Prediction: Sam Maniscalco plays 30-plus minutes, both teams struggle shooting in the makeshift gymnasium, and the Illini overcome foul trouble to give Bruce Weber his 300th win as a head coach.

GAME 4

Illinois vs. Richmond 8:30 p.m. Tuesday

LINEUPS

ILLINOIS (3-0)

Probable starters

P Name HT. YR. PPG

G Sam Maniscalco 6-0 Gr. 9.3

G D.J. Richardson 6-3 Jr. 14.0

G Brandon Paul 6-4 Jr. 11.0

F Tyler Griffey 6-8 Jr. 8.3

C Meyers Leonard 7-0 So. 10.3

Top reserves

F Nnanna Egwu 6-11 Fr. 4.0

G Tracy Abrams 6-1 Fr. 5.7

G Joseph Bertrand 6-5 So. 5.7

RICHMOND (3-1)

Probable starters

P Name HT. YR. PPG

G Darien Brothers 6-3 Jr. 7.0

G Cedrick Lindsay 6-1 So. 12.7

F Derrick Williams 6-6 So. 9.3

F Francis Martel 6-6 Sr. 7.7

C Darrius Garrett 6-9 Sr. 4.3

Top reserves

G Kendall Anthony 5-8 Fr. 17.0

C Josh Duinker 6-11 Sr. 5.0

F Greg Robbins 6-5 Jr. 1.0

FACTS & FIGURES

Site: Moon Palace Resort (1,200), Cancun, Mexico.

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 College Sports (DirecTV, Ch. 613; Comcast, 531; Dish Network, 152). Thad Anderson is on play-by-play duties, and former Virginia coach Pete Gillen provides the analysis.

Series: This is their first meeting. This is also Bruce Weber's first meeting against Richmond.

Coaches: Weber (196-86 in ninth season at Illinois, 299-140 in 14th season overall); Chris Mooney (114-88 in seventh season at Richmond, 132-100 in eighth season overall).

PAUL KLEE'S STORYLINES

Foreign environment

Illinois has played in some unusual settings in recent years. The rec center at the South Padre Invitational was situated next to a bay, so boats were whizzing back and forth. The Las Vegas Invitational was held below a casino off the Vegas Strip. At Northwestern ... just kidding, Wildcats. But the venue at the Cancun Challenge trumps them all. The gymnasium is actually a converted ballroom, complete with dangling chandeliers and carpeting around the court. Illinois held its first practice there Monday. "This is the practice gym, right?" junior Brandon Paul said before learning the ballroom is where the games would be played. "I mean, it's all right. It's different, with the chandeliers and stuff. The rim and the backboard are hard, so it's hard to make shots. We'll see how it goes." Several players said the gym in Cancun is reminiscent of their venues on a tour of Italy. This arena seats roughly 1,200 on aluminum bleachers. Like usual, Illinois will have the biggest crowd. The Moon Palace was bustling Monday with orange T-shirts and Chief gear. UI ticket manager Jason Heggemeyer said it is difficult to estimate how many Illinois fans will be in attendance because most of them traveled to Mexico outside the group package.

Injury report

There was a new addition to the always-busy injury report: Bruce Weber. The coach wore a walking boot on his right foot after aggravating an Achilles injury. "I've had an Achilles problem the last year and a half. The other day it was swelling, and Al (Martindale, the athletic trainer) told me to wear a boot on the plane," Weber said after practice Monday. The coach said he wouldn't wear the walking boot during today's game. There was some good news on the injury front. Myke Henry, who missed the past two games with an ankle injury, would be available for "a minute or two if we needed him," Weber said. Devin Langford, who underwent surgery on a broken finger and hasn't played this season, has been ruled out for the two games this week. Tracy Abrams (toe) said he can play "as many minutes as they need me" in today's game. Crandall Head, who played against Lipscomb after serving a two-game suspension, is expected to be back in the rotation today. "He still goes too fast. He's got to slow up. He can't turn the ball over like that (four in the last game)," Weber said. "He makes some good plays, but the bad outweighs the good plays. He should be a pest on defense. (Richmond) has the little zipper dudes, and that should be his thing (on defense). We'll see how he (plays), how much we can use him."

Dealing with Richmond

Talent isn't why Richmond presents the first challenge on the schedule. Illinois has better athletes, if not better players. But Richmond's style of play makes this a dangerous game. It is a smart, deliberate and exceedingly careful style. Mix together Wisconsin (turnovers are rare) and Northwestern (the heady Princeton-style offense) and you get something that resembles Richmond. The Spiders average roughly 10 turnovers — or what Illinois averaged in a half over the past two games — and coach Chris Mooney learned the Princeton system as a four-year starter playing for Pete Carril. "The preparation for Richmond is really important, especially for the young guys that haven't gone against a Northwestern-, Princeton-type system," Weber said. "It can be difficult to deal with, especially if you're a young guy and you've never gone against it." Illinois spent much of practice Monday working against the Princeton-style offense. Keep an eye on the foul count, too. With a pair of attacking guards, Richmond already has attempted 111 free throws — twice as many as Illinois in the same number of games. The Illini need big men Meyers Leonard and Nnanna Egwu in the game, not on the bench with foul trouble. "It's important that we don't make silly fouls," Egwu said Monday.

PREDICTION

Illinois 56, Richmond 51

Back in his hometown of Robinson, Meyers Leonard is somewhat of a celebrity when he walks into the Mexican restaurant on the main drag. The good people at Los Jardines greet their native son in Spanish. "I can speak a little bit. I took it until Spanish 4 (in high school)," Leonard said. "I can probably understand basic concepts." This week is the first time Leonard will test his bilingual skills south of the border. And the Illini's first matchup in Cancun figures to be as much about brains as brawn. Illinois doesn't always play smart. Richmond usually does. It will be interesting to see if the coaches trust their wild, athletic underclassmen in a game where possessions are valuable. Weber has said he wants to use a deeper rotation. This will be a test to see if the players further down the bench have earned their trust, or if the coaching staff sticks with the veterans. The guess here: Richmond lost too much firepower when it graduated the top three scorers from a Sweet 16 team. Sam Maniscalco plays 30-plus minutes, both teams struggle shooting in the makeshift gymnasium, and the Illini overcome foul trouble to give Bruce Weber his 300th win as a head coach. (News-Gazette prediction record: 3-0)