CHAMPAIGN — Establish Leron Black early? Check.
Hit the offensive boards hard and rebound? Check.
Get scoring from players other than Black and Trent Frazier, particularly with the former in foul trouble and the latter the focus of the Penn State defense? Check and check, with Kipper Nichols and Te’Jon Lucas both providing an offensive lift in the first half.
Illinois did many of the things it had to Sunday night against the Nittany Lions. At least in the first half.
The final 20 minutes were a different story, or, more correctly, another chapter in the same story for the Illini.