CHAMPAIGN - It's early, and the competition will be improving.

But the Illini basketball team is doing all it can to relieve some of the sting that lingers from the end of a disappointing football season.

One day after the football team's bowl hopes were flushed away once and for all, the Illini basketball team put on an entertaining offensive clinic in dispatching Jackson State 78-64 Sunday at the Assembly Hall.

Now 4-0, Illinois continues to offer up reasons for hope in a season that began with a long list of questions.

If nothing else, Illinois made a believer of Jackson State coach Tevester Anderson, whose team has already gone against LSU, Texas A&M and the Illini.

"I want to congratulate Bruce," Anderson said. "Coach Weber has a very fine team here. This team is going to be in the Top 25 pretty soon. I know they will get my vote.

"They execute their offense real well and they play real hard."

No one is playing with more promise than sophomore forward Mike Davis, who posted another standout performance. Davis converted nine of 10 shots and totaled 20 points, six rebounds and five assists despite taking a seat on the bench with 8:33 to go.

Dominique Keller made the most of his opportunities, connecting on eight shots without a miss for a career-high 16 points.

Offensively, Illinois was outstanding in the first half, shooting 69 percent and getting assists on 17 of 18 baskets. Their 25 assists were more than the Illini had in any game last season.

And Illinois made another positive statement from the free-throw line, hitting 10 of 13 after an 11-for-11 showing Thursday at Vanderbilt. Until Bill Cole missed with 3:55 to play, Illinois had made 21 consecutive free throws over a three-game stretch.

Davis clearly answered Weber's challenge to follow double-doubles against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Vanderbilt with another strong game.

He scored 16 points in the first half and was involved in a 10-0 run that gave Illinois a 44-30 halftime edge.

The Illini led just 34-30 when Rich Semrau scored on an assist from Davis. Then Demetri McCamey, who had eight points and seven assists, drilled a 3-pointer. Davis followed with a jump shot to make it 41-30, and Calvin Brock's 3-pointer beat the halftime buzzer to put the Illini up by 14.

"I'm just having fun, just playing basketball, getting some run-outs and making some easy buckets," Davis said. "My teammates have done a good job finding me. We're not forcing anything.

"It starts in practice. We play how we practice. and coach has us doing things to get movement and it carries over."

With many students gone on Thanksgiving break, the Assembly Hall was far from full. But those in attendance jumped to their feet and roared when ball movement produced a spectacular basket.

In the open court, Trent Meacham (10 points) passed to Brock, who found Keller for a dunk to give Illinois its biggest lead of the game, 70-46, with just more than seven minutes to play.

Keller, a junior college transfer, said he's starting to feel comfortable.

"It was kind of hard at first to learn the movement and cuts and backdoors," he said. "Now, after a coupe of games and watching guys and film, I have a better feel for it."

The challenges get more difficult this week. Illinois heads to Texas for the South Padre Island Invitational and faces Kent State on Friday, then either Texas A&M or Tulsa on Saturday.

Weber said he'll reserve judgment on Anderson's contention that Illinois deserves to be in the Top 25.

"Let's see what the next couple of weeks provide," Weber said. "If we can continue to make strides like that, then we deserve to be in there. I'm not sure we're there yet.

"We might be the only team in the country to win on another BCS conference team's home floor (Vanderbilt). Other people have won on neutral courts, and now we'll have a chance to do it on a neutral court.

"I watched Texas A&M (Friday night). They are pretty talented. Kent State and Tulsa are talented. Then we come back and play Clemson. We'll learn a lot about our team over the next week to 10 days."

mtupper@herald-review.com|421-7983