Scouting: Illinois, Northwestern NIT tournament

Illinois (19-14) at Stony Brook (22-9)When: 8 p.m. at Stony Brook ArenaTV: ESPNU; Radio: WIND 560-AMSkinny: With Cirque du Soleil occupying Assembly Hall, the Illini find themselves thrust into another circus-like atmosphere at sold-out Stony Brook. The Seawolves are smaller than the Illini, but they feature America East's player of the year in 6-foot-5 senior swingman Muhammad El-Amin (16.7 ppg) and a bomber in Bryan Dougher (92 3-pointers). Illinois might have to go small in order to defend Stony Brook. If the Illini win, they'll host the Kent State-Tulsa winner Monday.Northwestern (20-13) at Rhode Island (23-9)When: 6 p.m. at Ryan CenterTV: ESPNU; Radio: WGN 720-AMSkinny: If the Wildcats can take care of the ball, then they can earn the school's first postseason win since 1994. Rhode Island doesn't do a good job stopping shots (opponents shoot 36 percent on 3s and 51 percent on 2-pointers), but the Rams are excellent at forcing turnovers. This could be a day where NU gets more than its share of backdoor layups and dunks. Senior guard Keith Cothran (14.6 ppg) and 6-foot-8 forward Delroy James (12.4 ppg) are the Rams' best threats. The winner faces the Wichita State/Nevada winner as soon as Saturday.