CHAMPAIGN – There was a feeling of rebirth. The sun was rising on a new era, or so it seemed a week ago. There was renewed hope, more so than just something derived from a recruiting class or some innocuous ranking by a talking head.

The Illini were scoring wins. In the four-game streak, the Illini knocked off powerhouse Michigan State and whipped another ranked team in MSG. Maryland didn’t know what hit them.

For Illini fans, the food tasted better. The beer was more refreshing. Even the honey-do list was more bearable.

Then came the heart break, a dagger thrown by downtrodden Penn State on a day when the State Farm Center was sold out to honor the Flyin’ Illini, the gold standard in the modern era of Illini basketball.

Just when it appeared a good time to pull out the orange stuffed deep in the closet and just when it seemed safe to let your heart believe there was some real progress being made, the Illini stumbled and let you down. The groan could be heard across the state.

From the sounds of it, there’s more than one hangover, and we’re not talking about the speculation running rampant on the forums Tuesday. The Illini are still shaking off the two-game losing streak heading into the game at Purdue Wednesday.

“It’s the Big Ten,’’ said senior Aaron Jordan. “Things are up and down. We know that we went on a (winning) streak and that doesn’t mean it’s all good now.’’

Jordan’s been around the Big Ten block more than the rest of the Illini, who apparently are still shaking off the loss. There’s now concern about staying out of the first day of the Big Ten tournament, when four teams begin a quest of five wins to steal the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA bracket.

That kind of a longshot will take your breath away. From the conversations after practice Tuesday, the Illini still looked for the mojo before boarding the bus to West Lafayette.

“The second team was unbelievable today,’’ said coach Brad Underwood. “They just kicked the dog out of the first team. It wasn’t even funny. I love seeing that. It’s a sign of growth.’’

Some people say it’s a sign to change the lineup.

“We’re a team that has to play extremely hard,’’ Underwood said. “We don’t have a high margin for error. When we get outplayed in the effort category, that’s something we have to correct.’’

There’s been a loss of energy since those last two defeats. It was a tough one at Wisconsin, where the Illini put the clamps on Big Ten player of the year candidate Ethan Happ, but the out-of-the-blue loss to Penn State might actually not been that much out of the blue. Remember the overtime win over Rutgers at SFC.

If the players were riding high a week ago, they’re trying to regain their confidence seven days later. Purdue has always been a tough assignment for the Illini, especially playing in the tight confines of Mackey Arena. The next challenge is slowing down Carson Edwards, Purdue’s player of the year candidate.

The first challenge is believing again.

“When we won four in a row, everybody came into practice ready to go,’’ said Illini guard Trent Frazier. “It’s going to be a tough one. We have to stick together, execute more and play with some heart.’’

When asked if the Illini have reached the dog days of the conference season, Frazier replied: “It’s been a grind since the beginning of the season, especially playing for coach Underwood. It’s always a grind coming here. Our slogan is everyday guys. That’s not a problem for any of the guys in the locker room.’’

Things change quickly around here.

“It was a tough weekend,’’ Underwood said. “We got outplayed. Penn State was the aggressor. We have to do a better job of being dialed in and ready to go.’’

So, the resident energy source is Giorgi Benzhanishvili and Frazier, the sophomore who was billed as the team leader.

“Giorgi has established the fact that he’s a kid who brings it every day,’’ Underwood said. “His emotion is very much in play with all of our guys. He’s a talker, a great communicator. Those things are really positive for an 18- or 19-year-old freshman. To have that energy every day, I’m excited about that.’’

The Illini must also find Bezhanishvili more inside. Even though Bezhanishvili was 5-for-14 from the field and finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, Underwood felt the Illini needed to look his way more. There were rushed shots and plenty of frustration down low against Penn State’s Mike Watkins, but the strategy remains to keep looking inside.

“We’re trying to get the ball to Giorgi and understand he’s a viable option,’’ Underwood said. “We got good looks. I can’t control when they go in or not.’’

Meanwhile, the guards still have a green light, even though Ayo Dosunmu was relatively quiet until the closing moments and Frazier suffered through a tough day.

“Trent rushed things’’ against Penn State, Underwood said. “When Ayo picked up a couple fouls, Trent felt like he has to (carry) the load. He took a couple tough shots. Trent is a hard shot maker. He’s going to take some hard shots. On Saturday they didn’t go in.’’

So as the Illini continue in their umpteenth total rebuild of culture since losing steam under Bruce Weber, one of Weber’s former assistants just keeps chugging along. Matt Painter has the underrated Boilermakers within sight of a Big Ten title, and there’s been no need for any kind of rebuild. He just keeps reloading.

That’s when things are really good.