Illini Roll Past UNLV, Take On Kansas In Next Round
Mike Davis tied his season high with 22 points, Demetri McCamey added 17 points and seven assists and Illinois dominated UNLV 73-62 Friday night to set up another meeting between Fighting Illini coaches past and present in the Southwest Region of the NCAA tournament.
The ninth-seeded Illini (20-13) took control with an early 15-0 run and led by as many as 25 in a surprisingly easy rout after losing 10 of their previous 16 games to bring into question whether they'd even make it onto the 68-team bracket.
Bruce Weber's squad led by double digits throughout the second half against eighth-seeded UNLV (24-9), with former Illini coach Lon Kruger in charge. Next up for Illinois is a Sunday night clash against No. 1 seed Kansas and Weber's predecessor, Bill Self.
Oscar Bellfield scored 14 to lead the Runnin' Rebels, who lost for just the second time in their last eight games.
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