GAME NOTES: Big Ten Conference action gets underway on Tuesday afternoon, as the Illinois Fighting Illini pay a visit to the Michigan Wolverines.

Illinois comes in seeking its fourth straight win and its 11th overall. The Illini have lost three times, doing so against formidable foes in Miami- Florida (70-61), Villanova (73-59) and Oregon (77-70) during a span of 11 days in early-to-mid December. The team's most recent triumphs have come over Hampton (73-55), Missouri (62-59) and Kennesaw State (93-45), and this is only its second true road game of the season.

Illinois won its 36th straight non-conference game at State Farm Center against KSU, and extended its home-court winning streak in regular-season non- conference games to 47 in a row.

Michigan won its first outright Big Ten title in nearly three decades last season, and the team came into this campaign with high hopes. Unfortunately, the Wolverines have stumbled quite a few time already, logging a 7-5 record with the start of conference play here. In fact, UM recently put the brakes on a four-game slide with a 72-56 win over visiting Coppin State last Monday, improving to 6-3 at home in the process.

Michigan is 55-43 in Big Ten openers, which includes a 31-20 mark in such events at home.

Illinois owns an 85-78 lead in the all-time series with Michigan, but the Wolverines have won the last seven meetings.

The Illini showed plenty of fight in their recent win over an inferior Kennesaw State squad, shooting 55.4 percent from the field while holding the Owls to just 24.6 percent. The home team more than doubled up the visitors on the scoreboard, finishing with 36 field goals to only 15 for KSU. Rayvonte Rice was perfect from the floor (7-of-7) in netting 21 points, while Malcolm Hill contributed 16 points and nine rebounds, and Aaron Cosby came off the bench to pitch in 13 points. Illinois was credited with 19 assists against only six turnovers, while the Owls had 11 helpers and 16 miscues.

Illinois ranks in the top-10 nationally in both free throw percentage (.777) and fewest turnovers per game (9.8). Rice leads the team with 17.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, and he is shooting 51.4 percent from the field, which includes an impressive 47.1 percent effort from long range, and 80.6 percent at the charity stripe. Hill (13.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg) is second in both scoring and on the glass, while Nnanna Egwu has 23 blocks and averages 7.8 points and 5.4 caroms per contest for a UI squad that nets 79.1 ppg while permitting 62.4 ppg.

Ricky Doyle scored 16 points and Zak Irvin added 13 more, as Michigan had little trouble disposing of a one-win Coppin State squad the last time out. The Wolverines made good on 47.2 percent of their field goal attempts, despite missing the mark on 18 of their 26 3-point tries. They really struggled at the foul line (14-of-26), but claimed a 43-31 edge on the boards while holding the Eagles to 34.4 percent shooting, which included a 9-of-33 performance from beyond the arc.

Michigan's issues this season lie primarily at the offensive end, as the team is shooting just 42.8 percent from the floor in putting up 67.7 ppg. Fortunately, the Wolverines have done a solid job defensively in yielding only 62.3 ppg and forcing 14.5 turnovers per outing. Irvin paces the team with his 15.3 ppg, and he is joined in double figures by Caris LeVert (14.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.9 apg) and Derrick Walton, Jr. (11.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.7 apg).

Michigan is better than its record indicates, but probably not as good as preseason expectations. That said, the Wolverines are a dangerous team at home, and they have had the Illini's number of late. Expect a close game, and for the Maize and Blue to prevail in this conference opener.