Liveblogging what I'm expecting to be a narrow Illini victory -- here we go with a game sure to be filled with cheesy Christmas references and cutaways to red-hatted cheerleaders and announcers. A ninth consecutive Illinois win near the Arch? Let's find out.
6:31: The game hasn't started yet, but advantage Illinois! Weber's bench buddy from Purdue days, Steve Lavin, will be calling the game.
6:34: Coach Lav weighs in with "this isn't a rivalry unless Missouri wins some games and it hasn't" argument. Gotta love Lav.
6:35: Illinois scratches on a Davis dunk (2-2). Was Missouri leaving the entire right half of the floor open on purpose? Weird lapse.
6:37: McCamey and Meacham with early threes make it 8-2 as Illinois' spacing is wide and ball movement is crisp.
6:40: The inside toughness and rebounding thus far is with Mizzou, but Tisdale helping maintain possession, then dunking, and then drawing the charge on Lyons at 14:40 is big. Is basketball psychological? How often does a player who seems lost make a play at one end, then suddenly assert himself at the other? If Tisdale plays big tonight, we're home.
6:43: McCamey's buzzer-beating bailout three makes our first possession after the break 37 seconds long, and the game 15-9. Like a banked free-throw, D-Mac's three feels like karma.
6:46: McCamey's runner in the lane (12:24) makes it McCamey 10, Mizzou 9, other Illinois players 7. At 11:53, D-Mac's three pads his margin: McCamey 13, Mizzou 9, and oh, yeah, Illinois has 20. I thought Davis would come out on fire. McCamey es en fuego!
6:51: Mizzou's DeMarre Carroll crumples to the ground after tangling legs with Tisdale and tweaking his knee. Could things go more wrong for the Tigers?
6:53: McCamey's catch-and-fire, man-in-his-face 21-footer breaks the spell. Still 20-11. Another force at 9:42.
6:55: We deploy our Legion at 9:01. Legion's man gets him faked into the air, and he squares beautifully for an open three -- ooh, blocked. Speaking of open threes, Trent Meacham nails another at 7:50 -- 25-15.
6:58: At 7:05, Frazier to Tisdale for the flush, and it's 27-15. (Hey, Missouri's ahead of McCamey by two!) I was just about to write that the Illinois offense is flowing just as well with Legion on for McCamey (back to the extra pass for chippies), and that Legion's not forcing the action, but then he takes a contested three. You can just see that this offense will keep improving right along with Legion the Big Ten.
7:03: The layup drill is on. Davis to the cutting Meacham at 5:40 for the easy one, 29-16. Missouri's pressure is barely a subplot so far. Nice.
7:06: Missouri's outlet to the press table at 3:51 is a metaphor for this one. It's 30-18, and 86 points per game Mizzou is on pace for 44 points, simply lost on the floor tonight.
7:09: McCamey open three and layup at 3:05 makes it McCamey 18, Missouri 18, Illinois Non-McCameys 17. Then McCamey's nice feed to Keller for the dunk, and it's 37-18 at 2:44. McCamey has 18 points on 7-9 shooting, 4-5 from the arc. McCamey draws the charge! He's coaching the team! Selling popcorn! Doing color during timeouts! Putting his hat in the ring for Illinois' open Senate seat! He's never met Rod Blagojevich! D-Mac can do no wrong.
7:15: Tisdale drops the ten footer from Frazier, and Illinois is up 40-20.
7:17: At the half, it's Illinois 40, Missouri 22. Ranked? Yes, Illinois will be next week, having taken the Tiger by its tail. D-Mac's first half was an exhibition in suddenly, starkly raising one's game to a sick level that I have not seen since Deron Williams' show in the Hall against Wisconsin several years back. The comparison is not overdrawn: D-Mac is taking a step up tonight, right on the throats of the Tigers.
7:35: McCamey turns it over, and Missouri gives it right back. A snakebitten night for Los Tigres. Meacham to Davis at 19:10, and Illinois is getting more assisted layups than Princeton does in an average practice.
7:40: Illinois commits its seventh turnover at 17:50, and Missouri scores almost instantly: 44-26. This is the story of the game. Missouri's starters all average about 1.5 steals, many more come form the bench. Illinois has held its turnovers at low to normal levels. Missouri turns steals into quick points and runs. Illinois is winning because it's shooting well, sure, but more because of the absence of Missouri steals.
7:44: At 16:36, Meacham is fouled at the arc, and Illinois leads by the score we wanted to see out of the football game here four months ago: Illinois 49, Missouri 28. The Davis dunk a minute later makes it 51-28.
7:51: Two quick fouls on DeMarre Carroll (2 pts, 1 rebound at 14:00), as the Illini outposition and outwork him for rebounds. This is the first time this year Illinois has really neutralized a highly touted big man. At 13:53, Lav is noting that Missouri is not bringing the effort tonight. I think Missouri was until Illinois' margin and offensive discipline demoralized the Tigers.
7:54: At 12:43, Zaire Taylor misses Missouri's eleventh three, against, hmm, no makes. It's Habitat for Humanity Night in St. Louis, as the Tigers are building a sturdy brick house in the Show-Me State. At 11:12, thirteen long-range bricks. I haven't seen this many bricks since my son went to LegoLand.
8:02: Illinois' third straight turnover at 9:42, while leading 56-36. That's the bad news. The good news: Missouri probably won't score 56 in this game.
8:04: Frazier's nifty inbounds at 8:10 to Meacham appears never to enter the court: it flies parallel to the endline, but out, and Meacham pulls it in, drives around his man, and hits an eight-foot floater for a 60-36 lead. With Meacham's 16 points on 5-9 shooting, one has to reevaluate how quickly Legion is going to get heavy minutes.
8:07: Illinois has relegated coverage of its win to a tiny box on the upper right of the screen by pummeling Mizzou senseless. We now see the thrilling spectacle of Butler edging Xavier -- not quite Maximus killing the Emperor at the end of Gladiator. All we know is that it's 6:48 left in our little stat box, and Illinois is still up 60-36. Good thing I'm burning this to a disc. [Digression: when ESPN gives us this bounty of "Bonus Coverage," can't a sentient being in the studio send us back when the "Bonus" game is obviously over, as when Butler leads 72-65 with 6.8 seconds to go? Nah!]
8:10: Thanks, ESPN! It's 64-40 with 6:05 left? You don't say. As we watch postgame coverage of the Butler/Xavier handshake line! Woo hoo! When we rejoin, will Bubba Chisholm be popping threes?
8:14: ESPN deigns to return us to Missouri-Illinois. The cutaway was at 7:57. With 4:36 remaining, it's 66-47. Yawn.
8:23: Meachem drops a rainbow three at 2:20 for a 71-53 lead. It's the dagger! Where's Tom Dore when you need him?
8:24: Lyons puts a serious uncalled chicken-wing on Davis, then completes a three-point play to cut the gap to 15. Lyons showed up tonight, but it's hard to say what else Missouri did right. At 1:01, the long shot of the Scottrade Center shows a sea of orange, and of empty seats. Even more empty seats than mislaid threes at the Tiger end.
8:27: Taylor nails the open three -- Missouri is now 2-18 from long range. Weber calls a timeout for a teaching moment, and the last ten Missouri fans boo.
8:29: The slaughter near the water is over: Illinois 75, Missouri 59. These Tigers were 12 when Missouri last won this game. It feels like they'll be 32 before Missouri wins again. Great night to be wearing the orange. And make sure you let Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn know, after Governor Blagojevich is forced out, you support D-Mac for Senator. Right after he's picked in the lottery. A first half to remember, a ninth consecutive Braggin' Rights win in December.
