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Chicago • Daytime high temperatures in the Upper Midwest this weekend might not make it above zero, and a snowstorm is expected to hit the Windy City as the BYU basketball team arrives to participate in the State Farm Chicago Legends event at the United Center.

But those aren't the only cold, hard facts that coach Dave Rose's team faces on Saturday when it meets Illinois at 7:30 p.m. MST. The stark reality for BYU (7-3) as it faces the final Power 5 conference team on its 2016-17 schedule is that this is as close to a must-win as it gets in December for the Cougars, who went 1-1 in similar tests earlier this month. They fell 91-84 to USC two weeks ago, but bounced back with a 79-71 win over Colorado last Saturday.

"I think that those things are always in the back of your mind, but I don't want them to be in the front of our minds," Rose said Thursday. "I want us to duplicate the effort that we got for 40 minutes [against Colorado] outside our building. That is the most important thing for me, and I think if we duplicate that effort, we will win. I really believe that."

Saturday's game is also a reminder of why the Cougars were disappointed when Utah pulled out of the contracted game at the Marriott Center this season.

That's why Rose jumped at the chance to play the Big Ten team on a so-called neutral court — Illinois' campus is 135 miles away — when approached with the idea two years ago at the Maui Invitational in Hawaii. The deal was struck before Utah's withdrawal from the rivalry game.

The Cougars are 1-1 at NBA arenas this season, having defeated Utah State 77-63 at Vivint Smart Home Arena and having lost to USC at Staples Center.

The United Center "is probably one of the biggest arenas in the country, as far as just space is concerned," Rose said. "Personally, the biggest adjustment is just experience, guys going through it. There is a little bit of mystique when you go into these places and you see back in the caverns of those facilities all the photos and pictures and walls and the history of the arena. … It is important to just block all that out and get to the court and just play."

Coaches have also worked to soften the expectations that reached a fever pitch after the 4-0 start.

"I don't know if I have ever had it here at BYU where the last 8-10 minutes of a game that is highly competitive, one we really need to win, that we are playing with three freshmen and two sophomores on the floor," Rose said, recalling crunch time against Colorado. "I don't know if we have ever seen that here in my tenure. It kind of makes you believe that this group is growing up a little bit. I hope so."

Illinois won its first four games, then dropped three straight. Since losing 72-61 to Florida State in Brooklyn, N.Y., the Illini have won four straight, including an 88-74 win over North Carolina State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Rose said the Illini's size and skill level stand out. Senior guard Malcolm Hill leads them in scoring with an 18.9 average and is one of the top players in the Big Ten.

"I am really impressed with [coach John Groce's] team," Rose said. "I think he's got a group that is going to win a lot of games."

drew@sltrib.com Twitter: @drewjay —

BYU vs. Illinois

P At the United Center, Chicago, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. MST

TV • Big Ten Network