CHAMPAIGN – Room service, ice machines, wake-up calls. Ashley Berggren and her University of Illinois basketball teammates know all about them.

The Illini played their third road game in five days on Sunday, losing to Michigan 93-87 at Ann Arbor. That followed wins earlier in the week at Arkansas and Minnesota.

"This week definitely was a difficult week because we were on the road for such a long time," Berggren said. "I know our freshmen aren't used to it and I'm not used to it."

Even when they're at home, the Illini are on the road. The team is staying at Radisson during semester break. Berggren can't wait to get back to campus.

"I want to get back to a daily routine of going to class, having a little more variety," Berggren said.

The Illini aren't done traveling, with their next game on Friday at Penn State.

"These four days are critical in that we can get our rest and we can focus on the things we didn't do over the weekend," Berggren said.

Like rebound. Michigan had a 56-31 advantage against Illinois.

"We got killed on the boards," Berggren said. "That has been our strong point in the past, but we just weren't able to grab the rebounds. They basically outhustled us."

Berggren had a feeling the games against Minnesota and Michigan would be difficult, especially after the upset win against ranked Arkansas.

"Coming in against Minnesota and Michigan, we were supposed to win those games," Berggren said. "I prefer being the underdog."

The Illini survived against hapless Minnesota, squeaking out a win in Minneapolis. But the Wolverines made sure Illinois, 12-4 overall, 4-2 in the Big Ten, didn't get a weekend sweep.

"We are tired," Berggren said. "But it's a time where you have to get mentally tough and either you're tired or you go out there and you fight a little bit harder."

Sunday's loss put a temporary hold on Illinois' hopes for a national ranking. That's fine with Berggren.

"I'm not too concerned about being ranked because I enjoy being the underdog," Berggren said. "We don't talk about it. It really wasn't a main focus."

With a win against Michigan, Berggren said, the Illini would have earned the ranking.

"I still think we're a Top 25 team, but we do have some things to work on," Berggren said.