Illinois was climbing the national rankings last season when it came time to visit its home away from home for a game that appeared on paper as if it was a virtual lock.
For their annual game at the United Center in Chicago, the Illini had scheduled Illinois-Chicago, a team that would ultimately finish last in the Horizon Conference and lose 17 of 19 games after facing the country's No. 12 team.
But in what might have been the worst loss of coach Bruce Weber's first eight seasons, Illinois fell on its face in a 57-54 loss. That result will weigh heavily on the minds of the team's upperclassmen today when the No. 19 Illini face UNLV at 4 p.m. in Chicago.
"I brought it up, but I'm not harping on it with the kids,'' Weber said. "The juniors brought it up to me. They said, 'We're undefeated in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge but haven't won in the United Center.' So let's do something about it."
For many years, a trip to Chicago meant a win for Illinois, whether it was in the Big Ten tournament or the traditional December nonconference game. From December 2001 to March 2007, the Illini had an 18-game win streak at the United Center.
Things haven't worked out well lately, with losses in four of the last five trips. UIC was only the most horrifying.
Wisconsin beat Illinois in the conference tournament in 2007, and the Illini lost in overtime to Arizona (2007) and Gonzaga (2010) with only a win over Georgia easing the pain.
As shocking as last year's loss was, Weber did not view it as devastating. Ultimately, the Illini recovered to make the NCAA Tournament.
"We came back and beat Wisconsin and beat Northwestern and set a school record for shooting,'' he said. "It wasn't like that was it. It was a disappointing day for a lot of people, but it wasn't the end of the season."
The Illini (10-0) will see a familiar opponent today. They faced UNLV in the second round of the tournament in March and dismantled the Rebels early to post a 73-62 win. That ended up being the final game at UNLV for coach Lon Kruger, who moved to Oklahoma.
The Rebels are now coached by Dave Rice, who played for the Rebels from 1989 to '91 under coach Jerry Tarkanian. UNLV played in the Final Four both seasons, winning the national championship in 1990. Weber said UNLV has some attributes of those teams.
"They truly are the Runnin' Rebels. They're coming at you very fast,'' he said. "Last year, they shot quickly. These guys are shooting more quickly."
UNLV made a name for itself by handing North Carolina its first loss. The Rebels moved into the rankings but have since lost at Wichita State and at Wisconsin. Still, the Rebels are higher than the Illini in the ratings percentage index, thus the game will help bolster what so far has been a largely lackluster schedule.
The Illini are coming off a week that saw them struggle in wins over St. Bonaventure and Coppin State. Weber suggested the distractions of final exam week could have been a factor.
Illinois remains one of the country's nine unbeaten teams and has its eye on staying that way until Thursday's meeting with Missouri at Scottrade Center.
"I've had a lot of positive feedback,'' Weber said. "I was at the airport and people came up and grabbed me and said they saw the game against Gonzaga. There were a lot of unknowns and now people are saying, 'Oh, man, what's going on here?' But there's still a long way to go.
"It would be nice to get a win and continue to create some excitement."
