UNLV presents NCAA challenge to Illinois

"They really pressure you, pick you up full court and make you bring the ball up against pressure pretty much the entire game," Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. "They use their depth and athleticism to get you down."

When Weber was an assistant at Purdue, he remembers Lon Kruger's Illini teams playing compact defense that made you work to get an open shot.

But now that Kruger is at UNLV, he adapted his style to fit his personnel, most of which is 6 foot 8 or shorter.

Chris Hine