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Nichols living easy now, but ready for special year with Illini

CHAMPAIGN — Age has its advantages on the Illinois men's basketball team.

The Illini freshmen have their regular workouts with strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher in the morning. They're bright and early at 6 a.m. at Ubben Basketball Complex.

Illinois' veterans? Well, they get a chance to sleep in — at least a little bit longer.

They'll typically meet up with the freshmen between 8 and 9 a.m. for breakfast before they head en masse to Irwin Academic Center for study hall.

The veterans' turn in the weight room comes at 1 p.m. On-court workouts with Illinois coach Brad Underwood and his coaching staff will follow if they're scheduled for that day as part of the four hours the coaches get per week this summer after a change in NCAA rules this offseason.