For Sunday's box score, click here

For Ed Bond's game-day blog, click here

To watch the highlights, click here.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — This city, the state's largest, hasn't been kind to Illinois in recent years.

But these Illini are a unique bunch. They don't need a lot of free throws to win games and they win on the road after posting 33 points at home.

The latest unexpected development was Sunday's 70-68 win against Ohio State before a sellout crowd of 19,049 at Value City Arena.

No. 18 Illinois won at Columbus for the first time since the tail end of the 2003-04 season. Cold and gray, Columbus has been the site of some of the Illini's most forgettable defeats this decade, from Matt Sylvester's three-pointer in 2005 to an NCAA tournament meltdown against Virginia Tech in 2007.

The Illini were only 5-for-9 from the free throw line, one game after setting an Assembly Hall record by not going to the foul line once.

At one point, Illinois had gone 58 minutes and 9 seconds without shooting a free throw. In the rare instance the Illini have gotten to the line, they've been relatively successful. Meacham's missed free throw with about 5 minutes left was the team's first missed free throw in a week.

Free throws, schmee throws. Illinois simply needed a win after losing 38-33 against Penn State on Wednesday. Mike Davis had a game-high 22 points and eight rebounds against Ohio State's frontcourt. Fellow sophomore Demetri McCamey added 15 points and seven assists.

Trent Meacham had 17 points, including two clutch free throws, as Illinois (22-6, 10-5) swept the regular season series from Ohio State (17-8, 7-7).

Ohio State's sophomore star, Evan Turner, didn't score his first field goal until 12:18 remained in regulation. He finished with 17 points but had to work for it, going 6-for-16 from the field. Turner added eight rebounds and five assists.

13:00 left in first half - Illinois 43, Ohio State 39

- Illinois head manager Matt Scaletta told Klee at halftime the Illini are leading the Buckeyes on the all-important Matto chart, 16-14. Click here for more on the Matto.

- Bruce P. checks in via email: "Paul, is over-the-back a forgotten call in the Big Ten now?! How many times did we get knocked down from behind that half? And we wonder why the Big Ten can't compete outside the conference!"

Bruce P., on a similar note, I thought Illinois did a good job of establishing position under the basket, especially Mike Tisdale (five rebounds) and the Illini actually won the first-half rebounding battle, 16-14.

- Demetri McCamey had seven assists through the first 24 minutes. One game after putting 33 points on the board, the Illini scored their 34th point today on Trent Meacham's three-pointer with 18:34 remaining.

- Illinois recruit Tracy Abrams Jr. began his playing career at Chicago's Jackson Park, where he was kind of discovered by those who have helped raise him.

"I probably started playing there when I was 12 years old," Tracy said the other day. "I was the youngest guy there, so that was kind of hard. But the older guys were good with me. I thought I could play with those guys even though I was a lot younger. It's not that I think I'm better than anyone else or anything. I definitely liked playing with the older guys when I was younger though."

- Ohio State athletics director Gene Smith offered a mind-blowing comment at halftime. The OSU athletics budget is up to $115 million, Smith said.

Check back in a few.

Klee

Halftime - Illinois 32, Ohio State 27

- HQ staff writer Marcus Jackson spent the weekend in Indianapolis and the NFL scouting combine. Every Live Report loves it some MJ, and the News-Gazette's NFL expert drops some combine knowledge via email:

- John Clayton got a new tie. And that's a milestone, as MJ and Klee often joke about how the ESPN analyst seems to rock the same tie every day on SportsCenter, the navy one with spots.

- Vontae Davis was in really good spirits. A lot of smiling from him and he seemed really loose and at ease in front of the media.

- He weighed in at 203 pounds and measured in at 5 feet, 11 inches.

- He works out on Tuesday and says he will participate in all the drills.

- He will be back in C-U in March for Illinois' Pro Day.

- He's been working out in Phoenix.

- On advice his brother, Vernon, gave him entering the process: "He said get ready for the real world. It's not college or nothing, you (are) a grown man now."

- On the possibility of being drafted by New England and lining up against Randy Moss (one of his favorite players) in practice: "I would be in shock once I get there and see Randy Moss, it would be like a dream. I wouldn't know how to react. Once I start practicing I should get over things."

- On how Illinois prepared him for the NFL: "Everything Coach Zook did to
me prepared me and made me a much better person."

- Thanks for the insight, MJ.

- UI assistant coach Jerrance Howard pointed out the Illini haven't won in this arena since he was a senior. If they duplicate the first half, a five-year losing streak at Ohio State will come to an end.

- With three minutes left in the first half, Illinois had made four straight free throws - SPANNING THE LAST THREE GAMES. As you know, Illinois did not attempt a free throw in 40 minutes against Penn State. The Illini finally got to the line with 2:38 left in the first half today, when Demetri McCamey completed a conventional three-point play

Their most recent free throw before McCamey's attempt? It came with 47 seconds left against Indiana. Add it up, and Illinois had gone 58 minutes and 9 seconds without stepping to the foul line. That has to be some sort of record, doesn't it?

- On the plus side for the Illini, they made their last four free throws at Indiana, and one today, so they've made five straight from the line.

- Illinois has done a good job on everyone but Jon Diebler. The sharpshooter, who graduated high school as the state of Ohio's all-time career scoring leader, had a team-high nine points. He's coming off a 28-point game at Northwestern, so the hot hand has carried over.

- Mike Davis has 10 points to lead Illinois. The Illini had an assist on 10 of their first 11 baskets. McCamey has been good, with nine points  and five assists in the first 10 minutes.

Check back in a few. Going to catch up with Ohio State athletics director Gene Smith, who is on the NCAA tournament selection committee.

Klee

12:00 left in first half - Illinois 18, Ohio State 14

- Three things stood out to me as I watched Tracy Abrams at Mount Carmel's practice last week. One, his quick hands. He gets a lot of deflections because of his quick hands. Two, his first step. And not necessarily on his drive to the basket, but his first step on the fast break. He gets it and he's gone.

Three, how his teammates (and peers) follow his lead. Though he's old for a sophomore (Tracy turned 17 on Feb. 6), he's still a sophomore, and it's not often a sophomore is viewed as the team leader. One of his mentors described Tracy as having "an old soul."

"Since he was a young guy, Tracy usually has conversations that are different than most young folks," said Clay Hutchinson, a police officer in the city that is one of Abrams' adult influences. "If we're watching a game, Tracy would come sit up with us, the older folks. He'll call me three or four times during a game and talk about what kind of defense or offense they're running."

- The Demetri McCamey heat check, with about 14 minutes left in the half, was successful. He drained a 3 from the left wing, his first shot of the game. That's usually a good sign for the sophomore.

- Illinois felt like it could find open shots within Ohio State's zone - it was just a matter of whether the Illini could knock them down. So far, so good. Illinois made five of its first six shots from the field to open a 9-4 lead.

- Think of it this way. Against Penn State, Illinois didn't score its 9th point until 7:05 remained in the first half.

- Strange call just a moment ago. On a Demetri McCamey drive to the basket, one official whistled a blocking foul on the Ohio State defender. Another official whistled an offensive foul on McCamey. In the end, Demetri was called for a charge.

- Former Ohio State point guards Scoonie Penn and Jamar Butler are in the building. They're sitting courtside. Scoonie got a hug from one of the officials.

- Largely through the defensive prowess of Chester Frazier, Ohio State's Evan Turner was held to a season-low four points in their first meeting. Chester has drawn the assignment once again.

Check back in a few.

Klee

Tipoff  - No. 18 Illinois (21-6, 9-5 Big Ten) at Ohio State (17-7, 7-6)

- Demetri McCamey probably isn't 100 percent, but he said the other day he's close. Close enough, if you ask the Illinois coaches.

"They kind of thought it was more all the gunk from the cold and sinuses. He ended up kind of gagging a little bit when he was trying to play," is how Weber described the illness. "You've got to fight through that stuff right now. There's a lot of teams with guys that are boogered up."

- Illinois fans would like to see Alex Legion be a factor today. But the coaches have gone away from the shooting guard. Though they'd like to get him minutes, they're going with the rotation they believe gives them the best chance to win right now, and they've been giving reserve minutes to Calvin Brock and Jeff Jordan, but not Legion.

"I told him the other day in an individual meeting, we can be patient but at the same time we're fighting to get in the NCAA (tournament) and fighting to be in the Big Ten race," Weber said.

- The Daily Herald's Lindsay Willhite is here on press row. L-Dub drops a prediction on us: Ohio State 60, Illinois 52.

- Starting lineup for Illinois: Meacham, Frazier, McCamey, Davis and Tisdale. This is the 26th straight game Bruce Weber has gone with that lineup.

- I'd say it's about 80 percent full here at Value City Arena. Probably 15,000 or 16,000 in the building at tipoff. The student section is waving the white towels - isn't that an oxymoron or something - but the adults have yet to catch on.

Check back in a few.

Klee

15 Minutes Until Tipoff  - No. 18 Illinois at Ohio State

- The Illinois coaches believe Demetri McCamey is the key today, at least from a personnel standpoint. The coaches were tough on the sophomore in practice Friday, urging him to forget about his flu bug and "just play." For Illinois to win today, he doesn't have to be great, but he has to be a positive factor.

- Klee caught up with Mike Mullins, who guided Demetri McCamey and Ohio State star Evan Turner for several years on the AAU circuit. Both Demetri and Turner would tell you the Illinois Wolves coach has been a big influence in their basketball lives.

Mullins said Turner has always had a drive, an inner motivation, to exceed expectations. And as it stands, the Ohio State sophomore is probably the leading candidate for Big Ten Player of the Year.

"He has NBA talent," Mullins said a few minutes ago. "One thing about Evan is that he's always wanted to be great. When others are the mall or at the movies, he's working at it. Once his body, game and mind came together, he was going to make that leap, because of his work ethic."

I remember Mike Mullins telling me three years ago - when Turner was still with the Wolves and with Gene Pingatore at Westchester St. Joes' - that Turner was going to be the Wolves' first lottery pick. He's on his way. I think he has the most potential as an NBA player of any player in the Big Ten.

"They gave him in the keys to the team and he's responded," Mullins said.

Here's a stat that tells the story with Evan Turner's rapid development: he's one of the nine players nationally to lead his team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. Yikes.

- Assistant coach Jerrance Howard was responsible for the scouting report today. It's been a strange series of scouting reports for the Illini. First, Wayne McClain had four scouting reports in a row. Next, Jay Price had three in a row. Now, Jerrance has two in a row. Usually the scouts are a lot more spread out, but that's how the scouts have fallen this season.

Check back in a few.

Klee

30 Minutes Until Tipoff  - No. 18 Illinois at Ohio State

Good morning everyone (or good afternoon after you're here in Columbus), Illinois beat writer Paul Klee joining you from Value City Arena for the HQ Live Report. I'll be here for the duration of the game and immediately after the final buzzer for a wrap-up. Feel free to send any comments or questions and we'll get them posted.

A few items before tipoff...

- Ohio State SID Dan Wallenberg informs me it's a sellout today. And looking around Value City Arena, that means 19,049 white towels laid across each seat. So you'll see a lot of white on the CBS broadcast today. The students are filing in. Everyone else, it appears, slept in. But it should be a raucous atmosphere at this NBA-style arena. It will be Ohio State's second sellout of the season.

- A group of students, through the OSU marketing department, were here this morning at 8 a.m. spreading out the towels.

- One guy you won't see on the floor is Ohio State swingman David Lighty. (Click here for a fan's take.) An Ohio State official tells me Lighty is recovering well from a foot injury. But it doesn't sound like he's going to return this season. On the plus side, the junior captain fits the criteria for a medical redshirt and Ohio State plans on applying for a waiver after the season. So he would have two full seasons of eligibility remaining.

- Hopefully you caught our story in today's News-Gazette on Illinois recruit Tracy Abrams. Click here.

- And I'll drop a few more items on Abrams - stuff that didn't get in the story - in this Live Report throughout today's game.

- Klee's prediction, click here.

Check back in a few.

Klee (pklee@news-gazette.com)