When last these two teams met, Mike Tisdale was scoring so easily he might as well have been playing against 8 year olds.  24 points, 18 in the second half alone was what Tizzy contributed and it was easily the difference in the game.

Unfortunately, when last we saw this Illini team, they were blowing a lead to Penn State, and allowing Talor Battle to become a legend in PSU basketball history (what little there is)

Yes the Illini are riding a two game losing streak into this Big Ten tournament, and whats worse, it remains to be seen whether or not the soul of the team Chester Frazier will be able to play. Combine that with the ease that Michigan ripped Iowa to shreds today, it makes for more than a little concern about the prospects tomorrow.

Yes, I am concerned that with Deshawn Sims and Manny Harris seemingly reverting to their Duke killing level scoring, that the Illini will have trouble keeping the 3 ball from draining over and over and over like it did in Ann Arbor earlier this year.

There are however reasons to believe that the Illini will be able to beat the Wolverines again tomorrow. For one Mike Tisdale, the hero of the win over UM is coming off two of the better and most complete games of the season, granted they were both in losses, but against two very good defenders, including Goran Suton. With any luck, the Wolverines will be just as unable to stop Tis this time around.

The other notable Illini big man is nothing to sneeze at either. Despite the unclutch free throw shooting against PSU, Mike is still the best rebounder on the team and has proven to be an extremely reliable scoing threat in his own right. Though not putting up the sick numbers he was at the beginning of the season, he is still indispensable to this team's success.

With solid games from the big men, and decent shooting from Trent or DMAC to keep the defense honest, this team should be able to score on the Wolverines. One thing that does worry me though, is how the Illini will play defensively. Yes, this team is a strong defensive unit as a whole, but the key to that unit is Chester, and if he is absent tomorrow, it will be cause for concern. I hope that Jeff Jordan is ready because in one way or another, he is going to be shouldering alot of defensive responsibility tomorrow.

It would make me feel so much more confident if I see Chet suited up tomorrow. The team at the very least should be better rested than UM, as they havent played in over a week, compared to the Wolverines who will be playing for the second straight day. If this team wants a Big Ten Title, they obviously have to beat Michigan. More importantly, this game could mean alot for tournament seeding, as well as a preview of just how far the team can go,