Illinois Fighting Illini Treating Matchup With No. 1 Purdue As Just Another Game

The No. 9 Illinois Fighting Illini play against top-ranked Purdue Friday in West Lafayette, Ind.

The outsiders always make it a bigger deal than the players. 

Fans and media are probably more excited about Friday's game between the No. 9 Illinois Fighting Illini at No. 1 Purdue than the participants. The teams are treating it as just another game with a little more fanfare. 

"At the end of the day, it's just another game," Illini guard Ty Rodgers said. "Every game in the Big Ten is tough. Obviously, Purdue is a great team. They have a lot of talented players. We're ready for the challenge." 

The Illini are looking to snap a three-game losing streak in the series. What's more important is remaining undefeated in the Big Ten. The Illini and Wisconsin are the lone unbeatens at 2-0. The Boilermakers are coming off a surprising 92-88 upset to Northwestern Jan. 1 Monday. On the day after, the Illini defeated the Wildcats by 30. 

If anything, it just shows all games are difficult during conference play. Not just the marquee matchups. 

"We don't it up as much as maybe the fans and y'all [the media] do," Illini coach Brad Underwood said. "It is unique. You don't see it every day, especially within conference. You know what you get every time you play Purdue. You get a well-coached team that's going to play exceptionally hard. This is a veteran team but it's a game on Friday night in the middle of conference and both of us have to be having really good seasons. Both of us are going to have games after this one." 

How To Watch Illinois-Purdue, Lineup, Injury Report, Betting Lines

Shandel Richardson is the Publisher of Illini Now. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com