Scouting: College basketball
Detroit (3-6) at Illinois (9-1)
When: 7 p.m. at Assembly Hall
TV: Big Ten Network
Radio: WIND 560-AM
Skinny: After taking nine days off to take care of final exams, the Illini have their only tuneup before the Braggin' Rights game with Missouri on Tuesday. "We're hoping to not to have what you call an 'exam game,' " said Illini coach Bruce Weber. The Titans, who are being rebuilt by Ray McCallum, have lost all six of their road games by an average of 15.7 points. Does Weber have any hard feelings toward McCallum, who served as a Kelvin Sampson assistant? "I've always had a good relationship with him," Weber said. "It's over. It's done with." And if you haven't heard, Kentucky transfer Alex Legion makes his Illini debut today - barring any last-minute grade glitches.
Northwestern (7-1) at Stanford (6-0)
When: 9 p.m. at Maples Pavilion
Radio: WNUR 89.3-FM
Skinny: For all those wondering whether these Wildcats are for real, this is the best chance at an answer prior to Big Ten play. Though, to be fair, the senior-laden Cardinal hasn't played nearly as good a schedule as NU. First-year coach Johnny Dawkins has a well-balanced group led by senior guard Anthony Goods (19.0 ppg). "They're playing differently than they've played in the past," said NU coach Bill Carmody. "They're picking up full court, they're overplaying everything and being real aggressive. They've had the same guards for three years." NU came close in the games the last two years, but Stanford prevailed in the end. If the Wildcats get this one, they'll be off to their best start since 1993.
UIC (7-2) at Illinois State (10-0)
When: 7 p.m. at Redbird Arena
Audio: uicflames.com
Skinny: The fast starts by the Flames and the Redbirds are earning street cred. In CollegeInsider.com's Mid-Major Top 25, ISU ranks No. 3 while UIC stands No. 16. However, the Flames have built their reputation with big road wins at Vanderbilt and Georgia. The Redbirds have played a brutally weak schedule where Nicholls State (6-4) stands as their only foe with a winning mark. The collective record of ISU's 10 victims to date? A dismal 30-62. Nonetheless, this should be a great battle between the Redbirds' Champ Oguchi (16.0 ppg, 6.7) and Osiris Eldridge (15.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and the Flames' Josh Mayo (20.6 ppg) and Robo Kreps (11.8 ppg).
Loyola (5-5) at Northern Illinois (4-7)
When: 5 p.m. at the Convo Center
Radio: WSCR 670-AM; WLUW 88.7-FM
Skinny: This serves as the Huskies' last game until Jan. 10, so this result - win or lose - will resonate for an absurdly long time. The Ramblers won last year's game in overtime, so it's fair to expect another down-to-the-wire affair. NIU coach Ricardo Patton would like sophomore Jake Anderson, a quiet sort who's averaging 19.0 ppg but needing 15.2 shots per game to do it, to lead a little more demonstratively and not feel the need to put his team on his shoulders and take so many tough shots. The Ramblers are happy to be working senior forward Leon Young, who had 11 points and 7 rebounds in his first game, back into the rotation. Young's return coincided with senior center Darren Williams' first career double-double.