They are showered with attention at every destination. They’re slapped with a bull’s-eye, declared fair game, scrutinized and dissected.

Their scores appear first on every ticker; they are media darlings, if only because the public waits like vultures for them to fall. They are the No. 1s of the world.

And there aren’t many.

When the Fighting Illini come to Welsh-Ryan Arena on Saturday, they’ll carry an unblemished record (17-0, 3-0 Big Ten), an impressive list of vanquished foes and all the hubris of a national superpower. As the No. 1 team in America, they’ll also bring attention. Everywhere they’ve gone, teams have been prepared.

“When you’re the No. 1 team, you’re going to get everybody’s best

shot,” NU center Mike Thompson said. “I feel we’ll be at the top of our game that day, ready to play, as every other team probably is when they play them.”

Illinois will be the first No. 1 team NU has faced since the 1988-89 season, when the Wildcats lost 86-62 at Duke. The game also will mark the first time a No. 1 squad has stepped into Welsh-Ryan Arena since 1976, when No. 1 Indiana defeated NU 76-63.

“It’s rare that you play the No. 1 team in the country,” NU swingman Tim Doyle said. “Few people can say they’re No. 1 in anything, so it’s a big deal playing a team like this.”

Since the inception of the Associated Press poll in 1949, the Cats have faced 12 No. 1s — and have lost to all 12. That bleak history, however, has not abated the excitement and attention the Illini have attracted.

Asked whether his team would feed off the crowd’s energy on Saturday, coach Bill Carmody was his wry self.

“We’ve got to feed off that,” he said. “Hey, we’re 8-7. I mean, let’s have a huge meal here.

“But I don’t want to make it seem like a David-Goliath kind of thing,” he added. “We can play with these guys.”

ONE’S NOT SO LONELY

Bernard Cot