Time to empty the notebook after the Illini hold onto second place in the Big Ten, one game behing Michigan State:

Demetri McCamey might have played his best game of the season in today’s win over Wisconsin. Not a smack-you-in-the-face kind of best game.

It wasn’t a dominating offensive performance and his statistics weren’t over the top, but when you consider what he did in every aspect of the game, it just might have been as complete as any he’s played at Illinois.

The sophomore guard led all scorers with 25 points on six of 10 shooting, but that only begins to tell the story. He continued to diversity his offense, shooting the 3, getting into the lane, drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line.

He took control down the stretch, scoring 10 of his points in the last nine minutes and taking care of free throws when the game was on the line. He added seven assists with some nice passing.

And, get this, he was praised afterward for his defense in helping hold Wisconsin guard Jason Bohannon to two points on one-of-seven shooting. Bohannon entered the game averaging 11.4 points and leading the Badgers with 34 3-pointers.

“I thought he guarded pretty well,” coach Bruce Weber said. “You have to give him credit for that. He did a good job locking into Bohannon, not giving him many free looks.”

Weber has been harping on McCamey to get to the line more. Before Saturday, he had attempted only 31 free throws in 18 games. He had not attempted more than seven in a game this season.

McCamey got a lot of his points while being guarded by Joe Krabbenhoft, who Weber regards as one of the best defenders in the Big Ten. And he displayed confidence with his teammates.

“They had Krabbenhoft on me and I told my teammates I felt I could beat him off the dribble the first couple possessions,” McCamey said.

Two of McCamey’s biggest plays came after the Badgers had cut a 15-point deficit to seven. He worked into the lane, gained some separation with his defender and hit a jumper to extend the Illini advantage to 54-45. Then he grabbed a rebound off a blocked shot by Mike Tisdale and went end-to-end, drawing a foul at the other end.

Of course, Weber couldn’t help but adding his usual comment after a good McCamey performance.

“But can he do it again Thursday.” …

–Weber didn’t use his bench much as all three starting guards played 35 minutes and Mike Davis went 37 minutes. The only reserves with double-digit minutes were Dominique Keller with 19 and Calvin Brock with 13. Alex Legion played four minutes and Jeff Jordan three.

Legion’s minutes were most noticeably cut short. He entered the game for the first time with 5:18 left in the first half and was on the bench two minutes later.

“It was just, does he have the mental toughness to guard people,” Weber said. “It’s a short game when you play Wisconsin, short in possessions. We didn’t have the opportunity to sub and I was worried about our defense. Alex is learning and giving us a nice spark in different games, and today was somebody else’s turn.” …

–There were a couple of calls by the officials today that are worth a comment. First was a continuation call in the first half when a basket by Krabbenhoft was allowed after he seemed to be fouled by Trent Meacham while dribbling along the baseline. It seemed bizarre although not all that unusual.

The second was the technical foul called against Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan. Krabbenhoft had just been called for a blocking foul and Ryan thought he had positioned himself to take a charge. So, he began clapping enthusiastically in defense of his player when official Ted Valentine T’d him up from about 40 feet away.

I’m guessing that Valentine felt Ryan was trying to show him up, but it was about the least I’ve seen said or done for a technical. …

–Weber tried not to bite on questions about his team’s chances of winning the Big Ten, which seemed like a good approach considering that 11 conference games remain. He has seen too many unpredictable results in recent weeks.

“We’ve given them pretty high goals to start the season and they’re starting to get within reach,” he said. “But there’s a long way to go. People kind of said, hey the league looks like it’s getting settled but this week was so crazy. We did what we’re supposed to do — win two home games against teams that have beaten us the last couple of years.”

Ryan was asked if he felt the Illini were good enough to win the conference and seemed perplexed by the inquiry.

“I remember the first year we beat Purdue, someone asked Gene Keady can Wisconsin win the Big Ten,” Ryan said. “He said, ‘Why not.’ I’ll never forget that. Of course, Illinois can win, but I’m not Gene Keady.” ..

Weber said he wants his players to simply keep an even keel and not let the success of a 17-3 start go to their heads.

“The thing they have to deal with now is everyone telling them how good they are,” he said. “That’s a big key as far as their focus.” …

–Assembly Hall was sold out for only the second time this season. Illinois had a streak of 60 consecutive sellouts before the season started.

“It was good to sit in my seat and look to the left side behind the basket and everything was filled,” Weber said. “It was just a great crowd, great energy. I think the last four home games we have used the crowd.” …

–Chester Frazier is turning himself into a downright offensive threat. After scoring 10 points against Ohio State he had nine against the Badgers, making three of four shots, even if one was a banked-in 3-pointer. Much maligned for his poor shooting, he’s now at 46 percent for the season.