ANN ARBOR, Mich. - When the University of Michigan was still in high gear, perched at 6-2 in the Big Ten and ranked No. 21 in the country, coach Tommy Amaker had a high-scoring team that could match just about anyone basket for basket.

But Michigan has sagged from 6-2 to 7-6, thanks in large part to a rash of injuries that has made finding a starting lineup an on-going adventure.

Just Saturday, Michigan got two players back when Dion Harris (ankle) and Jerret Smith (mononucleosis) returned to action. But in the same game, 6-foot-11 senior Chris Hunter suffered a partial tear of his MCL (knee) and will be out three to six weeks, Amaker confirmed Monday.

Also out is Lester Abram (ankle), one of Michigan's top players.

So coach Bruce Weber naturally wonders which Michigan team he'll run into tonight when Illinois goes on the road needing a victory to stay in the thick of the Big Ten Conference championship hunt.

"They have been up and down," Weber said Monday, hours before his team flew to Ann Arbor. "They were just on the rise when we played them (winning 79-74 in Champaign on Jan. 14). Everyone said, 'If they get it together and start playing well, they could be tough to deal with.' They battled us and it came down to the end of the game. Then they won five in a row and it looked like they would be flying high. Then the injuries happened."

The most recent injury to Hunter comes at a time when Amaker was moving him into the starting lineup in place of Courtney Sims.

All of this has changed the focus for the Wolverines. Instead of talking about hanging in the Big Ten championship race, Amaker is trying to make sure his team retains a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

"For the last six weeks, or at least the last month, we've had questions about games being must-win," Amaker said. "I think all of our games will be must-win at some point. I don't know if one win will make or break anything in terms of what we've done over the course of the season.

"But certainly it would help to have a win over a team like Illinois, because they are a tremendous program."

Weber knows the importance of tonight's game in terms of trying to win the school's fifth Big Ten championship in the last six seasons. To that end, he has talked about "gutting one out" on the road.

"They have struggled on the defensive end," Weber said of the Wolverines. "But they have a lot of offensive weapons. (Daniel) Horton is playing like people thought he could. He is going to get his points. If we can control Sims and (Graham) Brown inside, that will be the key to the game."

Weber plans to break the game into small segments, asking his team to reach deep to win each one.

"We're going to have to play four or five minutes at a time," he said, "and just keep battling and try to keep it close. We can't let them go on any big runs. That's my biggest fear. We have to gut it out on the defensive end, fight them, be physical, and not allow them to get into an easy flowing game, which they are good at."

And now is the time for Illini guard Dee Brown to zero in with his shot. Brown has failed to shoot 50 percent in any of the last seven games and over that stretch he's made 28 of 83 shots, 33.7 percent.

Ironically, it was Brown who saved the Illini here last year, turning three straight steals into baskets in a nail-biting 57-51 victory.

"Last year it looked like we were down and out and Dee has a two-minute burst of energy and rose up to help us win it," Weber recalled.

"He'll be very important (tonight). He's going to have to match Horton if we're going to have a chance."

Mark Tupper can be reached at mtupper@herald-review.com or 421-7983.