Update, Tuesday 3 p.m.

Illinois likely will be without two of its top post options for Wednesday's game against Longwood, Brad Underwood said Tuesday.

Junior forward Leron Black is not expected to play Wednesday with a hyperextended elbow, and sophomore forward Kipper Nichols is a "game-time decision" after suffering a left foot injury in practice on Monday.

Both Black and Nichols sat out of practice on Wednesday.

"You'll see a smaller version of the Illini tomorrow," Underwood said. "We'll be the same team we've always been, just a couple guys down. That means we need a couple guys to step up."

Black leads the Illini with 13.6 points per game. He suffered the injury midway through the first half of Saturday's 89-82 loss to UNLV in Las Vegas. Black returned to the court and had his elbow wrapped by team athletic trainer Paul Schmidt. But Black came out of halftime with a sling on his left arm, and he did not play the rest of the game.

"It's not something that we foresee being long-term," Underwood said. "Leron's a pretty tough kid and he's going to be about there as soon as we can."

Nichols leads the team in rebounding (5.8 per game) and averages 10.1 points off the bench.

Underwood said he could play a smaller group, which could include guards like Aaron Jordan playing the 4.

"You look at the plus/minus the last three games, our best lineups have been small," Underwood said. "We slid AJ, Mark and Trent and Da'Monte into the game and played small and our plus/minus was through the roof. It's been that way for three games in a row. It's been something we've looked at quite a bit in practice, knowing in different times we're going to have to play that way. What that does is probably get some of our best offensive players on the court."

Freshmen Greg Eboigbodin (5.5 minutes per game) and Matic Vesel (20 minutes in four games) also could earn more playing time.

"For Greg, that probably means more minutes but I say that guarded," Underwood said. "If Greg would've played five minutes at Vegas, he would've fouled out in five minutes. He's got to learn to play without as much reckless abandonment as he's playing. And I think Matic is a guy who's been very, very good at practice. More opportunity for him."

Underwood even mentioned walk-on guard Drew Cayce as an addition to the rotation.

"He's a walk-on, but he's a very good basketball player. I think you could see Drew get opportunities there. He's a high IQ guy and can shoot it. You'll see some opportunities presented. That's what I like about the way we play. We have to play with maximum effort. For guys, when it's their turn, they have to step up."

Original story: Monday morning

Illinois leading scorer Leron Black will undergo an MRI and an X-ray to evaluate the severity of his injured left elbow, Illinois coach Brad Underwood said Monday.

"We're at the mercy of our doctors in terms of going through all the X-rays and MRIs," Underwood said. "He's having both of those done. We'll wait to see what comes back from those."

The junior forward, who leads the Illini with 13.6 points per game, suffered the injury midway through the first half of Saturday's 89-82 loss to UNLV in Las Vegas. Black returned to the court and had his elbow wrapped by team athletic trainer Paul Schmidt.

But Black came out of halftime with a sling on his left arm, and he did not play the rest of the game.

If Black misses time, sophomore forward Kipper Nichols (10.1 points, 5.8 rebounds) and freshman Greg Eboigbodin (0.7 points, 1.5 rebounds) will play larger roles. Or Illinois could decide to play smaller since it is deeper and more talented at guard.