CHAMPAIGN - Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Ill., whose district includes the University of Illinois' main campus, and House Speaker Dennis Hastert Thursday introduced legislation designed to prevent the NCAA from invading institutional autonomy.

The NCAA should "go back to scheduling ballgames and leave the social engineering to others," Johnson said in a written statement.

The move came after Illinois' mascot, Chief Illiniwek, cost the school a chance to extend its seven-year streak of hosting NCAA men's tennis tournaments.

The Illini were forced to play on the road after the sanctioning body's executive committee declined Friday to remove Chief Illiniwek from the association's list of "hostile and abusive" mascots, making Illinois ineligible to host postseason athletic tournaments.

Supporters of the mascot, a student dressed in buckskins dancing at halftime of games, say it honors the state's heritage, while opponents say it perpetuates a racial stereotype that demeans American Indians.

North Dakota and Indiana University of Pennsylvania also lost their appeal Friday.

The Fighting Illini will play Western Illinois, the Mid-Continent Conference's automatic bid, on May 12 in the Louisville Regional, the NCAA announced Wednesday.

Illinois, 22-6, ended the season ranked No. 8 and is the tournament's seventh seed. It is the Illini's 11th straight NCAA tournament appearance.