Alexander joins Illini lineup

For someone who flies through the air so effortlessly, Rodney Alexander's first year at Illinois has been unexpectedly turbulent.

But the junior-college transfer who hails from Benton Harbor, Mich., will return to his home state as an impending success.

When Illinois visits No. 8 Michigan State at 8 p.m. today, the high-flying forward will be in the starting lineup after showing marked progress in practice and games.

"He's earned it," said Illinois coach Bruce Weber. "And that's what I told the guys: 'How you play is what's going to earn you minutes, earn a starting spot.' "

In the Illini's last two games, Alexander piled up 28 points and 13 rebounds in just 37 minutes.

His spree came on the heels of a breakthrough in practice.

"From the beginning," Weber said, "even when we went to Canada (over Labor Day weekend), he was nowhere near ready to understand how important each possession is, how hard you have to play, the mental part of the game.

"He struggled with it and probably resisted it. We talked, we yelled. And then slowly but surely, he started to make some progress, I thought, after Christmas.

"He started coming in watching film. We said, 'Why don't you come in and watch film?' He said, 'I don't want to watch it because you guys are so critical.' It's like, 'We're just trying to help you learn and get better.'

"And I think once he got through that and realized that if you want to play, you've to improve and listen and learn, I think he made some strides."

Illinois (10-11, 2-6) at Michigan St. (18-2, 6-1)

When: 8 p.m. at the Breslin Center

TV: Big Ten Network

Radio: WIND 560-AM

The skinny: If the eighth-ranked Spartans win, then they'll be off to the best start in program history. Not bad for a school with two national titles and three other Final Four appearances over the last 30 years. Meanwhile, Illinois, which figures to insert senior center Shaun Pruitt back into the starting lineup, is trying to make a push back to the middle of the Big Ten pack. The Illini have a history of playing well on Michigan State's home floor, but they've struggled to beat nationally ranked foes. They're 0-4 against Top 25 teams this season, and the program hasn't knocked off a top 10 team on its home floor since the fourth-ranked Flyin' Illini won at No. 8 Michigan on March 11, 1989.

-- Lindsey Willhite