Ask Klee about the game during his Wednesday chat here

Paul Klee's storylines for Wednesday's Illinois-Stony Brook game (8 p.m. C-U time, ESPNU)

1

Best of the rest

For Stony Brook, a banner season wouldn't have unfolded without a player from Big Ten country. Muhammad El-Amin, a senior guard from Lansing, Mich., was named the America East Player of the Year after setting the school's single-season scoring record (501 points). "He's a talented young man," Bruce Weber said after watching film of Stony Brook. "I think he could play in the Big Ten, there's no doubt about it." El-Amin said he doesn't expect the size of the Illini's frontcourt – compared to the Seawolves' frontcourt – will be a factor. "We've got some really good rebounders," he said. Stony Brook guard Brian Dougher, a 6-1 sophomore, is the player to defend on the perimeter. He made more threes than he missed in conference games (50.5 percent) and set the school's single-season record for threes (90). "Brian Dougher is as good of a shooter as there is in the country," coach Steve Pikiell said. "He's just three inches short (in height) of playing somewhere like the Big East. That's how we get him." Illinois will look to play at a faster tempo, like it did against Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament. Stony Brook allowed 59.9 points in its 22 wins, 72.7 in its nine losses and is 10-0 when it holds opponents below 60 points. "

2

Brook scout

Perhaps the easiest way to describe a Stony Brook team that hasn't appeared on national TV: think Western Kentucky 2009, on a smaller scale. Pikiell plays four strong, quick guards that prefer hard drives to the hoop over deep bombs. (Even though Stony Brook led the America East in three-point field goal percentage in conference games.) "I have some New York City guards, guys that get to the basket," said Pikiell, a former UConn team captain that teaches the same aggressive mentality as coach Jim Calhoun. Size would seem to be an issue against 6-foot-10 Mike Davis and 7-1 Mike Tisdale. Stony Brook's rotation doesn't include a big man taller than 6-7. But that was the consensus prior to the NCAA tournament game against Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers flew to the boards with abandon, gambling they could get back on defense, and outrebounded the taller Illini 37-29. "They (Stony Brook) don't have great size or anything. They are stronger kids," Weber said, a similar description of Western Kentucky prior to their matchup last season in Portland. "I haven't looked at what years they are (in school). But it looks to me like they're older players, by looking at their bodies. They're going to get after us." Just like Western Kentucky did in the NCAA tournament last season.

3

Garden party?

This is Weber's fifth trip to the NIT. As an assistant he helped lead Purdue to the 1981 and '82 Final Fours in Madison Square Garden, the highlights of his NIT experiences. A hoops historian of sorts, he called those trips to the Garden some of his best memories in the profession. "I hope the kids have that same goal," he said. Illinois must win three games to reach New York City, of course. If Illinois wins today, the top-seeded Illini would host the Tulsa-Kent State winner at the Assembly Hall on Monday. Tickets for a second-round game would be on sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday. I Fund members and season ticket-holders have first crack at reserved seats in A Section ($25). Seating for B and C Section would be general admission ($15). A 1996 NIT game against Alabama at the Assembly Hall had an announced attendance of 8,398. Illinois practiced in C-U on Tuesday before taking a charter flight to Stony Brook in the evening. Stony Brook held a brief practice Tuesday before kicking back in its locker room to watch SportsCenter. "This is a challenge to really go into next season. We have an opportunity to play for a championship, to get five extra games, to hopefully lead up to greater success next season," Weber said. "You basically have the majority of your guys back (next season) that play a lot of minutes. This is almost like a preseason tournament for next season."

PREDICTION

Illinois 72, Stony Brook 65

This one comes down to a simple question: Illinois is better, but is it interested? There was tremendous disappointment at Ubben Basketball Complex on Selection Sunday. Players said they couldn't eat; Weber said he "didn't sleep for two days." For the most part players said the right things – "We have a lot of young guys that could benefit from this (NIT)," Bill Cole offered – but saying and doing are different matters. That's especially for a team that has struggled with motivation off and on since a no-show at Las Vegas in November. "The big challenge, one we talked about (Sunday night), is getting our kids refocused," Weber said. Part of the issue is an overconfidence that has been apparent in some Illinois teams in recent years. Players saw from a distance the golden-years teams of Dee, Deron and Luther but didn't see the work those guys put in to get there. So this is a humbling experience. Meanwhile, Stony Brook is hosting the biggest sporting event in the athletic department's history, according to university spokesman Jeremy Cohen. "For us, we're just in a totally different place (than Illinois)," Pikiell said. "We're just thrilled to have an opportunity to extend our season." Illinois should approach the NIT with the same vigor. Advancing to Madison Square Garden, no matter the stakes, would be a basketball gift. In a situation like this, players really don't want to practice but when it's game time they're competitive again. These Illini have played better against ranked foes, or on bigger stages or when there's something on the line. At tipoff, in a packed gym near Long Island's north shore, the Illini will realize there's still something on the line. (News-Gazette prediction record: 21-11).