There was no doubt in any of the 18,452 minds inside the Enterprise Center on Thursday who the best player on the floor was. They gave him a standing ovation as he went to the bench for the final time. They fist-bumped him as he walked to the sideline for a TV interview. They chanted his name as he stepped to the free throw line.

“Ko-be! Ko-be! Ko-be!”

Kobe Brown played in 100 basketball games before taking on No. 16 Illinois in the Braggin’ Rights game. His 101st was his best, though.

Missouri beat the Fighting Illini in St. Louis, 93-71, with the senior forward posting career-highs of 31 points and eight assists to go along with five rebounds and four steals. It was the most points a Tiger had ever scored in the Braggin’ Rights game, topping Doug Smith’s 30 in 1990.

It was a signature performance for a team in need of a signature win.

“I’m proud of Kobe being able to have a breakout game, which was coming for him,” head coach Dennis Gates said.

Brown had fallen into a bit of a slump over his past four games, cracking double-digit points just once. The Tigers never lost confidence in him. They fed him the ball early against Illinois and Brown kept eating. By halftime, the team captain had 15 points, four boards, five assists and four steals, opening up a 51-27 lead for Mizzou.

The Fighting Illini didn’t have an answer for him in the second half, either.

“I approached it like every other game,” Brown said. “Just wanted to come out and win, just come out on top as a team. You know, the ball went in for me tonight, so I'm happy for that. But I just want to win, really.”

Before this season, Brown was a career 23.7% 3-point shooter. The Huntsville, Ala. native said he was actually a great shooter in high school, but struggled to adapt to the college line. It was a focal point this offseason and it’s shown — Brown is now shooting over 40% from deep this year.

It’s what made him a threat against Illinois. During one play in the second half, Brown received a pass from senior point guard Nick Honor on the left wing. The forward rose to shoot without hesitation. Illinois redshirt sophomore forward Dain Dainja jumped to contest the 3, but plowed into Brown as he released the ball. The shot fell in anyway, and Brown drained the and-1 free throw to push the Tigers ahead 66-36.

Brown finished the game sinking three of his four tries from outside.

“(It's) just confidence," Brown said. "Just having that confidence to know my teammates want me to shoot the ball, my coach wants me to shoot the ball. (Gates) gets onto me when I don't shoot the ball. So just having that backbone, it's like, it's hard to miss when you have that much confidence behind you.”

Gates mentioned Brown achieved a 4.0 GPA in the fall semester — Missouri as a whole broke the program record with a team GPA of 3.46. The coach thought it likely added to the forward’s swagger on the court.

Brown’s confidence was infectious. Mizzou’s 91 points were tied for the most they’d ever scored in regulation in the Braggin’ Rights game. The Tigers’ 22-point margin of victory was their largest ever in the series.

Gates isn’t satisfied. He didn’t think the team played well. He was “dead serious,” too. He’s excited about the direction the Tigers are heading, but thinks they can be even better.

That includes Brown.

“I've asked him to do more leading,” Gates said. “He's a captain for us. He's an introverted person, but I expect him to continue to talk more … And he knows that and I'll continue to challenge him in different ways from talking to being more assertive. And I thought we saw a fraction — a fraction — of his assertiveness today.”

Brown wasn’t the only Tiger who found his stroke from distance. Senior guard D’Moi Hodge helped Missouri get off to the races, too, drilling 4-9 from the 3-point line.

He filled his usual role as a fast break finisher just as well and led the team with 18 points at halftime. He cooled off in the second half, but finished the game with 20 points, three rebounds, two steals and a block.

“(Brown and Hodge) are elite players and they have a future and they will get their name called,” Gates said. “Somebody will figure it out, how good they are. And you know, sit me down, interview me, I will let you know how good these guys are, but also the other guys who make them look good. We have several guys in our program that will play at the next level.”

Illinois was rated as a much better defensive team than Mizzou entering Thursday night. KenPom had the Fighting Illini’s defense ranked 30th in the country with the Tigers coming in at No. 147.

But Missouri flipped the tables on its rival. Illinois shot just 40% from the field and 23% from beyond the arc. The Tigers also forced 17 turnovers, which led to 33 points for the team.

“The defensive approach for us was just 'guard our yard,’” Hodge said. “Contain the dribble, just try to keep them in front of us. And just stay honest, you know, like, no reaching, no gambling. Just stay honest and let them make turnovers on their own.”

The Tigers (11-1) return home for the start of SEC play, hosting No. 19 Kentucky (8-3) on Wednesday, Dec. 28, at 6 p.m.

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