STATE COLLEGE, PA. ? Illinois expects to have more important victories the rest of the season, but that’s not going to stop the Illini from enjoying every victory that puts them in the record book.

Roger Powell Jr. went 10-for-10 from the field and scored 21 points, and Dee Brown added 19 points, leading the top-ranked Illini to their 26th straight victory, 83-63 over Penn State on Wednesday night.

“There’s not much stress there,” coach Bruce Weber said. “You might think it’s a looney bin and not a stressful team.”

Illinois (26-0, 12-0 Big Ten) topped the school record of 25 consecutive victories, which was set over three seasons from February 1914 to February 1916. Certainly, this year’s streak is more impressive — it’s the fourth-best start ever by a Big Ten team.

Penn State (7-17, 1-10) was just another easy victim, falling to 0-10 all-time against top-ranked teams. Geary Claxton led the Nittany Lions with 19 points.

No. 4 UNC 85, Virginia 61

Chapel Hill, N.C. — Rashad McCants had 23 points, and Sean May added 17 points and 16 rebounds, leading the Tar Heels (21-3, 9-2 ACC). Gary Forbes had 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting for the Cavaliers (13-10, 4-8).

No. 6 BC 74, Rutgers 64

Boston — Sean Marshall scored 22 points, and Jared Dudley had 14 points and 12 rebounds, helping the Eagles (21-1, 10-1 Big East) bounce back from their first loss of the season. Boston College had not played since a 68-65 loss eight days ago at Notre Dame. Ricky Shields scored 16 points, and Byron Joynes had 12 rebounds for Rutgers (8-14, 2-10).

No. 11 Michigan State 81, Minnesota 62

East Lansing, Mich. — Shannon Brown had 18 points, and Maurice Ager added 16 for Michigan State (18-4, 9-2 Big Ten). Vincent Grier had 19 points for the Gophers (16-9, 6-6).

No. 16 Alabama 72, Arkansas 63

Tuscaloosa, Ala. — Chuck Davis scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half, leading the Crimson Tide (20-4, 9-2 SEC) to its second straight 20-win season. Jonathon Modica was 6-of-7 from the field and scored 16 points for the Razorbacks (17-8, 5-7), who had a three-game winning streak snapped.

No. 19 Pacific 79, UCSB 56

Stockton, Calif. — Guillaume Yango scored 16 points, and Christian Maraker added 14 points and eight rebounds as Pacific (21-2, 15-0 Big West) clinched the Big West title.

No. 20 Wisconsin 76, Michigan 50

Madison, Wis. — Mike Wilkinson had 22 points and nine rebounds for Wisconsin (17-6, 8-4 Big Ten). Courtney Sims had 16 points for Michigan (12-14, 3-9).

N.C. State 82, No. 22 Maryland 63

Raleigh, N.C. — Ilian Evtimov and Tony Bethel each scored 17 points, lifting North Carolina State (15-10, 5-7 ACC).

No. 23 Charlotte 66,

DePaul 62

Charlotte, N.C. — Curtis Withers scored 18 points, and Eddie Basden added 15 points and 10 rebounds for Charlotte (18-4, 9-2 Conference USA).

No. 24 Cincinnati 83, Southern Mississippi 51

Cincinnati — Jason Maxiell scored 20 points for the Bearcats (19-6, 7-4 Conference USA).