Illinois coach Bruce Weber said Wednesday he understands why fans have been frustrated with the program in recent years.

Weber acknowledged the Illini’s narrow defeats have been taxing on everyone, including himself.

"It's hard," said Weber, whose Illini play No. 23 Indiana on Thursday in Bloomington, Ind. "The hardest part is probably we've been so close over the last three seasons. I think that takes a toll on everybody. When you have 17, 18 games that have come by 10 or less points, the last eight have been under five, so it's heart-wrenching. It's heart-wrenching for me. It's heart-wrenching for fans.

"I still think we have tremendous fans. I went to a high school game last night, and they were taking pictures with me and signing autographs. No one threw anything at me. At least, I didn’t feel anything hit me."

The last few weeks have been especially trying for the Illini community. Illinois has dropped four out of its last five games, and all four losses were by five points or less.

A 74-70 home loss to Northwestern on Sunday dropped Illinois to 5-5 in the Big Ten and in a difficult position due to its upcoming schedule. The Illini are on the road four of their next five games and travel to No. 23 Indiana on Thursday and No. 25 Michigan on Sunday.

“You got a big challenge with four out of five on the road with a great balance in the league,” Weber said. “We’re going have to really step up, make some improvement and find a way to get some wins. That’s all there’s to it. I told the guys yesterday that you got to win some games. It’s plain and simple.

“We’re one of many teams in our league and many teams around the country who are pretty much in a similar boat. Now who can fight it out and find a way to win enough games and maybe get hot at the right time and make a run into the tournament?”

Illinois was in a similar situation last season. The Illini were 5-5 going into the final Big Ten stretch and ended up 9-9 in the conference and earned an invitation to the NCAA tournament.

A year ago, Illinois also lost at Indiana. The Hoosiers snapped a 19-game losing streak against ranked opponents by defeating No. 21 Illinois 52-49, and Indiana fans celebrated by storming the court.

Weber has viewed Indiana as a rival for much of his coaching career. He was first an assistant at Purdue from 1980-1998 and has been at Illinois since 2003. Weber has gone 10-5 overall and 3-4 on the road against the Hoosiers while at Illinois.

“It’s not one of my favorite teams,” Weber said. “There’s no doubt you have an intense rivalry with them. It’s a big game obviously. It goes way beyond my years. There’s some tradition there that makes it a special game.”

Thursday’s game will be Illinois’ only regular-season meeting with Indiana.