Q: What's a concern you have for Illinois?

A: Finding another dependable ballhandler - to spell Demetri McCamey - is one. But more important I want to see how the upperclassmen respond when two freshmen become mainstays in the starting lineup.

After season-opening victory, Illini move into No. 25 in coaches poll, stay at No. 23 in AP Top 25 and move up a spot in Paul Klee's AP Top 25 ballot

Watch Illinois-Northern Illinois game online

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah point guard Deron Williams plans to play this week after missing two games to be with his family.

The former Illini returned to practice Monday after missing time as one of his young daughters went through medical tests for an undisclosed condition.

EVANSTON — Northwestern senior forward Kevin Coble, the team's leading scorer and rebounder the last three seasons, is having season-ending surgery.

The 6-foot-8 Coble made his decision Monday after seeing a specialist who examined his fractured left foot.

Illinois 88, NIU 60

Here's what Bruce Weber expects tonight: "It will be a game that will be up and down. We're trying to push it. They like to push it." Yes, those 30- and 40-point games are history. The idea that Weber wants a plodding, deliberate tempo is a misconception. His recent Illinois teams didn't have the scorers of this outfit, and he adopted a (defensive) style that fit his personnel. But over a four-season stretch – spanning two seasons at SIU and two at Illinois – Weber's teams ranked first or second in their respective leagues in scoring. If he has the horses, he's not afraid to run with them. Provided it's a controlled pace, of course. Northern Illinois will be without high-scoring guard Xavier Silas, who is sidelined with a fractured hand. The Huskies haven't beaten a Big Ten team in a decade, and it won't happen tonight. (News-Gazette prediction record: 1-0).

We've got two tickets to Tuesday's men's basketball game against Northern Illinois.

CLEVELAND — Utah point guard Deron Williams missed his second straight game Saturday night against Cleveland to deal with a family medical issue.