Coming off an 18-point victory over No. 20 Purdue on Saturday, No. 22 Illinois comes to Welsh-Ryan Arena to face Northwestern (13-8, 4-6 Big Ten) on Thursday. Senior guard Trent Meacham, the team’s leading 3-point shooter, scored nine points – all from beyond the arc – in the upset win. He sat down with The Daily’s Adam Fusfeld at Big Ten Media Day before the season.
Daily Sports: When you think of Northwestern basketball, what’s your first thought?
Trent Meacham: I just know when we play Northwestern every year, it’s their style of play. We change things up on how we play defense, because if we played like we do every game, they would probably handle us pretty easy. So we got to be focused in on defense and be ready for them.
DS: And how does coach Bruce Weber prepare you to be ready for them?
TM: Their offensive style is so different from everyone else that we really got to be ready. We really drill on their stuff to get ready for that, because its very different from what we see all year.
DS: What are you like away from the court?
TM: Away from the court I spend time with my fiancée, my family and my friends.
DS: What’s your favorite movie to watch?
TM: There’s too many to name one.
DS: What’s the last movie you saw?
TM: I’ve been bad with movies recently, the last one I saw was Dark Knight. I thought it was pretty good.
DS: What about music?
TM: I like hip-hop, I like Christian music. I like a little bit of everything.
DS: Do you have one song before a game that gets you pumped up?
TM: I’m the wrong person to ask this. It changes all the time, it changes all the time.
DS: Do you have any pre-game rituals, any superstitions before the game starts?
TM: I wouldn’t say I’m superstitious at all. I get focused, say a prayer, but I don’t have too many superstitions.
DS: Who’s your favorite guy on the team to hang out with?
TM: There’s not one guy I would say is my favorite, but Chester Frazier is a great guy to be around. He’s probably the team prankster, so he’s always up to something.
DS: What’s your favorite class you’ve taken?
TM: I took a sports psychology class that was pretty good.
DS: What’s your favorite Big Ten arena to play in?
TM: There are so many great ones. I really like playing at Indiana. For some reason, it always seems so loud in there, and there’s a lot of history in that building. We kind of have a rivalry going with them in the last few years, so it’s always real fun to go there.
DS: What do you think of the candy-cane colored pants that Indiana wears?
TM: I don’t know about those, but they’ve been wearing those forever. It’s part of that whole tradition I guess. I feel like that’s part of Indiana basketball, so they’ll probably continue that.
DS: Do you like playing in loud arenas?
TM: I love playing in loud arenas. A lot of times it can be more fun to play on the road. Everyone’s kind of against you, and that’s when you’ve got to come together as a team. The best feeling is to silence a loud arena by making a play, making a shot. That’s one of the best feelings.
DS: Besides that, what’s the best part about playing college basketball?
TM: The best part, especially in the Big Ten, is every night you’re playing a great opponent, and whether it’s at home or on the road, you’re going to be up to a tough task. That’s what you dream about, you dream of playing when you’re young. A kid like myself – I grew up in Champaign (Ill.) as an Illinois fan – it’s a dream come true to play for Illinois. And I’m just enjoying it, and I want to make the best of it.
DS: What’s coach (Bruce) Weber like off the court, outside of practice?
TM: He’s a family man – he likes to spend time with his family. We have a great time when we go over to his house, get some food and just hang out. He’s easy to get along with.
