CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois coach Bruce Weber talked Sunday night about what his 16th-ranked team could achieve this season — a top-10 ranking and maybe more.
But what he saw on the court against Northern Colorado made Weber think that his Illini are closer to ordinary than anything special.
The Illini (10-1) led by 19 at halftime and by at least 10 during the entire second half, but their 86-76 victory in front of a crowd kept small by snowy, windy weather was too close for Weber’s comfort.
“I think it started with the warm-up. We didn’t warm up well — too loose,” Weber said. “It’s fine to be loose and enjoy each other as a team, but when you come to the court, you’ve got to be business.”
The Illini, playing in front of 5,100 fans in an arena that holds more than 16,600, knew it too.
“We should’ve blew them out, honestly,” said Mike Davis, who scored 12 points. “But we just kind of messed around and let them hang around.”
Illinois has won seven in a row — a run that included victories over North Carolina and Gonzaga and was characterized by tough defense and a long list of scoring threats.
Scoring wasn’t the problem Sunday — five Illini were in double figures, led by 14 points each from Mike Tisdale and D.J. Richardson.
But five Bears were in double figures too. And the 76 points scored by Northern Colorado (4-4) were more than Illinois had given up since the first game of its win streak, against Maryland.
UNC coach B.J. Hill said the Bears pulled close enough to Illinois a few times in the second half for him to think maybe they could catch the Illini.
“Every time I did, D.J. hit a shot,” Hill said. “That’s what makes this team so hard to play against. They’ve got so many weapons.”
