Where was Lou Henson tonight? Follow us on Twitter

GAME 24
UI men vs. Michigan State,
8 p.m. Saturday
LINEUPS
ILLINOIS (15-8 overall, 7-3 Big Ten)
Probable starters
P Name HT. YR. PPG
G Demetri McCamey 6-3 Jr. 15.1
G D.J. Richardson 6-3 Fr. 11.1
F Bill Cole 6-9 Jr. 4.0
F Mike Davis 6-9 Jr. 10.5
C Mike Tisdale 7-1 Jr. 11.9
Top reserves
G Brandon Paul 6-3 Fr. 8.6
F Tyler Griffey 6-9 Fr. 3.2
F Dominique Keller 6-7 Sr. 6.0

MICHIGAN STATE (19-4, 9-1)
Probable starters
G Korie Lucious 5-11 So. 5.2
G Chris Allen 6-3 Jr. 8.9
G Durrell Summers 6-4 Jr. 10.8
F Raymar Morgan 6-7 Jr. 11.0
F Delvon Roe 6-8 So. 7.4
Top reserves
F Draymond Green 6-6 So. 10.2
C Derrick Nix 6-8 Fr. 2.0
C Garrick Sherman 6-10 Fr.  2.0

FACTS & FIGURES
Site: Assembly Hall (16,618), Champaign.
Radio: Brian Barnhart and Jerry Hester call the action on WDWS 1400-AM, WHMS 97.5-FM, WDAN 1490-AM, WDNL 102.1-FM and WPXN 104.9-FM.
TV: ESPN. Dan Shulman is on play-by-play duties, Dick Vitale provides the expert analysis and Erin Andrews is the sideline reporter.
Series: Michigan State leads 54-53. What used to be a matchup of the Big Ten's marquee teams has turned into Spartan reign. Michigan State has won seven of the past eight meetings, including a 73-63 win at Breslin Center on Jan. 16. As the coach at Illinois, Bruce Weber is 5-7 against Michigan State, one of two Big Ten programs he has a losing record against (Wisconsin).
Coaches: Weber (167-65 in seventh season at Illinois, 270-119 in 12th season overall); Tom Izzo (355-141 in 15th season at Michigan State and same overall).

'Stay in the game'
Illinois feels that it needs Mike Tisdale on the floor to beat Michigan State. Check that: Illinois feels it needs the good Mike Tisdale to beat Michigan State. The 7-footer's numbers against mediocre teams are great, but too often he's been a no-show against the Big Ten's better teams. This season against Northwestern, Indiana, Penn State and Iowa, Tisdale has All-Big Ten-caliber stats (16.4 points, 7.8 rebounds). Against Michigan State and Purdue, not so much (averages of three points and three boards). "He does struggle when he tries to post up against a physical team," Weber allowed. The other common denominator: Tisdale had nine fouls against Purdue and Michigan State. MSU thrives on physical play. It's not a fluke that the Spartans' only Big Ten loss came against, perhaps, the only team they can't bully in the post: Wisconsin. Look for Michigan State to push and pull at Tisdale in an attempt to frustrate the easily frustrated 20-year-old. "We've got to fight," Tisdale said. "They're a tough team. They rebound. They play hard. We've got to do the same. We've got to play for 40 minutes." Meanwhile, Weber is frustrated with the post defense being used against Tisdale. Weber said he has called the Big Ten office to get a clarification on post defense. "I don't know if I've complained, but I've asked questions about it," he said. The reason for Weber's phone calls: "One of the things I've asked is if I'm teaching post defense wrong." One player that seemed to handle Michigan State's physical play was freshman Tyler Griffey. But he said his 12 points and seven rebounds on Jan. 16 only made it appear that way. "I've still got some bumps and bruises from that game," Griffey said with a laugh. "But you can't be timid. You've got to go in and try to be the aggressor to match their aggressiveness, too."

M(VP)cCamey
Numbers don't tell the entire story with Demetri McCamey. But in his case the numbers show his importance to the Illini. In Big Ten games, the junior has accounted for 48 percent of the offense, when you combine his scoring and assists (326 of the team's 683 points). His combined averages of points and assists (21.3) rank 12th among players in the six power conferences. "I think he's a bigger key to our team than (Kalin) Lucas is to their team," freshman D.J. Richardson said Friday. For those campaigning on McCamey's behalf for an All-Big Ten selection, his stats build a solid platform. "When you really study Demetri's numbers, they're very impressive," Weber said. "We have to depend on him for so much, where I think some of the other teams, they have really good players and have so many weapons around them. What he's done is pretty impressive." Teammates such as Tisdale, in his third season alongside McCamey, notice changes in the laidback lead guard. "He's really started to listen to Coach," Tisdale said. "I think that has really helped him a lot. He's not fighting him. When coach used to yell at him after he made a mistake, he would hang his head or get down on himself. Now he's saying he messed up himself." If McCamey continues his junior-season march, it's possible he could enter his name in the NBA draft and go through predraft workouts. There's no risk to his eligibility, provided he yanks his name by the deadline. Asked if he has considered that option, McCamey said, "That's not on my mind right now. I'm just thinking, 'Illinois basketball, Illinois basketball.' Coach Weber's been through it with Dee, Deron and Luther. I'm going to look at him for advice. If it looks good I'll go try it, because nothing bad can happen. You can pull out and see where you compare to other top players that are trying to get a job. It would be a good opportunity. But at the same time I'm just thinking about Illinois basketball and trying to help us get to the NCAA tournament."

Subtract a Spartan?
It's a bad weekend for right ankles. Sunday's Super Bowl has Dwight Freeney's. Saturday's Illinois-Michigan State showdown has Kalin Lucas'. The Spartans point guard sustained a sprained ankle against Wisconsin earlier this week. Tom Izzo told reporters that Lucas is "very, very questionable" for Saturday. The Michigan State coach probably wouldn't hold out on good friend Bruce Weber, so it sounds as if the Spartans will be without the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year - or, at best, with a less-than-100 percent Lucas. "I just watch him walk and say, 'If you can barely walk Thursday, how do you play on Saturday in a big game?'" Izzo said. Lucas leads the Spartans in scoring (almost 16 points per game), minutes (31 per game) and big plays in close games. It's not a stretch to say Michigan State would have two more losses without its fearless leader. Lucas made the biggest plays in narrow road wins at Minnesota and Michigan. If he can't go, look for more minutes for point guard Korie Lucious. The sophomore is capable of running the show. He's a hard worker that spent a good 45 minutes going through ballhandling drills (beginital)after(endital) Michigan State beat Illinois at Breslin Center in January. "I've known Korie for a long time," said counterpart Demetri McCamey. "He's real fast, probably not as fast as Kalin, but he's a player." Still, one of the lineups that concerned Illinois was the Lucas-Lucious combo, when Izzo put Lucious at the point and Lucas at the off-guard, a swift backcourt that gave Illinois problems. It remains to be seen if that will be an option today. "It doesn't matter," junior Mike Davis said of the Lucas injury. "Lucious is playing really well for them."

Prediction
Illinois 68, No. 5 Michigan State 66
During his Friday press conference, Weber was asked if Saturday's event was the biggest for Illinois since the 2005 Final Four. "There's a lot of hype, there's no doubt. This is a great opportunity," he said. "We've had some big games here (in) '05, when you're playing for a Big Ten championship (and in) '04. This is a huge, huge opportunity for us and our program." The arrival of ESPN College GameDay - and the nation's fifth-ranked team - shines a regular-season spotlight on the UI program that hasn't been around since 2005. It's also a prime-time opportunity for Illinois' recruiting. Signed prospects Meyers Leonard and Crandall Head said Thursday they would be in attendance, and Jereme Richmond is expected to be there. Look for UI recruit Tracy Abrams (2011) as well. Other possible visitors include Mike Shaw (2011), Abdel Nader (2011) and Alex Foster (2013), among others. Illinois seems to be catching Michigan State at the right time. The Spartans are on the road for the fourth time in five games and could be without their star point guard. Illinois needs someone other than McCamey to emerge, however. "I've got to help Demetri," Davis said Friday. It won't be easy - nothing comes easy against Izzo's bunch - but the Illini will clinch a four-game winning streak for the first time since early December. (News-Gazette prediction record: 17-5).