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GAME 29

UI women vs. Indiana, 3:30 p.m. today

LINEUPS

No. 8 seed Indiana (14-15)

Probable starters

P Name HT. YR. PPG

G Jamie Braun 5-8 Sr. 12.7

G Jori Davis 5-9 Jr. 16.6

G Andrea McGuirt 5-9 Jr. 2.6

F Aulani Sinclair 6-1 Fr. 3.7

F Danilsa Andujar 6-2 So. 2.4

Top reserves

F Sasha Chaplin 6-3 Fr. 9.7

F Hope Elam 6-1 Jr. 9.9

G Whitney Lindsay 5-7 Jr. 7.6

No. 9 seed Illinois (15-13)

Probable starters

P Name HT. YR. PPG

G Lacey Simpson 6-1 Sr. 9.5

G Lydia McCully 5-9 So. 4.2

C Jenna Smith 6-3 Sr. 18.1

F Kersten Magrum 6-1 Fr. 4.0

F Karisma Penn 6-2 Fr. 10.9

Top reserves

G Fabiola Josil 5-9 So. 2.0

G Whitney Toone 5-10 Sr. 2.5

G Adrienne GodBold 5-11 Fr. 6.0

FACTS & FIGURES

Site: Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis. First round of the Big Ten tournament. Winner faces top-seeded Ohio State at 5 p.m. Friday.

Radio: Dave Loane and Mike Koon call the action on WDWS 1400-AM and WDAN 1490-AM.

TV: Big Ten Network. Tracy Warren, Vera Jones and Leah Secondo will call the action.

Series: Indiana leads 32-26 after winning both games this season, 50-48 in Bloomington and 67-54 in Champaign. Eighth-seeded Illinois beat ninth-seeded Indiana 84-70 in the first round of the 1996 tourney. Illinois is 14-15 all time in the event.

Coaches: Felisha Legette-Jack (72-55 in fourth season at Indiana; 126-118 in eighth season overall); Jolette Law (45-49 in third season at Illinois and overall).

TONY BLEILL'S STORYLINES

1

Jump-shot journey

The Hoosiers' defensive tack in their two wins against Illinois was simple and direct: We're daring you to beat us from the outside, they said. "Indiana at one point wasn't playing some of my guards. It was that obvious," Law said about the second matchup. "All we had to do was take one step in and knock down a wide-open shot. They did the same thing the first time. We watched film. We saw where the gaps were, where the openings were." But the Illini were hesitant, and when they did shoot, the results weren't good. Look for Indiana to take a similar approach with its zone. There's no reason to change something that has worked so well.

2

Breaking through

The Hoosiers had lost five straight – including a stunning home loss to lowly Minnesota – before putting together an impressive 77-68 home win against Penn State on Sunday. Indiana built a 20-point lead in the first half with some of its best play of the season, mixing crisp ball movement on offense with smart, aggressive defense. It probably helps that Chaplin has returned after missing 10 games, including both against Illinois, from injury. She adds a much-needed offensive presence near the basket, offsetting an attack that is geared around Davis and Braun. Chaplin has averaged 10 points and six rebounds since returning.

3

Their time to shine

It might seem hard to believe, but only Purdue, Ohio State and Penn State have appeared in more Big Ten tournament title games than the Illini, who have been to three (1997, '99 and 2008). But Illinois is one of five teams still searching for its first title. Law is 2-0 in first-round games of the Big Ten tournament, and her 4-2 record in the event is third behind Purdue's Sharon Versyp (.833 winning percentage) and Ohio State's Jim Foster (.706) among active coaches. This is the third straight season that Illinois enters the tournament off a victory.

PREDICTION

ILLINOIS 58, INDIANA 55

Of the 11 losses in this space, six occurred when Illinois was picked to win but the Illini ended up losing. So, here's the bad news for Illini fans: I'm not convinced Indiana is good enough to defeat Illinois three times. The Illini have underachieved, but the tournament offers their shot to get redemption. Big Ten bully Ohio State stands in the way in the quarterfinals, but the Illini have a great chance to get another crack at the Buckeyes. If Illinois can effectively negotiate the Hoosiers' zone, it can move on today. (N-G prediction record: 17-11)