Speaking to reporters from behind a table after Missouri’s win over Illinois, Javon Pickett downplayed the significance of the victory. That didn’t come as a surprise; Pickett isn’t exactly prone to hyberbole. Asked about the 79-63 win, the stoic freshman simply said it was good to get a win for the seniors and the fans.
But Pickett’s voice, hoarse from screaming in celebration of Missouri’s first victory over the Fighting Illini since 2012, betrayed that this wasn’t just another win.
By now, the unique position in which Pickett, Jeremiah Tilmon and Mark Smith found themselves Saturday is common knowledge. As high school seniors in 2016, all three committed to Illinois. But after former coach John Groce was fired and replaced by Brad Underwood, Tilmon and Pickett asked out of their National Letters of Intent. Smith played one year for the Illini but transferred to Missouri. As a result, during pregame introductions, Tilmon’s name drew boos from the orange-clad fans in the Enterprise Center, then Pickett’s name drew more, then the ire reached peak volume when Smith’s name was called.
But compared to Smith, who made history as the first player ever to play for both Missouri and Illinois in Braggin’ Rights games, and Tilmon, a five-star recruit in high school, Pickett was an afterthought. The three-star recruit generated little outrage when he opted not to play for Underwood. He had to go to prep school for a year to find a new landing spot after asking out of his NLI.
Saturday, Pickett was anything but an afterthought. He shot seven-of-eight from the field, scored a career-high 16 points and grabbed four rebounds for the Tigers. Missouri head coach Cuonzo Martin wasn’t surprised. Asked if he said anything to Pickett to calm his nerves prior to the game, Martin said no, he didn’t need to.
“Javon is tough as they come,” Martin said. “He competes, he battles, he embraces challenges. The one thing I found out about Mark and Javon, they’ll do everything in their power to try to get it right. I’d be shocked if Javon and Mark are not in somebody’s gym tomorrow. So it will work out for guys like that.”
Pickett thrived Saturday thanks to his slashing ability and his poise. Missouri sought to attack the Illinois defense, which swarms opposing guards with pressure, by setting ball screens at the top of the key, then sending multiple players — be it the screener, the ball-handler or a wing player — to the rim. Martin said that cutting role off the perimeter fits Pickett’s skillset well.
“He’s always built to be a slasher,” Martin said. “Even though he makes threes now, that was never really his game. He slashes, cuts to the basket, posts up. So when that type of activity happens, that’s really his game, because he gets layups.”
Several of Pickett’s baskets came as he knifed through the lane and caught a pass near the basket for an open layup. Others weren’t as pretty. At one point during the first half, Smith drove and had his layup rejected at the rim. Pickett found the ball on the floor, picked it up and laid it in. Later, when Missouri was in the midst of a 17-2 run in the second half, it looked as if a turnover was imminent. Jordan Geist was trapped between two defenders, his heels on the halfcourt line. But Geist muscled the ball out of the double-team, and after a couple of passes, it found Pickett, who drained a jumper from the free-throw line.
Underwood said that’s typical of Pickett, who he described as a “junkyard dog.” He said Pickett effects the game in numerous little ways. Saturday, those little contributions add up to a significant impact.
“He does just about whatever you need,” Underwood said. “Whether it’s the offensive rebound at the end of the first half on a missed free throw — that got them two points and was a huge momentum swing. Whether it’s knocking down an open three, whether it’s making the extra pass, he’s skilled as a small forward, he can put the ball on the floor and he affected the game that way.”
Pickett, characteristically, attributed his knack for being in the right place at the right time to “just doing my job.” He also downplayed the fact that Illinois fans were more upset about losing Smith and Tilmon to the Tigers. He said he was more focused on getting another win.
“Whatever I can do to help the team win, things like that, that’s what I’m here for,” Pickett said. “The media, things like that, that type of stuff, that’s cool and all, but me, I just want to do what I can for the team to get a win.”
But in the final minutes Saturday, with the victory firmly in hand, Pickett allowed his stony facade to break. When Smith checked out of the game and waived his arms in the air, soaking in applause from the Missouri fans, Pickett ran over to him, cocked his arm and delivered a forceful high-five. After the final buzzer, Pickett jumped and screamed with the teammates in a mob around the Braggin’ Rights trophy. He couldn’t hide his pleasure in a win that clearly meant a lot to the entire Tiger team (Martin admitted as much afterward, saying he had a miserable Christmas after a loss to Illinois last year).
“At that point, all you can do is scream, jump up and down,” Pickett said.
Fans of both programs might have expected Tilmon and Smith to help Missouri snap its losing streak in the rivalry game this season. But entering the year, few likely would have predicted Pickett would play such an important role. Martin, wasn’t surprised, though, because of what he sees from Pickett every day in practice.
“Whether it’s in basketball or the corporate world” Martin said, “those guys will be successful because of their level of focus, their level of preparation and will to win. They want to be good. And they don’t want to just please the coach. They want to do it right to win. So I’m not surprised Javon did well.”
TURNING POINT: Missouri appeared in control of the momentum early in the second half, but then the Tigers went nearly seven minutes with just two points. With 7:43 left in the game, Trent Frazier scored on a fast break to give Illinois its first lead of the half. But after Martin called a timeout, Missouri went straight to Tilmon, who scored and drew a foul. The Tigers then got a layup from Xavier Pinson and a three from Pickett to extend the lead back to seven points. That turned into a 17-2 run to give Missouri a 14-point lead with 3:36 remaining.
IT WAS OVER WHEN: Kevin Puryear hit a three-pointer from the corner to give Missouri a 10-point lead with 5:10 to play. Illinois then missed four straight free throws on its next two possessions, and the outcome was sealed.
CAUSE FOR OPTIMISM: Missouri essentially went against the conventional wisdom of how it would have to win this game. The Tigers turned the ball over 16 times, compared to 14 for Illinois. They got off to a rocky start, committing four turnovers in the first four minutes and spotting the Illini an early 12-4 lead. They didn’t shy away from Illinois’ frenetic pace. But it didn’t matter. Missouri had enough players step up on offense — five players scored at least seven points and three scored more than 10 — that Illinois couldn’t keep up with its scoring. That’s an encouraging sign for a team that entered the season with major offensive question marks.
CAUSE FOR CONCERN: The only thing that could be concerning is that no one in Missouri’s lineup could guard Frazier. Frazier single-handedly kept the Illini in the game for much of the contest and finished with 28 points. In the future, if Missouri faces an elite scorer like Frazier, it might give defenders more help.
STOCK UP: Jordan Geist. It’s tough to single out one player, but given that we touched on Pickett’s contributions above, Geist deserves some love as well. Instead of hiding from the emotion of the matchup or allowing it to speed him up, Geist embraced it. He sparked Missouri to life in the first half when he hit three three-pointers in a 57-second span. He finished with a team-high 20 points despite leaving the game on multiple occasions with a limp in his gait and a grimace on his face. After the game, Martin said Geist had cramps in his leg during most of the second half, but the senior continued to draw offensive fouls, dive for loose balls and set the emotional tone for the Tigers.
STOCK DOWN: No one. We’re in the holiday spirit, and Missouri got positive contributions from everyone who saw the court.
UP NEXT: Missouri (8-3, KenPom No. 70) has a week off before hosting Morehead State (4-8, KenPom No. 256) on Dec. 29. The game will tip off at 1 p.m.
