Illini step up in class for heavyweight win

Posted In: Peoria Journal Star Illini
Date: Saturday, February 6, 2010

If this one comes with an asterisk, nobody in orange seemed to care.
With reigning Big Ten Conference player of the year Kalin Lucas stuck on the Michigan State bench with a sprained ankle, Illinois held on for a 78-73 victory over the fifth-ranked Spartans before a sellout crowd of 16,618 at Assembly Hall on Saturday night.
Energized by hosting ESPN’s College GameDay production for the first time, Illinois protected the homecourt against league-leading Michigan State, the defending NCAA runner-up. The Illini won their fourth straight game, but this was the first victory against the Big Ten’s upper division.
With Illinois holding a three-point lead under 10 seconds left, forward Mike Davis blocked a 3-point attempt by Michigan State’s Durrell Summers. The ball eventually found Davis again, who dunked it with 1.8 seconds left to clinch the victory.
The Orange Krush stormed the court after Illinois ended a five-game losing streak to the Spartans.
“I knew they were going to get Summers open for a 3,’’ Davis said. “I popped out and took him. I used my length to get a piece of the ball. Then Bill saw me for the game-ending dunk.
“Having Krush on the court was a great feeling. It felt good to know the the game was over, and we had a big win for Illinois.’’
Guard Demetri McCamey had 22 points and 11 assists while Davis erupted from his mid-season slump with 16 points. Freshman guard D.J. Richardson, who was 3-for-4 from the line in the closing 37.7 seconds, had 14 points.
“A win is a win,’’ Davis said. “We’ll take it against a top 5 team. We’re going to relish this no matter if (Lucas) played or he didn’t play.’’
This was a big game, and only partly because the nation’s top cable network called it a big game.
Illinois needed a signature win for its thin NCAA tournament resume and a victory in the first of eight games to finish the Big Ten regular season against teams that played in the NCAA tournament last season. Illinois coach Bruce Weber broke out his orange sport coat, and the Illini wore special GameDay T-shirts during warmups.
The Illini improved to 16-8 overall and 8-3 in the Big Ten. The Illini play at No. 16 Wisconsin at 6 p.m. Tuesday (BTN).
“We took a step,’’ Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. “It’s not like we’ve made it or anything. You have to enjoy tonight. You have to celebrate a little bit somewhere. (Wisconsin) isn’t going to be easy. We have to continue to improve. You have to play your best basketball at the end of the year. I’ve said we’re starting to make some strides.’’
Michigan State saw its lead dwindle to one game in the Big Ten race, but coach Tom Izzo was forced to reach farther down his bench because of the injury to Lucas, who averages 15.6 points a game. Wearing a black sweat suit, Lucas hoped to return when Michigan State (19-5, 9-2) hosts Purdue on Tuesday.
Forward Draymond Green led the Spartans with 17 points and 16 rebounds.
“He’s a warrior,’’ Izzo said. “He just grits his teeth and doesn’t care about all the flash and dash. He’s the perfect Spartan. He’s a blue-collar workhorse. I’m going to ride him like a jackass. He’s tougher than nails, and winning matters to him. We need a few more of those now.
“The better team won, but we showed something that will help down the road.’’
Evidently, Illinois had an adrenaline high to start the game. The Illini raced to a 14-4 lead, leaving the orange jumping to their feet. The Illini made five of their first six shots, then went 1-for-9 as Michigan State quickly retaliated to tie the game 16-16 with 11:51 left in the first half. Michigan State lost 11 turnovers in the first half, but the Spartans made 12-for-16 to start the game.
The Illini led 35-34 at halftime despite 55 percent shooting by Michigan State.
Illinois also enjoyed a fast start in the first meeting between the two teams, but the Spartans became more aggressive and physical inside an overwhelmed the Illini on the way to a wider-than-the-score indicated 10-point victory.
Earlier Saturday morning, ESPN College GameDay broadcast its hour-long preview show from Assembly Hall with 4,143 fans in attendance. The Illini made an appearance with Davis leading the way to great a portion of the Orange Krush.
State Farm Insurance, the show’s sponsor, donated $4,143 to Orange Krush fundraising, but Weber lost a free-throw shooting contest with Izzo, who shoots 100 per day before practice. Weber and Izzo each pledged $50,000 to Coaches vs. Cancer.
NOTES: Among the handful of recruits in attendance, Chicago DeLaSalle junior forward Matt Shaw sat in the bleachers near the Illini bench with his family. ... Illinois senior guard Bubba Chisholm, who played two seasons at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, was awarded a scholarship for the spring semester. ... Illinois honored McCamey prior to the game, awarding him with a game ball for surpassing 1,000 points in his career.
John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com.
 

(Read More ... )