How do you replace two of the most decorated players in your basketball program’s history? The answer for Illinois and its head coach Bruce Weber is simple: you don’t.

The Illini lost forward James Augustine and guard Dee Brown to graduation. The pair finished their Illinois careers as the program’s winningest players with 114 victories each.

“You can’t replace Dee Brown and James Augustine with just a couple guys,” Weber said. “You can’t replace 1-for-1 with each one. They were two of the greatest players in history in terms of wins and stats --not just Illinois history, but Big Ten history.”

While it might not be possible to replace Augustine and Brown, the nine returning Illini will try to come close. The Illini players and their fans have become accustomed to success. Illinois’ 167 wins over the past six years ranks second to national powerhouse Duke’s 182 wins. This season, Illinois still possesses a talented core picked to finish third in the Big Ten by the coaches and media

“We've got a lot of heart and a lot of pride,” junior forward Brian Randle said. “We're a winning program. We have guys who were here [in 2005] when we went to the Final Four. We want to win. I want a Big Ten championship.”

How will inexperienced Illini respond? Three starters return from last season’s 26-7 team: senior guard Richard McBride and junior forwards Randle and Shaun Pruitt. McBride is the team’s top returning scorer; however, the 6-foot-3-inch senior will miss the team’s first six games because of suspension stemming from a late September drunk driving arrest.

Thus far, Illinois has two victories in its first two exhibitions games with the absence of McBride and Randle, who is nursing a strained groin muscle. The Illini defeated Lewis 83-58 and Southern Illinois-Edwardville 76-57 but looked sloppy at times in each game. Lewis outrebounded Illinois despite not having a player taller than 6-foot-6.

Illinois’ success this season might hinge on whether McBride or Randle can develop into the team’s “go-to-guy.” Randle, a Wooden Award candidate, possesses the athletic ability to dominate a game, but his lack of shooting touch has prevented him from becoming a dominant scorer. Randle improved his shooting throughout the summer and earning him accolades from Illinois assistant coach Wayne McClain. Randle and the Illini need his summer shooting touch to stick around through winter.

Sophomore guards Jamar Smith and Chester Frazier will fill the void left by Brown in the backcourt. Smith is among the country’s top three point shooters. Frazier displayed improvement from last season in each of the Illini’s exhibitions.

“We’re excited about what Jamar Frazier and Chester Frazier gave us last year as freshmen,” Weber said. “Chester works so hard on his own and in practice, and I think we’ll see that translate onto the playing floor more this year.”

Pruitt and fellow junior forward Warren Carter provide the Illini more depth in the post than they have had in recent years. Pruitt showed flashes of being a dominant post presence last season; Carter’s versatility presents match-up problems for opponents.

“We have better inside people scoring-wise,” Weber said. “We can go inside and maybe get some more layups and power baskets. Much like my first year at Illinois, the system is in place, but we have to piece the roles together.”

It is obvious: This season’s Illini team is not as talented as the 04-05 or 05-06 versions. Illinois can be successful this season but a number of players will need to step-up their games. If Randle, McBride, and Pruitt assert themselves as impact players, the Illini should compete for a Big Ten title and have the potential for an NCAA tournament run.