After near upset, it's Illini who are upset

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Chalk up another one in Illinois' could-have-won column.

In front of a frenzied sellout crowd, the Illini seized control of No. 7 Michigan State late in the first half.

But the more physical Spartans kept stringing together layups, putbacks and free throws - and Illinois kept stacking up zeros - to inspire the Breslin Center crazies to make things even wilder.

That combo allowed Michigan State to erase a 9-point deficit, seize the lead with 4:49 left and hold on for a 63-57 win in an old-school Big Ten battle.

The Spartans' last 25 points came on layups and free shots to earn their 28th consecutive home victory and their 11th straight win overall.

The Illini, who got a career-high 15 points off the bench from Alex Legion, managed just 3 points over the last 6:11 and had to settle for a Tom Izzo-issued consolation prize.

"Let's face it: That wouldn't have happened on the road," said Izzo, who's in his 14th year as Michigan State's boss. "That happened because of the fans in the stands.

"We sometimes forget that back in the championship years, the fans in the stands won us a lot of games then, too."

Not only did the fans apparently inspire Michigan State (15-2, 5-0) to dominate in the post, they inspired Illinois (15-3, 3-2) to shrink from the fight.

Senior guard Chester Frazier said his team "quit" once the Spartans took a 55-54 lead with 4:49 left.

"They picked up their defensive pressure," said Illini senior Calvin Brock. "They were playing harder than we were in the second half."

Following Mike Davis' pick-and-roll layup with 6:11 left that pushed Illinois' lead to 54-51, here's how the Illini finished things out:

They went 1-for-8 from the field - including 0-for-5 from 3-point range - and committed 4 turnovers.

Sophomore point guard Demetri McCamey, who was 0-for-9 from the field, punctuated an unfortunate day by getting the ball ripped out of his hands by Michigan State senior Travis Walton twice in the final four minutes.

"He kind of put the ball in my face and I slapped as hard as I could," Walton said. "It was going to be a foul and I rip his hand off - or it was going to go my way. Fortunately, it went my way today."

The first steal led to a crucial fastbreak layup by Raymar Morgan. The second came with 16 seconds left, and the Illini let the Spartans dribble out the clock rather than foul.

That lack of effort left Weber bewildered. After shaking hands, he stomped off the floor asking assistant Jay Price why his guys didn't bother.

Four minutes earlier, a red-faced Weber had to scream at sophomore forward Mike Davis because he threw his towel after being taken out of the game.

"I've gotta be careful," Weber said. "Our whole staff has to be careful. It's hard. I told the kids the key word is 'coachable.'

"They have to listen and they've got to learn if we're going to make strides. We have to teach, but they have to pick up their intensity. There's no doubt about it.

"And then we've got to learn to finish games against the top teams in the country if you want to be a top team in the country."