Arizona's Jerryd Bayless draws a foul from Kansas' Mario Chalmers during their game on Nov. 25. Wildcats coach Kevin O'Neill wants to see players "enjoy contact" with the intent of being better defensively.

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When Kevin O'Neill preaches about defense, he rarely talks about basics — staying low, moving your feet, fighting through screens.

Instead, the UA's interim head coach seems to be speaking to a state of mind: defense equals toughness plus desire.

"Our guys need to know that we are going to man up and play man-to-man defense, and there's no alternative," he said. "Man-to-man defense to me is the defense of accountability.

"I've said this before, and it sounds a little bit hierarchal, but I want to know who to blame."

The UA's toughness will be tested again today. For the third time in four games, the 5-2 Wildcats will battle a bruising bully when they play Illinois at 10 a.m. at Chicago's United Center.

With Thursday's news that coach Lute Olson is gone for the season, O'Neill's philosophy takes on new meaning.

O'Neill's defensive pedigree was sharpened in the NBA, first by New York Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy when he tutored O'Neill during the 2000-01 season. There are three tenets to a good defensive team, O'Neill said:

● "You have to enjoy contact, which we're starting to," O'Neill said.

Sunday, freshman guard Jerryd Bayless fouled a Texas A&M player who had an easy layup. Bayless didn't help him up off the ground. O'Neill called that "great."

● "You have to be in tip-top condition," O'Neill said. "I think we're in good shape."

In three games against major conference teams, the UA has outscored its opponents by a total of 31 points in the second half.

● "You have to trust in your teammates, (and) you have to trust the system to bail you out," O'Neill said.

Sunday, guard Jawann McClellan was in the wrong defensive set when the Aggies brought the ball in-bounds under the basket. Chase Budinger then failed to take a charge. McClellan and Budinger scolded each other for the mistakes.

In a way, the Wildcats want to be more like today's opponent.

The 5-2 Fighting Illini have two players averaging double-digit scoring, and no one who averages more than 11 points. Nine Illinois players average at least 10 minutes a game.

They win because they're tough.

O'Neill said Wednesday that his players become "a little miffed" when they practice for 2 1/2 or 3 hours during the season.

"I wish you could come watch one of our practices," Illinois guard Chester Frazier said. "It gets pretty physical. But the game is not all physical; it's mental. We're learning that right now. Sometimes, it can be a minus if the game is called a certain way, and we have guys in foul trouble."

Guard Trent Meacham, who scored a career-high 26 points in Illinois' last game, Dec. 1 against Weber State, said the team goes a little under three hours but tapers off practice during Big Ten play.

"I'm hurting from one right now," he said. "Every day we come in and compete and go after each other, on both ends. They're tough. That's what makes us good."

Not that either team needs extra motivation today.

For UA fans, Illinois has become an Algonquian curse word.

Illinois was the villain in the most notorious UA game of all time. In the 2005 Elite Eight, the Wildcats blew a 12-point lead with three minutes to go, losing 90-89.

The programs have played 13 times, but today's game will be the seventh meeting since the turn of the century.

In the 2000-2001 season alone, the UA played Illinois three times. Last year, the teams met in Phoenix for the first time since the collapse. The UA came back from a 16-point first-half deficit to win 84-72.

McClellan still hasn't forgotten the supposedly neutral-site 2005 Elite Eight crowd at Allstate Arena in suburban Rosemont, Ill.

He estimated the Illini had about 18,000 fans to the UA's 2,000 and called the crowd "a nightmare."

McClellan knows to expect the same atmosphere today, and said he "honestly doesn't know how" he will block out the fans.

"I told everyone, 'If you thought Kansas was loud, it's gonna be real loud (in Illinois),' " he said. "I'm pretty sure there's no love lost between the programs."