Illini notebook: Weber trying in instill ‘sense of urgency’ at home

If the NIT appearance is partly about preparing for next season, Illinois can learn something during the second-round home game.

Top-seeded Illinois (20-14) attempts to break a three-game home losing streak against fourth-seeded Kent State (24-9) at Assembly Hall on Monday (7 p.m., ESPNU). After Illinois scored the 76-66 win at Stony Brook on Wednesday, there's the simple building block of protecting the home court, where the Illini lost four games this season.

"Having some pride at home,'' Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. "Part of it is building toward next year and learning to get ready at home. You go on the road. You have a fear factor. We played with better urgency on the road. Now if we make progress and continue this quest for New York (and the NIT semifinals), we have to have a sense of urgency at home.''

Illinois forward Mike Davis said the Illini owe it to the fans.

"We struggled at home,'' he said. "The fans have always done a great job. They're always loud. They're usually behind us. Sometimes we come out and think we're supposed to win. It's Assembly Hall. People are scared to come in there. We're going to come out and win. That's not the case any more. Teams play extra hard on the road.''

Illinois sold 7,300 tickets through Friday afternoon and may draw a crowd close to 10,000. A victory Monday would send Illinois into a home game against the Cincinnati-Dayton winner, with a trip to the NIT semifinals and Madison Square Garden on the line.

TWIN TOWERS: With junior center Mike Tisdale becoming a 3-point threat and the program adding 7-footer Meyers Leonard from Class 2A state champ Robinson next fall, there's the thought of putting twin towers on the floor next season. But that has its challenges, Weber said.

Leonard doesn't mind the physical contact, and he has the broad shoulders and the body type where the 235-pound might gain 20 or 30 pounds of muscle within an organized strength program. Meanwhile, Tisdale's perimeter shooting would keep him from bumping into Leonard down low.

The problem comes on defense, Weber said. Who do they guard?

"That would be tough,'' Weber said. "You have to figure out some kind of zone. We'll have to see if we can do that. It's on the list to figure out, there's no doubt.''

Leonard's first challenge upon arriving on campus in June, besides working on strength, is building a reliable post move on offense.

LOCAL TIES: Kent State features senior guard Chris Singletary, a former Chicago Farragut High School star who earned first-team in the Mid-American Conference. Former Rockford Auburn standout Anthony Simpson earned sixth man of the year in the MAC as a senior forward.

Kent State is 14-1 when Simpson scores in double figures, and he finished with 23 points and nine rebounds in the 74-61 win over Akron that clinched the MAC title and a berth in the NIT.

"He looked like the best player on the team in that game,'' Weber said. "In a way, he's like a starter. They definitely have some nice depth.''

Kent State won 14 of its last 16 games but lost 81-64 to Ohio in the MAC quarterfinals. Ohio upset Georgetown in the NCAA's first round Thursday.

ETC: Illinois guard Jeff Jordan didn't play against Stony Brook while serving a suspension for an undisclosed violation of team rules. Jordan, who made the trop to Stony Brook, is expected to return against Kent State.

John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com.