This was a pleasant surprise last night. A lightly-regarded Illinois team went on the road and earned a 69-63 win over Vanderbilt, an SEC team that qualified for the NCAA tournament last year.
The Commodores have only two starters back from last season, so perhaps they are weaker this year. But quite a few teams have gone into Nashville and lost to Vanderbilt in recent years. Heck, Tennessee was ranked No. 1 in the nation last year and got beat there.
So, for the Illini to get this victory was nice. They did it behind some good shooting. Yes, that's right: Good shooting. Illinois made 10-of-19 from 3-point range. Sophomore guard Demetri McCamey (left) hit five 3s and finished with 23 points and six assists. Senior guard Trent Meacham hit four 3s and a pair of critical free throws in the final seconds to finish with 14 points.
Speaking of critical free throws, the Illini were 11-for-11 from the line. You never would have seen that during the Shaun Pruitt/Brian Randle era. In addition, the Illini hammered Vanderbilt on the glass to the tune of 21 offensive rebounds and 20 second-chance points.
There's a long road back to the top of the Big Ten for Illinois. It's going to take a couple years. Perhaps this win is the first step on the journey. We'll see.
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