Behind another big game from Meyers Leonard, who this time next year could be wearing an NBA jersey at the United Center, the Illini get back on the winning track in Chicago.

Paul Klee's breakdown of Saturday's game against UNLV at Chicago's United Center (4 p.m., BTN)

STORYLINES

1

We meet again

After Illinois beat UNLV in the NCAA tournament in March, the Rebels' locker room was as despondent as you will see. "To end the season like that — not playing our best game — we were pretty disappointed," guard Anthony Marshall said Thursday from Las Vegas. "It stuck with us over the summer. It was always in the back of our mind. Any time you lose to a team and then have so many months to think about it, you want (a rematch)." Marshall wouldn't use the word "revenge," but the Rebels will have the 73-62 loss to Illinois on their minds today. UNLV won 24 games but played arguably its worst game of the season against Illinois. The Illini played a near-perfect first half to build a 22-point lead at halftime. The game wasn't as close as the final score indicated. Illinois advanced to a third-round game against Kansas; UNLV had almost nine months to the day to consider the March 18 loss. One UNLV writer said the Rebels had today's game "circled for a while" after what amounted to a "humiliating" defeat in Tulsa. "I thought they did a great job of getting out in transition against us. That's what I remember," said Marshall, who had 13 points and a team-high four rebounds in Tulsa.

2

What's changed?

So what's different in the rematch? At Illinois, plenty. At UNLV, not much. Five of the current Rebels played double-digits minutes against Illinois in March. Four of the starters return from last season. The key addition is Mike Moser, a 6-foot-8 forward that sat out last season after transferring from UCLA. Moser, who sprained his right wrist in practice last Tuesday, is second in the nation in rebounding (12.3 per game). These Rebels still want to play fast. UNLV will shoot quick shots, which usually plays into the Illini's hands, provided the Illini don't allow second-chance baskets. The Rebels have made at least 10 three-pointers in three games. "They truly are the Runnin' Rebels. They come at you fast," Weber said. "They score a lot of points, nearly 80 a game. It's going to be our job to slow them down. They can hit those threes in barrages and really take it to you." The UI coaches also talked to the Wisconsin staff about UNLV. The Badgers slowed the tempo, predictably, and limited the Rebels to 51 points in a double-digit win last week. The biggest difference in these Rebels is on the sideline. Former Illini coach Lon Kruger is now at Oklahoma. He was replaced by Dave Rice, a guard on Jerry Tarkanian's NCAA championship team in 1990.

3

News & notes

Joseph Bertrand has played 18 minutes in the past four games. Coaches are hoping the sophomore can "just be solid" as he tries to work his way back into the rotation, Weber said. "I think he's putting a lot of pressure on himself," Weber said. "It's harder to come off the bench than to be a starter. He's got to regain his confidence and then gain our confidence back." ... With former video coordinator Chester Frazier playing in Germany, the Illini hope to fill his position with a temporary staffer before searching for a permanent grad assistant after the season, Weber said. ... The weeklong break between games was particularly helpful for the freshmen, like Nnanna Egwu. "I think I saw a smile on his face at 11 o'clock Tuesday morning (after his last exam)," Weber said. "That's the first smile I've seen in 10 days." ... With eight Chicagoland products on the roster, the Illini faced the usual ticket crunch for the annual United Center appearance. "It's been crazy," Chicago Mount Carmel alum Tracy Abrams said. "Everybody's asking me for tickets." ... It's uncertain if UNLV guard Reggie Smith would be cleared to play today in his hometown. Smith transferred from Marquette at midseason last year. He's waiting to have his grades processed, similar to the Alex Legion situation at Illinois in 2008. Smith was teammates with Meyers Leonard, Mike Shaw, Crandall Head and former Illini Jereme Richmond on the Mac Irvin Fire club team.

PREDICTION: Illinois 77, UNLV 72

Who's the next opponent at the United Center? Illinois isn't sure yet. The Illini are still tinkering with the 2012-13 nonconference schedule and haven't finalized the opponent for its Chicago appearance a year from now. Here's why: Illinois is still in discussions with the organizers of the Carrier Classic — the aircraft-carrier game that featured North Carolina, Michigan State and President Obama — for next season. If the Illini receive and accept an invitation to the Carrier Classic, they would probably schedule a lightweight opponent for the United Center. The nonconference schedule already includes the Maui Invitational, a road game at Gonzaga, a likely home game in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and the Missouri game in St. Louis. If you throw in the Carrier Classic, they probably wouldn't add another heavyweight for the Chicago game. But back to today's game. Part of the draw for the Illini at the United Center is the ability to welcome key prospects from the Chicago area. The later tipoff today will make it difficult to get the biggest names, since many of the high school teams have games today. For example, Simeon made a late scheduling addition and will play in Memphis today. Simeon originally was scheduled to play at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium today, but that game was canceled due to an NCAA rule change. "If we didn't have a game we would have been there," Simeon coach Robert Smith said Friday. His talented roster features blue-chip prospects like Jabari Parker and Kendrick Nunn. Behind another big game from Meyers Leonard, who this time next year could be wearing an NBA jersey at the United Center, the Illini get back on the winning track in Chicago. Illinois will end a two-game losing skid at the United Center. (News-Gazette prediction record: 10-0).

LINEUPS

ILLINOIS (10-0)

Probable starters

P Name HT. YR. PPG

G Sam Maniscalco 6-0 Gr. 12.0

G D.J. Richardson 6-3 Jr. 13.7

G Brandon Paul 6-4 Jr. 10.6

F Tyler Griffey 6-8 Jr. 7.5

C Meyers Leonard 7-0 So. 13.4

Top reserves

G Tracy Abrams 6-1 Fr. 3.1

G Joseph Bertrand 6-5 So. 3.8

F Nnanna Egwu 6-11 Fr. 2.9

UNLV (10-2)

Probable starters

P Name HT. YR. PPG

G Oscar Bellfield 6-2 Sr. 10.8

G Anthony Marshall 6-3 Jr. 10.8

F Chace Stanback 6-8 Sr. 14.3

F Mike Moser 6-8 So. 14.0

F Brice Massamba 6-10 Sr. 6.0

Top reserves

G Justin Hawkins 6-3 Jr. 10.8

F Carlos Lopez 6-11 So. 7.7

G Kendall Wallace 6-4 Sr. 3.9

FACTS & FIGURES

Site: United Center (20,000), Chicago.

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: BTN. Wayne Larrivee is on play-by-play duties, while former Northwestern standout Shon Morris provides the expert analysis.

Series: Illinois leads 3-0. All three meetings were on neutral courts. Illinois won in New York City (84-74 in 1980, in Maui (74-69 in 2000) and in Tulsa (73-62 in March). The most recent meeting came in the 2010 NCAA tournament, where the Illini built a 22-point halftime lead to advance to the third round. UNLV is 15-10 against the Big Ten. Bruce Weber is 1-0 vs. UNLV.

Coaches: Weber (203-86 in ninth season at Illinois, 306-140 in 14th season overall); Dave Rice (10-2 in first season at UNLV, same overall).