For more updates from Stony Brook, follow us on Twitter

STONY BROOK, N.Y. - The environment in this smallish gym was what everyone expected.

The result was in doubt up until the final five minutes. That was kind of expected, too.

Illinois beat Stony Brook 76-66 in the first round of the NIT before 4,423 inside noisy Stony Brook Arena tonight. The Illini (20-14) advanced into a matchup with Kent State (24-9) at the Assembly Hall on Monday.

Demetri McCamey came oh-so-close to a triple-double (16 points, nine rebounds, 11 assists). Mike Davis had 15 of his 17 points before intermission. Mike Tisdale had 15, including a key three-pointer scored on an in-bounds play. D.J. Richardson added 16, 12 of which came on three-pointers.

For top-seeded Illinois, this was a test of basketball survival: Get in, get 'er done, get the heck out of here. Of the estimated 14,000 students that live on campus, about 1,500 packed the endzone bleachers and took turns chanting "You suck!" during the Illini's player introductions.

It was a supersectional atmosphere, Rated PG-13.

There was no shortage of bravado from the Seawolves, either. After Chris Martin scored and was fouled, he offered the Steve Alford biceps flex under one basket. The crowd loved it.

"If we win by 30 or lose by 30, I want coach Weber to say at the end of the game, 'I never want to play Stony Brook again,'" athletics director Jim Fiore said before the game.

And if this was its only visit to Long Island - forever - Illinois would be happy to never return. It took a quick start to the second half, when Illinois buried five three-pointers in just over seven minutes, to create some breathing room from its counterpart from the America East.

But It wasn't until 1:00 remained that Stony Brook's fans safely could head toward the exits. And there will be no more bandboxes for however long Illinois is able to survive in the NIT. But there are more tests ahead: Kent State has won 14 of its last 16 games.

HQ Live Report - 8:51 - Illinois 57, Stony Brook 48

-The Illini media contingent, hoping for a quick ending on this looming deadline, is limited here at Stony Brook. There's Tate. There's Chris Hine (Chicago Tribune). There's John Supinie, aka Jerry Supine (GateHouse News). And there's me. But you knew that.

-Back-to-back-to-back threes from Richardson and Paul, a pair of postseason rookies, gave Illinois some breathing room.

-The volume in Stony Brook Arena has been turned down. Taking a double-digit lead into the final four minutes, however, might be a good idea. This kind of scene is where weird happens.

-Stony Brook went to a zone and somewhat stumped the Illini. Illinois shot over it for a minute but isn't getting as many easy looks.

-Marcus Jackson confirms from Champaign that, in fact, Illinois is the state's only Division I team still playing in the postseason. Rough hoops year for the proud state.

Back in a few.

Klee

HQ Live Report - 17:04 - Illinois 38, Stony Brook 36

-Quick start by Illinois. Three-pointers from McCamey and Tisdale pushed the lead to nine and SB called timeout. Richardson followed with another three.

-Richardson has locked down on Dougher, at least for the moment. Clearly the coaches challenged the freshman to get in his grill this half.

Back in a minute.

Klee

HQ Live Report - Halftime - Illinois 38, Stony Brook 36

-I think the Illini are the only Division I team from the state of Illinois still playing. Northwestern and Illinois State were knocked out of the NIT tonight. I'll double-check that in a minute.

-The crowd got loudest with 15 seconds left and the ball in Illinois' possession. Demetri McCamey's step-back jumper just before the buzzer gave Illinois the lead heading into halftime.

-Bryan Dougher is making like Jon Diebler. The Seawolves sophomore has 15 points, tying Mike Davis for the game high.

-Stony Brook athletics director Jim Fiore had this to say:

"If we win by 30 or lose by 30, I want coach Weber to say at the end of the game, 'I never want to play Stony Brook again.'"

Right now Illinois is hoping its only visit to Long Island.

-Twenty media credentials handed out tonight. That's a Stony Brook record.

Back in a few. Unfortunately, limited Live Report updates coming in the second half. Tight deadline tonight with this late start.

Klee

HQ Live Report - 4:37 left in the first half - Illinois 30, Stony Brook 29

-These rims are loose and generous. More than one jump shot has caught iron a couple times before falling through.

-This Brian Dougher kid, who hit a school-record 93 three-pointers this season, is a player. Smart and can really shoot it.

"He's just three inches short (in height) of playing somewhere like the Big East," Pikiell said. "That's how we get him."

-Mike Davis needs more touches. He enjoys this atmosphere.

-Stony Brook's Chris Martin (No. 30) has been in Demetri's face since the opening tip. Trash-talking. Wonder if he saw the Ohio State tape? Demetri hasn't responded so far.

Back in a minute.

Klee

HQ Live Report - 7:49 left in the first half - Illinois 21, Stony Brook 18

-Dominique Keller had a DNP-Coaches Decision against Ohio State on Saturday. He checked into the game tonight at the 10:07 mark, the fourth guy off the bench. Bruce Weber didn't like his first-possession jumpshot, but Keller won brownie points by diving into a loose ball at the coach's feet.

-Brandon Paul is active tonight, if slightly out of control on offense. Thought he had two rebounds but the box score doesn't show any.

-The banners over one basket: Albany, Binghamton, Boston University, Hartford, Stony Brook, Maine, New Hampshire, UMBC and Vermont.

-Stony Brook is 10-0 when the opponent scores fewer than 60 points. Shouldn't be an issue for Illinois tonight.

Back in a minute

Klee

HQ Live Report - 11:59 left in the first half - Illinois 18, Stony Brook 18

-You hear this often, but Stony Brook really is a well-coached team. Steve Pikiell was in Jim Calhoun's first recruiting class at UConn - back when UConn wasn't a national power - and later coached under Calhoun (at UConn) and Karl Hobbs (at George Washington). Here's what Pikiell told me about some of his coaching philosophy:

"You'll watch 'Mo' (El-Amin) and say, 'He takes a lot of bad shots.' And he does. But I never yank a guy out of the game for a bad shot," Pikiell said. "I don't want him to think anything but he's going to make the next one. Hopefully that builds their confidence. I won't pull them out (of the game) for a bad shot. But I will pull them out if they don't (defend) or if they don't hustle. And I expect them to guard."

-This is also the type of game - combined with Stony Brook's turnaround - that will help a man land a new gig.

-One of the Stony Brook cheerleaders has a serious knee brace. Covers half her right leg. Huge knee brace.

-Demetri McCamey having a rough start on offense. But on defense he has a pair of steals. Illinois is getting open looks on offense. Layups, too.

Back in a few.

Klee

HQ Live Report - 15:42 left in the first half - Illinois 8, Stony Brook 7

-Davis and Tisdale hit back-to-back jumpers to quiet the noise for a minute. Davis followed with another jumper and SB called timeout. He followed with another jumper to give Illinois its first lead four minutes into the game.

-Mike Davis' family, from "down the road" near Washington, D.C., is seated over here by press row.

-Illinois has settled down after the quick flurry from the Seawolves.

Back in a few.

Klee

HQ Live Report - 18:10 left in the first half - Stony Brook 7, Illinois 0

-Muhammad El-Amin, a lifelong Big Ten from Lansing, Mich., got the first bucket, a three-pointer, and the crowd's reaction made your ears ring. It's bananas in here. Bruce Weber called timeout at 18:10 with the deficit at seven. Here's how loud it was: we're right behind Bruce Weber and we can't hear him.

-The Stony Brook players were introduced first - because top-seeded Illinois technically is the home team.

-Forgot to mention. Redshirt freshman Stan Simpson didn't make the trip. He's tending to academics in C-U, a spokesperson said.

Back in a few.

Klee

HQ Live Report - Tipoff - Illinois at Stony Brook

-Starting lineup for Illinois: McCamey, Richardson, Cole, Davis and Tisdale.

-The sound system works.

-Jim Burr is one of your officials tonight. Haven't seen the other two.

-The first 10 minutes is paramount for the Illini. "They're going to play like superheroes at the start," as Nottingham said.

-After the national anthem, a handful of students threw a finger at the Illini, and it wasn't the thumb.

-There are open seats. But not many. If this place seats 4,500, I would guess there are 4,300 in here. As usual, there is a strong contingent of orange-wearing Illini fans. Several said they love HQ. So good to hear. We'll celebrate our two-year anniversary in August.

-The winner here will face the Kent State, which knocked off Tulsa 75-74.

Back in a minute.

Klee

HQ Live Report - 45 minutes until tipoff - Illinois at Stony Brook

-Stony Brook students starting rolling in about 1 hour, 40 minutes before tipoff. They've already filled the bleachers behind Illinois' basket during warmups. The stereo system must be on full blast. If they can't make enough noise, they're going to manufacture enough. The rest of the stands are still empty for the most part.

-We had Gary Nottingham on the TIS College Bookstore Pregame Show. He was excellent on the show, as usual. The assistant to the head coach didn't want to play in the NIT anymore than anyone else in orange - but he likes this environment. Gary spent time at the Division II level. He knows what it means when the big boys come to the little guys.

"All the sudden you're on a level playing field," he said, adding, "But you're on their level playing field."

-Nottingham's focus tonight: defense.

"When the ball goes in (for them), that's when crazy things happen and they start to think they're better than you," he said. "When their ball doesn't go in, that's when they sit on their hands and say, 'Wait. We're not better than you.'"

-Nottingham compared this environment to what North Carolina faced in a loss at College of Charleston earlier this season. He agreed it's also similar to what Butler/Gonzaga/Memphis face on the road seven or eight times a season in their own leagues.

-Illinois is going through warmups. Actually the players are holding their pregame dunk contest. Jeff Jordan's one-handed slam had the Stony Brook students covering their mouths. Unlike at the Assembly Hall, Bubba's dunk didn't get any love. Back in a minute.

Klee

HQ Live Report - Tipoff at 8 p.m. (2 hours from now) - Stony Brook (N.Y.) Arena

-Mark Herrmann, veteran reporter and columnist for Newsday, is also a Long Island native that lives about 20 minutes from here. We asked him how tough it is for an athletics department like Stony Brook's to get New York's attention.

"Even the New York Islanders have trouble getting a piece of the New York media market. They have to win four Stanley Cups to get in the sports section," Herrmann said with a laugh. "But that's also the beauty of it here. I think that's one of the things you can sell to a kid (recruit). The train station (to NYC) is practically on campus, and you can still be a part of that scene."

-Herrmann said it's about a 2-hour drive from New York City to the other end of Long Island, Montauk Point. He said it's about a 30-minute drive from the south shore to the north shore, where we are.

-Something else to consider: Illinois has a distinct size advantage tonight, but it wouldn't be as much of an advantage if not for a season-ending knee injury to Desmond Adedeji. He's a 6-foot-10, 310-pound center that was up to 370 pounds when he arrived here as a transfer from Dayton, coach Steve Pikiell said yesterday. Adedeji suffered a torn ACL vs. St. John's in December.

Back in a minute.

Klee

HQ Live Report - Tipoff at 8 p.m. (2 hours, 30 minutes from now) - Stony Brook (N.Y.) Arena

We are Live from Stony Brook Arena - an HQ first. An Illinois first. A Big Ten first. You don't want to miss it. A few things to get started before top-seeded Illinois (19-14) and eighth-seeded Stony Brook (22-9) take the court....

-This is Stony Brook's first appearance on national TV. This is Illinois' 22nd since Christmas. This is Stony Brook's first postseason appearance. This is Illinois' 32nd. Stony Brook is in its 10th season of Division I basketball. This is Illinois' 104th.

-Illinois will play its first road game in NIT tonight. This is the Illini's fourth NIT appearance. The program owns a 5-3 record in "the other" tournament.

-Dan McLaughin and Dickey Simpkins, aka Brandon Paul's AAU coach with Team NLP, are calling the game tonight for ESPNU.

-Perry Range owns the Illini's single-game scoring record (28 vs. Long Island, 1982) and steals (five vs. Murray State, 1980) in NIT games. Eddie Johnson owns the rebounding record (15 vs. Loyola, 1980). Richard Keene holds the record for three-pointers (3 vs. Alabama, 1996).

-It was 60 degrees here on Long Island when we walked into Stony Brook Arena at 5 p.m. Today, producer Ed Bond hopped a ferry for Connecticut and attended the Illinois shootaround. Steve Kelly walked a mile or so through the million-dollar neighborhoods. Klee pounded coffee, wished he was fishing and hosted his weekly Illini basketball chat. Tate didn't leave his hotel room.

-Here's what Klee learned on a trip through the Stony Brook locker rooms and basketball facilities last night: Click here.

-Here are some more notes and a prediction: Click here.

-Some more photos via Twitter: Click here.

-They're working on the P.A. system here at the Arena. The P.A. guy just announced "Illinois University." A Chicago paper yesterday referred to this as "Stoney" Brook. So they're even.

-Steve Kelly's Sports Talk is on WDWS-1400 AM at the moment. And the TIS College Bookstore Pregame Show starts at 6:30 p.m.

Back in a minute.

Klee (pklee@news-gazette.com)