Live from Nashville

NASHVILLE - To convince observers this is a different Illinois team, the Illini needed a look-at-us type of victory.

They got one Thursday night -- on the road, no less.

Behind 23 points from Demetri McCamey, Illinois ended Vanderbilt's 20-game homecourt winning streak with a 69-63 triumph. Illinois' first road win -- in its first attempt -- came before an announced sellout at Memorial Gymnasium.

The Commodores (1-1, 0-0 SEC) entered the game as 5 1/2-point favorites, but with a lineup as young as the Illini's. Senior guards Chester Frazier and Trent Meacham were stabilizing figures, and McCamey brought the flash.

Frazier had five points, eight assists and four rebounds. Meacham had 14 points, four rebounds and two assists. McCamey earned his first start of the season and added six assists and three rebounds.

Illinois (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) trailed by seven in the first half. Vanderbilt made another run to start the second half, but consecutive three-pointers from Trent Meacham gave the Illini a 58-57 lead with 7:15 remaining.

With 18.6 seconds left, Meacham connected on a pair of free throws to help ice the win. Frazier added two free throws with 8.5 seconds left.

In earning the win, the Illini did most everything they didn't do last season in close games. They made 11 of 11 free throw attempts and flourished in the final 2 minutes.

10:00 in Second Half: Vanderbilt 57, Illinois52

Here is an unusual -- and unusually balanced -- backcourt stat line:

Frazier: 0 points, 8 assists, three rebounds.

McCamey: 21 points, 3 assists, 0 rebounds.

Regardless, the guards are making it work. I believe either Frazier or McCamey has been on the court the entire game, unless I missed a sequence. Illinois also has gotten two scores off of in-bounds plays, something that's been missing the last two seasons.

Maybe it's the nonconference nature of the game, but the atmosphere and Memorial Gymnasium seems to be sort of.... quiet. The students are located on one sideline and aren't really involved. They are holding flags up - an Australian flag for star center A.G. Ogilvy -- but other than that are chilled out. I would guess the actual attendance is about 10,000 or 11,000. The place seats about 14,000.

Illinois is in a danger zone. It seems they are in watch-Demetri-go mode and not moving like they were earlier in the game.

Check back in a few.

Klee

Halftime: Illinois 36, Vanderbilt 35

Keep an eye on Vanderbilt freshman Jeff Taylor, tonight and over the next three seasons. The 6-foot-7 forward is originally from Sweden, though he came to Vanderbilt via Hobbs (N.M.), a high school made famous by the legendary Ralph Tasker. Coincidence of the day: Tasker's Hobbs teams played with the team benches located on the baselines - just like it is here. (Strange that I remember that, but forget my zip code all the time.)

Anyway, Taylor is going to be a good one. His dunk capped a Vanderbilt run that put the Commodores ahead 33-26. Illinois had led most of the first half, until Vanderbilt took a 28-26 lead with 3:20 left.

As Jerrance Howard predicted, Demetri McCamey is having a solid game. The point guard hit a step-back 3-pointer, followed by a layup on an in-bounds play, to keep it close. Mike Davis is playing with a lot of confidence. The only real foul trouble for Illinois is Tisdale's two personals.

Brad from Effingham writes: I think for Illnois to win tonight, they need to not turn the ball over. Also, they need to establish a go-to guy. Pruitt served in this role last year somewhat. Who do you think that guy is right now?

Good timing, Brad. It's Demetri McCamey. It has to be. On a bigger stage, Demetri was that guy at the Big Ten tournament last season against Purdue. On smaller stage, he hit a win-clinching 3-pointer against Lewis in the exhibition season. Though he's a sophomore, players look to Demetri when Illinois needs someone to make a play.

McCamey's three-pointer -- assisted by Chester Frazier -- gave Illinois at the buzzer. The gymnastics/dunking team is on the floor for your halftime entertainment. The mascot is a man in a pickle costume. Check back in a few.

Klee

10:00 in First Half: Illinois 17, Vanderbilt 11

Bruce Weber let his starters play. The first substitution didn't come until 12:49 remained in the first half, when Calvin Brock, Richard Semrau and Jeff Jordan checked in. Solid start for Mike Tisdale, who has been playing without an edge lately, with the first four points for Illinois. His parents - Mike Sr. and Robin Tisdale - made the drive from Riverton for the game.

Barring a major development, injury or otherwise, you won't see Stan Simpson in tonight's game, or the rest of the season. It looks as though Simpson almost certainly will redshirt. No surprise there.

Still waiting to see a Jay Cutler jersey. This, after Cutler has back-to-back comeback wins for the Broncos. No love.

Looks like Demetri McCamey is buying into what Bruce Weber has been saying. The coaches felt like he was shooting too often. Not that they don't want him to shoot -- he is their best playmaker -- but that he was taking shots outside the parameters of the offense. That's also why the coaches toyed with the idea of putting McCamey at the 2-guard slot. But when I asked Weber if he wants McCamey to be the point guard or a shooting guard, the coach didn't hesitate.

"I want him to be the point guard," Weber said. "I want the ball in his hands."

Another note: Tim Thompson, who handles color commentary for the Vanderbilt Radio Network, also serves as the Nike rep for Illinois athletics.

Klee

Tipoff - Illinois vs. Vanderbilt

Memorial Gymnasium is starting to fill up. Still a ways to go before it's full from a late-arriving crowd, but it will be close to the 14,000-seat capacity. There certainly is an Illinois presence in the old gym, a handful of orange wear in the stands. About half of the arena is bleachers, the other half with seat-backs.

The starting lineup for Illinois: Chester Frazier, Trent Meacham, Demetri McCamey, Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale. This will be McCamey's first start of the season. He started the final eight games of last season but was coming off the bench to start this season because of below-Bruce-Weber-standard practice habits. One assistant predicted a big game for McCamey. Illinois will need one from the sophomore.

Merlin77 asked if we could find out the Hustle Points winner after each game. Good request. I'll be sure to ask after this one. I can tell you that Trent Meacham was the clear winner after Sunday's game. His "play-hard" number was in the 20s - "an extremely high" number, Weber said the other day. Much of that came from the three charges that Meacham drew. Weber said there should have been a fourth.

Tomsaal asked if C.J. Jackson figures to get any playing time. I don't see C.J. in the playing rotation. He's still getting into "basketball shape" after a season with the football team. C.J. only played in 12 games during the 2006-07 season, and that frontcourt didn't have as many forwards and centers vying for playing time as this one does.

That said, I think C.J. Jackson potentially is the best Gus Macker player on the roster. You know how every Gus Macker champion has the huge guy patrolling the paint and knocking people over? That would be C.J. Jackson.

Chris Dortch, the editor of Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, the best preseason mag on the market, is in attendance. He's a Nashville resident and attends most Commodores home games.

"Vanderbilt's kind of banged up right now," Dortch said. "I think Illinois will win it."

We'll find out shortly. Check back in a few.

Klee

70 Minutes Until Tipoff

Good evening everyone, Paul Klee checking in from Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville. We will be here with a live in-game report for the duration of the game - in case you don't have Fox Sports Midwest/South, or if you're just looking for more coverage. N-G staff writer Marcus Jackson is here too, so MJ will drop some knowledge as well.

Shoot us emails if you have any questions (pklee@news-gazette.com or mjackson@news-gazette.com).

Memorial Gymnasium seats 14,316.  Looking around, it's almost like a giant theater, with the overhanging balconies and the raised court. It's as if Mackey Arena and Indiana's Assembly Hall hooked up and Memorial Gym was the offspring. Tonight's game is sold-out. How do we know? A woman at Ernest Tubb Record Shop on Music Row said she tried to get a ticket but couldn't. We took Loren Tate to Tootsies today. He's all country, all the time.

And it's a tough place to win. The Commodores own a 20-game home winning streak into tonight's game and went 19-0 here last season.

As far as injuries, the Illini have remained relatively healthy.

Chester Frazier sustained a minor knee injury Sunday against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, but I saw him practicing throughout the week. He also came down hard on his left (non-shooting) wrist during practice at Ubben on Tuesday. I imagine that wrist will be heavily taped tonight, though Frazier has a habit of ripping off tape before game's end.

We'll see if that affects Frazier or his playing time. The Illini will need him tonight. Weber has placed an emphasis on ball pressure from the guards - mainly to limit touches from Vandy's best player, 6-10 center A.J. Ogilvy.

"The perimeter guys can help the post guys," Weber said, adding, "If you don't rush the quarterback, the quarterback picks you apart."

The question I've gotten most often is a simple one: Did the first two games (blowout wins against Eastern Washington and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) change the beat writer's expectations for this Illinois team? No. The Illini will need a strong showing against a higher-level opponent (like a Vanderbilt) before they make believers. In September, I thought this was a 16-win team, or somewhere right around there. But there has been noticeable improvement in practice over the past three weeks.

The formula is simple. If they play like Bruce Weber wants them to play - "heart, hustle and hard work," as he he's said several times - they can overcome the pure talent differential. Sounds cliché, and it is, but it's also true.

I think this story, written shortly after Kentucky's loss to VMI, summed up what Illinois has to do to be successful. This is more like one of Keady's Purdue teams than one of the recent Illinois teams. That figures to change in the near future, but that's what it is now, take it or leave it.

I thought Kevin Stallings made a couple Tom Izzo-like, subtle references when he talked about his relationship with Weber earlier this week.

"Bruce and I have very, very different jobs and we talk about this frequently," said Stallings. "Some of the things he has to put up with in recruiting, I don't have to put up with."

Yes, he's talking about Chicago and the various influences inherent with recruiting Chicago kids. On another note, Stallings said he's had higher-profile offers, but he has chosen to remain at Vandy out of comfort.

"There's a lot of peace of mind in people appreciating what you do."

That seemed to be a reference to the heat Weber has taken - justified or not - at Illinois.

"I think your priorities change and different things become important to you," Stallings said.

Going back through the exhibition season, this is the fifth straight game Illinois has scheduled that involved some sort of coaching connection.

Weber and Co. was familiar with the Florida Southern coach (Linc Darner played under Weber at Purdue); the Lewis coach (Scott Trost is a Midwesterner that coached at Michigan); the Eastern Washington coach (Weber called on Kirk Earlywine's behalf during the interview process); and a Texas A&M-Corpus Christi assistant (Billy Garrett, a Chicago guy).

Then there's Stallings, who played at Purdue, coached at Purdue, and his family vacations with the Webers. Stallings wished Weber's daughter good luck as she competes in the Illinois state diving championships this week.

An interesting note: Illinois purchased posterboard this afternoon, for the purpose of using play cards during the game. That's so Bruce Weber and his staff can communicate with the players, in case it gets too loud. And if it's too loud to hear Bruce Weber, you know it's loud.

"It can be difficult when the play is on the other end of the court," Vandy coach Kevin Stallings said the other day. "In the first half his offense will have a harder time knowing what he wants. In the second half his defense will have a harder time knowing what he wants."

For a game prediction and an amusing conversation between Weber and Stallings, go to HQ. Or if you would like to see the Shootout at the Hall pairings again.

That was long-winded. So I'll go now.

Check back in a few.

Klee

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