Bill Self knows that the non-conference record doesn't really matter.

When Illinois started this season, Self knew the pre-Big Ten part of the Illini's schedule was really going to be about three games. The perception of the Illini -- the preseason pick as Big Ten favorite -- would hinge on three games.

No disrespect to Gonzaga and Arkansas, but what really mattered were the games with Maryland, Arizona and Missouri. The games in which the Illini went 1-2.

	Illinois' Robert Archibald had 14 points and 5 rebounds in the Illini's Big Ten opening win over Minnesota.

Not exactly what Self, the Illini or their fans wanted. Self went as far earlier this week as to say that he thinks Iowa and Michigan State are playing better than any Big Ten teams out there -- his included.

The rap, rightly or wrongly, is that Illinois is simply too reliant on the play of point guard Frank Williams, the reigning Big Ten player of the year. Stop Williams, the theory goes, and you stop the Illini.

It's a theory Self doesn't totally disagree with.

"Frank shouldn't have to go one-on-one or put the team on his shoulders," Self said. "Whenever Frank scores the most points for us, it's usually because our offense is struggling. Against Arizona we were behind and he tried to do everything himself. Against Illinois State, that was as poor of a big-guy performance as we've had. Missouri was a little different."

And it's not as if Illinois doesn't have enough other players to go with Williams. The reality is that there isn't another roster in the Big Ten as talented as the Illini's.

Brian Cook, a junior forward, might be the most confounding player on the Illinois roster. Cook has seemingly all the physical tools to be a huge factor in the Big Ten. At 6-foot-10 he has the size, but Cook is more than that. He's also a guy who can face the basket and shoot from the perimeter, or put the ball on the floor and go to the hole.

However, Cook has been consistently inconsistent. He can look great one game and then vanish in another. Self disagrees with the theory that his forward is soft, but acknowledges that he isn't as confident as he sometimes needs to be.

"When he's not confident, he wants to be one of many," Self said. "When he's confident he wants to be himself."

The Illini also have one of the league's better centers in Robert Archibald. While he's not as physically dominating as Iowa's Reggie Evans, but he has very good hands and footwork.

In addition, the Illini are starting to get more production out of 7-2 center Nick Smith, a player Self thinks can give good minutes this season.

"For us to be consistently good, we have to get production inside," Self said.

That's why Wednesday's Big Ten opener against Minnesota might have been a breakthrough for a team where the fans in the student section wear shirts with "Unfinished Business" on the back of them.

"You gotta pick your poison with them," Minnesota coach Dan Monson said. "They're so balanced, they have so many ways to score. We came in hoping somebody besides Frank Williams would beat us and I guess we got our wish."

With Williams, who was still feeling the effects of having a wisdom tooth removed, limited to eight points, Illinois worked the ball inside. Cook scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Archibald, who is still being bothered by what Self describes as the back of an old man, scored 14 more. And they Illini did all of this with forward Damir Krupalija sitting on the bench with a deep bruise to his left foot.

As Big Ten play continues over the next nine weeks, an inside game isn't optional for the Illini. Because when Illinois gets the ball inside, everything else works that much better. Getting the ball inside means guards Cory Bradford and Sean Harrington get more shots with their shoulders squared to the basket. It means Williams might get a little more space to operate.

Illinois doesn't want Williams to vanish -- he's still the best guard in the Big Ten -- but they want everybody else to do a little bit more. That makes the Illini better and a lot more difficult to stop.

It also means that Illinois might just live up to the hype of the Big Ten favorite.

Games of the Week

Iowa at Ohio State Saturday This is Iowa's first road game of Big Ten play and the Hawkeyes only game away from Iowa City before a huge game at Illinois on Jan. 16. For the Buckeyes, this is a chance to show that their 8-2 non-conference record was a product of good play rather than soft scheduling. Texas at Oklahoma State Saturday These are two teams who had very different non-conference seasons. Texas played a brutal schedule that included games with Stanford, Arizona, Indiana and Utah, while the Cowboys went unbeaten against a bit easier slate. The Longhorns, even without Chris Owens, are the best team that Oklahoma State will have faced since defeating Cincinnati in its opener. Michigan State at Indiana Tuesday OK, the Spartans have been better than a lot of people thought before the season, while the Hoosiers have been up-and-down. Still, Assembly Hall is a difficult place to play and the Spartans haven't been great without the comforts of the Izzone. For the Hoosiers, a win here would help calm some of the Hoosier panic that's begun to set in.

OSU: Overrated, or underrated?
So just how good is Oklahoma State? It's a question that's difficult to really figure out as Big 12 play begins this weekend.

On one hand, the Cowboys must be pretty decent. They have a 13-0 record, they've given Cincinnati its only loss of the season, they came back from 22 points down to win at Arkansas and they beat Ball State.

On the other hand, Oklahoma State simply hasn't played the schedule that Big 12 favorites Kansas and Missouri have. Even Cowboys coach Eddie Sutton is a little bit skeptical.

"I certainly don't think we're the fifth-best team in the country," Sutton said after the Cowboys defeated Ball State. "I look at other teams in the country play on television. If we had played their schedule, we certainly couldn't be 13-0. But until somebody beats us, I guess you have to say somebody has to be up there."

But in the world of college basketball these days, going 13-0 against almost anybody is an accomplishment. After all, there are only four undefeated teams left in college basketball and the Cowboys are one of them.

"It's difficult to go through November and December undefeated," Sutton said. "There are not too many teams that haven't stubbed their toe."

Soon, however, everyone will find out whether the Cowboys are a legitimate Big 12 contender. They open the season against Texas on Saturday and play at Iowa State and against Kansas the following week.

That Oklahoma State is playing well isn't exactly a huge shock. With Maurice Baker and Victor Williams, the Cowboys have arguably the best backcourt in the Big 12. Baker leads the team with 18.5 points and 4.1 assists per game. He also has become a guy who takes the important shots.

With Baker attracting attention, Victor Williams is averaging 13.1 points and 4.0 assists per game. Up front Fredrik Jonzen has improved greatly and Ivan McFarlin is solid.

How solid though? We'll find out soon enough whether they've closed the perceived gap on Kansas and Missouri.

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