CHAMPAIGN – The upside for Illinois is that the team knows it can shake off pesky opponents and win close games.The worry for the Illini is that they have been continually forced into these nerve-wracking positions. Missouri – a far better opponent than Illinois has seen in the last two games – is up next.

Illinois avoided another potential upset Sunday night, beating Eastern Kentucky 66-53 at Assembly Hall.

The Illini let a 12-point second-half lead dwindle to five points at 45-40 with less than 10 minutes to play before using a 9-0 run to extend the lead to 14 points.