Time to empty the notebook from Midway Airport after Illinois beat Georgia 76-42 at United Center …

It sure does seem that a lot of time is spent these days talking about Demetri McCamey, and there was a lot more on Saturday after he started fast and scored 19 points. Early in the season it was his inability to crack the starting lineup due to what coach Bruce Weber called a shortage of effort.

Coming off of the loss to Clemson, much of the focus was on McCamey and the way he handled the final seconds, unable to finish the designed play or create a shot that could have tied or won the game. The sophomore was again a main topic today.

Coach Bruce Weber again focused on McCamey’s trend of failing to put together one good game after another. He said the question now is how he’ll perform against Hawaii on Monday and Chicago State on Wednesday. There is one area of progress that will be interesting to watch.

McCamey entered Saturday’s game having made 31.9 percent of his 3-pointers, a poor success rate, especially when you consider that he had attempted 47 in seven games, which was 18 more than Trent Meacham. Against Georgia he made two of five and passed up 3s several times to find better shots for his teammates or himself. He also penetrated several times and was 6-for-7 inside the arc.

McCamey said he consciously took fewer 3s because of a conversation he had with his brother. Weber has also commented on his tendency to fire a bit too freely.

Weber doesn’t want to see McCamey become like Rich McBride, who rarely drew fouls or got to the free-throw line.

“He’s got to get to the line, get to the paint,” Weber said. “Not just because he’s our point guard but you can’t just sit and shoot 3s. He’s (32) percent from 3 and has shot the most on the team. That’s not going to do it over the course of the season. If you’re shooting 38, 40 percent you can have the most. I’m not saying don’t shoot them but be a little more selective and also get in the paint like he did.”

McCamey attemped one free throw Saturday. Before the game, he had shot eight, less than Calvin Brock and only one more than Bill Cole. …

Center Mike Tisdale bounced back from a poor showing against Clemson to score 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting. He played 26 minutes after failing to contribute in the first loss because of poor matchups and a loss of confidence. Even Tisdale cited the confidence factor.

“It was tough for me,” he said of the Clemson game. “I didn’t have quite the confidence I should have. But today I came out and got going.”

Said Weber: “Mike has to be more confident as a person. He can’t decide beforehand. He overanalyzes and makes decisions beforehand. If it doesn’t go right, he kind of hangs his head.” …

Mike Davis started the game assigned to Georgia’s leading scorer, freshman Howard Thompkins. He was helped by a lot of post trapping. Thompkins scored four points and made only two of 10 shots.

“He’s a talented player,” Davis said. “I played against him on the AAU circuit. I just had to fight around the post. I fought him hard and he didn’t score that many points.” …

I haven’t kept track, but I swear that I’ve seen Richard Semrau miss 10 shots from inside two feet this season without making any. I’m told he had a dunk or two on the trip to South Padre Island but I didn’t make that trip. He did it again on his only shot against Georgia. If he could just start making the majority of those gimmes, his value would skyrocket. …

Chester Frazier got a break in having to play “only” 24 minutes on his bad thigh. But he again provided a boost despite a seemingly meager line of six points, four assists and three rebounds. He hit two big 3-pointers when the Illini were trying to solve Georgia’s 1-3-1 zone. …

And who knew forward Dominique Keller could shoot the 3 like he did. It’s not what Weber wants from the junior college transfer, but he made his first three. Keller should have reconsidered his final, unsuccessful attempt in the closing seconds. Weber usually tells the players in that situation not to shoot, and after the clock expired he shot Keller a look. …

And by the way, I welcome your comments and questions.