Klee: A Saturday night special
Photo galleries: Game and GameDay
CHAMPAIGN – With the strides of a smooth athlete, Brandon Paul raced to the hoop and flushed a SportsCenter-worthy dunk that sent the Assembly Hall into a tizzy.
Barely two minutes later, D.J. Richardson slammed another one, and the 16,618 went bananas. And that's why these buzzworthy freshmen faxed a letter of intent to Bruce Weber's office 15 months ago: to rebuild Illinois basketball into what it used to be.
"I saw Illinois slipping down. I didn't want that. I wanted to come in here and help the program," Richardson said after Illinois beat No. 5 Michigan State 78-73. "All four freshmen, we believed in that. We knew we could get it back."
Special found its way back to the Assembly Hall on Saturday. The Orange Krush rushed the floor and Demetri McCamey leaped on the scorer's table as the final buzzer sounded.
McCamey, a budding star, once again carried the load, and Michigan State had no one that could defend the Illini MVP. He buried back-to-back threes – the second one from Cory Bradford range – during an ear-numbing run that put Illinois ahead 64-57.
"It's even more special with GameDay here and Dickie V and all those guys," said McCamey, who had his third career double-double with 22 points and 11 assists.
But McCamey can't do it all by himself, not Saturday and not during a season-ending stretch chock full of heavyweights. Counting Michigan State, the final portion of the schedule marks the first time in Weber's seven-plus seasons Illinois (16-8, 8-3) will face six ranked teams in eight games.
"I'll have to yell at him tomorrow to make sure he's ready on Tuesday (at Wisconsin)," Weber said of McCamey.
Richardson had 14 points, while Paul had eight points and six rebounds. Veteran Mike Davis, after shooting 325 practice jumpers in the afternoon, had 16 points, his highest scoring total in six games.
"The crowd was great," Davis said. "They were the sixth man tonight."
Playing without floor leader Kalin Lucas, Michigan State (19-5, 9-2) got 17 points and 16 rebounds from Draymond Green. But no one in green could equalize McCamey, whom Tom Izzo called one of the most improved players "during the season" in the country.
"We took a step," Weber said. "But it's not like we've made it or anything."
Key plays from the freshmen gave Illinois a boost when it needed one.
"Great day for our program," Weber said.
Illinois 78, Michigan State 73
What happened
Illinois returned its mojo to the Assembly Hall before a riveted crowd that witnessed the Illini's first win against a top-five team since the 2005 national semifinal (No. 4 Louisville). No. 5 Michigan State made its patented run, pulling within one with 17 seconds left. But the best player wore orange and white, and Demetri McCamey carried the load.
What it means
Illinois has a marquee win on its NCAA tournament resume and moved one game behind Michigan State in the Big Ten standings. Before an ESPN audience - and the College GameDay crew - McCamey showed again he's one of the more undervalued players in college hoops. Michigan State clearly missed Kalin Lucas, who sat on the bench with an ankle injury.
What the Illini said
"I put in so much work recently with Coach, to try to get my minutes back." - Mike Davis, who put up 325 practice shots Saturday afternoon before scoring 16 points at night
What the Spartans said
"Very, very, very impressed with him." - Tom Izzo on McCamey, who had 22 points and 11 assists
What's next
How about three more opponents ranked in the top 16 of The Associated Press poll? Illinois plays at No. 16 Wisconsin, where the Illini are 2-14 in their last 16 visits. The Badgers (18-5 overall, 8-3 Big Ten) looked like a Big Ten title contender in a 62-44 win at Michigan on Saturday. Then it's on to games against No. 13 Ohio State and No. 8 Purdue.
i am impressed. I dont know why we cant play like that every game? We need to play hard every game. The thing i hate is that we cant or will not rebound. Our big guys are weak and get pushed around like little school girls. Mike tisdale and davis need to play like they want to win every game. Stop getting pushed around, toughen up and get physical and stop letting people take your milk money. McCamey, paul and Richardson are CO MVP'S of the game. One thing coach Weber needs to concentrate on is bringing in a big strong physical, tough, mean, nasty, big man, that will not or can not be dominated.
Anyone whos actually played the game should know that rebounding isn't just about physical size! Most of the time the ball bounces away from basket area and being in the right spot at the right time is just as important! Yes we are undersized, we have known that for a couple of years, its not new news! The main difference is michigan st's guards also rebound, they follow their shots and just plain get to the rim when a shot goes up. Thats how they get the rebounds! Watch last nights game again if you can and youll see what i am talking about. For some reason our guards dont follow their own shots and dont go to the rim when a shot goes up. If they did it would help alot. Also we lose some rebounds when one of our guys tips the ball out or up in the air. If they would just grab it with 2 hands and some down we would have more too! jmo
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