CHAMPAIGN — The AC/DC and Metallica was turned up to 11 on Tuesday morning at Ubben Basketball Complex, reverberating around the gym and drowning out mostly any other noise.
That's not an entirely uncommon experience at Illinois' practice facility the day before a road game. It's how the Illini prepare to play in a hostile environment away from home.
But Tuesday's music? It just seemed a little louder than normal. For a reason. Purdue's Mackey Arena is widely regarded as the loudest venue in the Big Ten — another factor not in Illinois' favor when it faces the 14th-ranked Boilermakers at 7:30 p.