The Illinois men’s basketball team finally saw new faces at Assembly Hall on Friday as it defeated Missouri Southern State, 95-67, in the first of two exhibition games before the regular season begins.
Junior guard Demetri McCamey led the way for the Fighting Illini, scoring 16 points in 23 minutes on the court.
Head coach Bruce Weber didn’t hesitate to give the freshman minutes, either. Guard Brandon Paul played 17 minutes on the night, scoring 13 points and adding five rebounds.
Amidst Orange Krush chants of “We want Bubba,” Bubba Chisholm came in for two minutes at the end of the game. Only redshirt freshman center Stan Simpson and junior guard Jeff Jordan didn’t see any minutes.
The second exhibition game will be against Quincy next Sunday before the season gets underway.