 27, PSU 10. That's slightly deceiving since usual starter Mike Davis played starter's minutes and had 11 points. Good for Brandon Paul to revive his mojo.

Overall

Illinois: B

Penn State: C

As Bruce Weber prepared to leave the visitors locker room, he watched the Ohio State-Iowa game on a TV. "They (Iowa) are playing well lately," he said, noticing a tie score in the first half. The supposedly easy games won't be easy for the Illini, but they stepped in the right direction at Penn State.