HQ Live Report - Michigan 70, Illinois 61 - Final

-NCAA tournament? Our friend Brad Evans - the expert bracketologist from Yahoo! Sports - tells us that Illinois is now battling Minnesota and Northwestern for a "possible last spot" from the Big Ten. Evans says the Illini are still "in" his bracket at this point. That should tell you as much about the state of college basketball as the state of the Illini.

-Tyler Griffey's career-high 18 points were the Illini highlight.

-Zack Novak sets the tone for Michigan. The 6-foot-4 power forward had nine rebounds.

-That's six losses in seven games for the Illini, the worst stretch since the tail end of the 16-19 campaign in 2007-08.

-Illinois had two steals. Michigan had 10.

-Purdue visits the Assembly Hall on Wednesday and has owned the Illini lately. The Boilers have won six straight in the series.

-Someone emailed recently to say Michigan was "overrated." No, that No. 22 ranking looks about accurate, if not too low.

-Illinois is consistent in one way, at least. The Big Ten record is two games below .500 (5-7). And the record A.D. is two games below .500 (49-51).

-I'll be at the Esquire Lounge from 5-6 p.m. Monday to take questions on the News-Gazette Sports Page.

-Same ol', same ol'. Thanks for reading. I need to get started on our print coverage. Plenty more coming later on HQ - gamers, notebooks, grades, graphics.

Klee

HQ Live Report - Michigan 51, Illinois 39 - 9:30 left in regulation

-Selection Sunday is exactly one month from today.

-There was a certain irony to the Orange Krush's chanting of "N-I-T... N-I-T" at the Northwestern Wildcats last weekend. Considering their freefall and the upcoming schedule, there's a better chance the Illini will be in the NIT than the NCAA tournament.

-Illinois is 23-31 on CBS under Bruce Weber. This is their first (and last) regular season game this season on CBS.

-Tyler Griffey has 16 points, a season-high for the junior. It's a career high - the previous was 13 points vs. Ohio State during his freshman year.

-Meyers Leonard had solid position on the block, but the guard wouldn't throw the pass. Meyers slapped his hands down, frustrated.

-Didn't agree with the held ball between Hardaway Jr. and Leonard. Neither did Bruce Weber, who asked for an explanation from Jim Burr.

-Those empty seats haven't been filled. Guessing 9,000 or 10,000 here today.

Back at the buzzer.

Kle

HQ Live Report - Michigan 37, Illinois 31 - Halftime

-UI walk-on Kevin Berardini has been cleared to return to contact drills in practice. He suffered bruise ribs in practice after ending up on the wrong end of a Mike Shaw drive to the basket.

-Tyler Griffey has 10 points at the half. Excellent half for him with Leonard on the sideline. He added a team-best three rebounds and an assist and is the biggest reason this isn't a double-digit deficit. It's the first time he's had multiple field goals since the Cornell game on Dec. 19.

-Illinois went without a lead guard when Abrams picked up his second foul at 5:06.

-Michigan freshman Trey Burke has Jordan Taylor-type All-American potential down the road. Thought he'd be good after talking to Michigan sources in July. Didn't expect he would average 14 ppg.

-Considering Michigan shot 57 percent from three - and Leonard's foul trouble - Illinois is fortunate to be down by six points.

-Michigan will host Ohio State for College Gameday next Saturday. It's the first time Michigan has hosted the show

-The Maize Rage: "Matt... Vogrich... Matt... Vogrich." He's a former News-Gazette All-Stater.

-Michigan reserve Evan Smotrycz has 12 points. It's just the third time this Big Ten season he's scored in double figures. He had 11 points in the previous three games combined.

-Michigan plays smart. Illinois doesn't. At some point the foul issues go from the officiating to the Illini's own fault.

-Here's a new ranking system worth checking out: the BPI (Basketball Power Index). Illinois checks in at No. 45. Other Illini opponents of note: No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Michigan State, No. 8 Missouri, No. 9 Wisconsin, No. 14 Indiana, No. 18 Gonzaga, No. 32 Michigan.

Back at 10:00.

Klee

HQ Live Report - Michigan 17, Illinois 12 - 10:00 left in the first half

-Zack Novak is the favorite son here at Crisler Center. The senior got the loudest ovation.

-Joe Bertrand got the start again, his 11th straight start. Good for him. Myke Henry was the first sub off the bench at 16:10 and scored his first bucket - a smooth jumper from the foul line - at 12:48.

-Guessing 2,000 or 3,000 empty seats in the 12,721-seat Crisler Center. Attendance everywhere in the Big Ten (except for Indiana, and we haven't been to Ohio State yet) seems to have taken a hit.

-These are forgiving rims. Lots of give on jumpshots. Like the weather, the opposite of what we saw in Cancun.

-Quiet in here as Illinois built a 7-2 lead. The crowd returned during Michigan's 5-0 spurt.

-No. 22 Michigan and No. 12 Georgetown are the last ranked teams to play this weekend. Georgetown has St. John's today.

-Thirteen ranked teams suffered losses this week. Illinois is trying to make it 14.

-UI staffer Gary Nottingham has known John Beilein for a while. He has a high opinion of how Beilein operates, largely because Beilein doesn't tolerate bad apples in the locker room.

-Bruce Weber is leaning on the Griffey-Egwu froncourt early today, mainly due to Big Meyers' foul trouble.

-This is the second time Jim Burr has called an Illinois game this season. The other was the Illini's upset of Michigan State.

-The Maize Rage is howling at Bruce Weber.

-Illinois is playing consecutive road games against ranked teams for the first time since the start of the Big Ten season in 2008-09.

Back in a few.

Klee

HQ Live Report - Illinois (16-8, 5-6 Big Ten) at Michigan (18-7, 8-4) - Tipoff (Noon, CBS)

-Crisler Arena (that's what the videoboard calls it) is probably 3/4 full at tipoff. And closer to 1/2 full than 4/4 full.

-Broke it down on the First Bank Pregame Show. Mainly on Tracy Abrams, the Beilein (motion) offense, Michigan's new digs. Here's the podcast.

-Eager to hear if Raftery refers to Meyers as Miles or Meyers.

-Michigan returns this trip on March 1.

-Jim Rossow took Michigan in a three-point win today. He also points out that Tim Hardaway Jr. - Brandon Paul's assignment today - is shooting just 27 percent in his last four games. More nuggets in his weekly Big Ten report by clicking here.

-Illinois is 3-2 against ranked teams but has lost six straight road games against ranked teams. Will that change? Let's find out.

Back at 10:00.

Klee

HQ Live Report - Illinois (16-8, 5-6 Big Ten) at Michigan (18-7, 8-4) - 20 minutes until tipoff (Noon, CBS)

-The Maize Rage student section is taking its seasts behind the team benches and around the Illini's families.

-There are a number of NBA scouts in attendance today: Bucks, Bulls, Kings, Cavaliers, etc.

-Thanks for the dinner invitation, Rob McColley. Let's be honest, though: I only wanted to go because Heather was there.

-This renovated building seats 12,721.

-Slightly different approach to handling the student section here than at Indiana. Here, students are told certain behaviors "will not be tolerated." At Indiana, anything seems to be fair game, despite Fred Glass' videoboard recommendation to "stay classy." Different strokes.

-Germack is the official peanut of the Crisler Center. They're available at the concession stand.

Back in a few.

Klee

HQ Live Report - Illinois (16-8, 5-6 Big Ten) at Michigan (18-7, 8-4) - 40 minutes until tipoff (Noon, CBS)

-Haven't seen Peoria product Max Bielfeldt yet. He's redshirting for Michigan. Meyers Leonard spent some time with Max and the Bielfeldts over Christmas.

-Jerrance Howard is huddling with the Illini at center court. He's shouting at them - in a pump-you-up kind of way.

-The drive to Ann Arbor - for about a 15-mile stretch west of Kalamazoo - was hairy. Semis on their side, cars in the ditch, ugh.

-You'll see plenty of Tracy Abrams today, especially with Sam Maniscalco sidelined. He's out with a knee sprain. Injured it during the Indiana game.

Back in a few.

Klee

HQ Live Report - Illinois (16-8, 5-6 Big Ten) at Michigan (18-7, 8-4) - One hour until tipoff (Noon, CBS)

-So, Michigan's practice facility, aka, the PDC (Player Development Center). Here's the sharp part: two cameras shooting down from the roof. During a practice, John Beilein can stop the play, walk over to a 50-inch (or so) plasma and show them the last play on a touch screen - what they did right or wrong - in real time. There are two adjacent courts and eight baskets. The facility was built at a cost of roughly $24 million. The entire project, including these Crisler Arena renovations, were around $95-97 million, I'm told.

-The best part of Crisler Arena itself: they shrunk it. There are roughly 1,000 fewer seats in here. Good move.

-The Illini are on the floor. Good friends Myke Henry and Meyers Leonard were first on the court.

-Fifth-year senior Sam Maniscalco will not play today due to injury.

Back in a few.

Klee

HQ Live Report - Illinois (16-8, 5-6 Big Ten) at Michigan (18-7, 8-4) - 90 minutes until tipoff (Noon, CBS)

Morning everyone. Basketball writer Paul Klee joining you from a few rows up here at Crisler Center (new name). The Illini are on their way to the arena. So is Bill Raftery. I'll be here with a few real-time observations through the final buzzer....

-The Meyers Leonard countdown is in full swing. So what kind of money are we talking about if he leaves after this season? The No. 10 pick in the 2011 draft made a $2.3-million rookie salary. The No. 13 pick - the final pick in the lottery - made $1.9 million in his first season. The No. 5 pick - and that's not out of the question with big Meyers - made $3.4 million. If he drops... the No. 25 pick made $1.14 million. Just putting some numbers out there to give you an idea. For a guy that came from little and wants to care for his family, that is substantial.

-D.J. Richardson turned 21 on Saturday. "Finally," he said. The Peorian is the Illini's second "legal" player (Sam Maniscalco). What I appreciate about D.J. - there's never a hint of arrogance and he's still the same guy we profiled three years ago.

-Louisville got a lift from a former News-Gazette All-Stater - Chicago product Wayne Blackshear. The freshman's debut on Saturday featured 13 points in 20 minutes. Talented player. Hopefully that gets the 'Ville fans off my back for ranking the Cards so low (or not ranking at all) this season.

-If our Big Ten and AP All-American ballots were due today... Draymond Green would be our Big Ten Player of the Year and possibly a first-team All-American. Didn't expect that heading into this season. Big win for the Spartans on Saturday at Ohio State.

-Ohio State's home loss leaves Michigan and Michigan State as the only Big Ten teams that haven't lost at home. John Beilein's club is 13-0 in this building.

-Just got a tour of the newly renovated Crisler Center. More on that later.

-I expect you will see a lineup change today, but we'll wait to say for certain until it's confirmed. The move: Myke Henry starting in place of Joe Bertrand. And I don't expect to see Sam Maniscalco on the court today due to injury. More on that - and the final prediction - by clicking here.

Going on the First Bank Pregame Show at 10:30 a.m. Listen live by clicking here. Back in a few.

Klee (pklee@news-gazette.com)