Bruce Weber hasn’t stopped talking about the Illini’s shabby defense against Michigan since the teams met in Ann Arbor 10 days ago, and he continued with that theme Tuesday. How the Illini respond Wednesday night, he figures, will go a long way toward determining if they are able to avenge the 74-64 loss.

“We didn’t do a good job defending in either half,” he said. “The word I put on the board last time was ‘awareness,’ and I don’t think we were very aware.”

Illinois had trouble defending Michigan’s 3-point shooters, who made 11 of 27 attempts, including eight of 18 in the first half. When the Illini tightened on the perimeter, Michigan players went around the defense for easy buckets and made 15 of 26 shots inside the arc. Overall, the Wolverines shot 49 percent.

Weber was fairly pleased with the job Chester Frazier did on Manny Harris, who is second in the Big Ten with an 18.6-point average. Despite playing with a strained groin, Frazier made Harris work for his 16 points.

Harris was six-for-15 from the field and missed all six of his 3-pointers. He had five assists but matched that with five turnovers.

Depending on how Mike Tisdale fares early against DeShawn Sims, the Illini might be looking for another defender to face Michigan’s 6-8 forward, who can score inside and outside. But overall, Weber said the Illini can make a difference by simply putting hands in the faces of the shooters.

“We have to get to  the shooters and understand the system and have great awareness,” he said. “We have to contest shots. … Wisconsin beat them and the one thing they always do is not only get to shooters and contest 3-pointers but protect the lane. So, they’re able to do both. I’m hoping we can do both.”

On the flip side, Weber said the Illini have to do a better job of handling Michigan’s switching defenses. The Wolverines are known for their 1-3-1 zone employed by coach John Beilein, but Weber said they played only 15 possessions of zone in the first meeting.

“We attacked it pretty well and he kind of got out of it and went to a switching man-to-man,” Weber said.

Illinois shot 45 percent at Michigan but only 33 percent in the second half. The Illini actually had a lot of open shots in the last five minutes but went cold.

And speaking of 3-point shooters, Weber is hoping that Alex Legion can snap out of his funk sometime soon. Legion has yet to have the breakout game that Weber expects. He is coming off his worst shooting effort yet against Indiana.

“He’s a little frustrated,” Weber said. “He thought it would come much easier than it has. … He’s going to be a very good player for us, I have no doubt about that. We have to do a good job of helping him be patient. One thing coaches talked about with Alex is that for 19 months he shoots in the gym more than anyone with no one running at him. Now he goes on the court and it’s going fast speed and people are flying at him. He has to think about a lot of things and that’s where he’s struggled.”