To quench everyone’s thirst for up-to-the minute Chester Frazier happenings, I will provide you with some pre-game color that is probably neither revealing nor particularly interesting. But here it goes:

Frazier is in uniform despite assurances that he absolutely will not play tonight. Judging from the bulky gadget on his right hand and forearm, that appears accurate. It’s hard to tell exactly what he’s wearing but it looks like a cast that is wrapped in black and extends to the tips of his fingers.

Based on what we were told today, there is a glimmer of hope that Frazier could play sometime this weekend if the Illini advance. But that seems impossible as long as this thing is on his arm.

Frazier shot around when the team first took the court at Conseco Fieldhouse an hour before the game, using only his left hand. I saw him make one from about 17 feet. Then he went through routine pre-game stretching with the rest of the team’s guards.

Right now the guards are going through shooting drills and Frazier is throwing them passes. He actually appears to be in a decent mood, considering the circumstances. When the team returned from the locker room, Frazier participated in the layup line.

By the way, radio announcer Brian Barnhart tells me that Bruce Weber confirmed to him that Calvin Brock will start tonight in Frazier’s spot.