The Illinois men’s basketball team was decked out in sweatpants, T-shirts and flip-flops on Tuesday as it huddled in twin vans destined for the first leg of its road trip to East Lansing, Mich.

En route to face No. 8 Michigan State, leisurely was the way to travel, but junior guard Chester Frazier said by tonight’s 8 p.m. start he’s going to have his running shoes on.

That’s because Michigan State’s Drew Neitzel, the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, knows how to turn on the jets.

“Basically you just have to play one-on-one with him, just chase him around,” Frazier said. “If you turn your head for one second he might be coming off a triple screen. You just have to rely on your help, but sometimes you can’t get any help on him. He’s that good.”

“You going to have to do everything (to defend him),” guard Demetri McCamey added. “Bump him, try to discourage him, try to not let him get comfortable out there.”

Frazier, now in a reserve role for the Illini, talked with reporters Tuesday about his hopes for the remainder of the season. A prolonged winning streak, one that could carry the team into the Big Ten Tournament and beyond, is still a possibility, and keeping Neitzel in check is only the first of many hurdles that remain.

“I haven’t given up on this season yet,” Frazier said.

Center Mike Tisdale, who has started in place of Shaun Pruitt the last two contests, said the team could use the momentum from Sunday’s 70-37 romp over Northwestern to their advantage against the Spartans.

“Every time you get a win your confidence is going to go up some,” Tisdale said. “Hopefully we can move on from last game and keep winning, build our confidence.”

Frazier hopes the Northwestern win was enough to give Illinois a much needed boost heading into rematches against Purdue, Indiana and Wisconsin in the coming weeks.

“We all know (Michigan State’s) a tough team,” he said. “You know they rebound the ball well, Neitzel scores well, and they got a ton of role players that know their role and play within their system.”

The “Izzone” effect

Freshman guard Demetri McCamey has heard about Michigan State’s legendary student section, the Izzone, from his teammates and even saw it firsthand as a Michigan State recruit. Now he’s ready to experience it for the first time as an opposing player.

“I went there for a visit for a couple games when they were recruiting me,” he said. “I know the Izzone is crazy, they got one of toughest places to play at home. It’s hard to get a win up there. I just know they’re going to be real pumped up – it’s like a rivalry game.”

McCamey acknowledged that Michigan State was in his top 5 while being recruited out of St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Ill., and that the matchup is a tough one for the Illini, who don’t have another road game until a matchup against Minnesota on Feb. 12.

“This is going to be a real good test for us, playing one of the top teams in the country,” McCamey said. “We’re just going to see where we’re at so far.”

Benton Harbor, Mich., native Rodney Alexander, fresh off a career-high 20 points against Ohio State and a fan-pleasing eight-point performance against Northwestern, said he was a fan of Michigan growing up but also watched plenty of Michigan State games.

“That’s my roots, so yea, I’m excited for it,” he said. “It gets loud and the fans get crazy. We just have to play hard and stay together and we got it.”

Benched

Frazier, who was benched as the team’s starting point guard in favor of the freshman McCamey, spoke frankly about his willingness to come off the bench for Illinois.

“Look, I’m still playing the same amount of minutes, so I’m really not worrying about coming off the bench,” he said. “I think actually it’s been better for me; I get a chance to see the start of the game more and settle in a little bit.”

“I could be the eighth man and if we win, I’d be happy.”

McCamey said Frazier is the kind of teammate that doesn’t mind his new role.

“He’s been one of the better leaders that we have,” McCamey said. “He’s only a junior, but he shows like he’s a senior. He’s like the dad of the team, real emotional, hate to lose, go out and give it everything every time.”