The annual Braggin' Rights matchup between Missouri and Illinois is here. The Tigers will hope to parlay the momentum of their current four-game winning streak into their first win over the Illini since 2012. Illinois, meanwhile, is sure to provide a tougher test than its 4-7 record might indicate.
We get you set for the rivalry with the projected starting lineups for Illinois and Missouri, the keys to a Tiger win and a final score prediction.
Off the bench: Junior guard Andres Feliz has typically been the first man off the bench this season for the Illini. When he gets hot, he can be one of the team's best scorers, as evidenced by a 19-point outburst in a recent win over UNLV. Feliz and sophomore guard Da'Monte Williams essentially play starters' minutes, as both average more than 23 minutes per game. From there, the bench contributions dip precipitously, as Brad Underwood typically only rotates seven players, barring foul trouble.
Off the bench: Freshman wing Torrence Watson has been playing well of late, hitting timely three pointers in each of the last three games. Fellow freshman Xavier Pinson has also appeared to turn a corner after turnover woes plagued him early in the season. In Missouri's last four games, Pinson has averaged 8.5 points per game and dished out a combined 11 assists as opposed to five turnovers. Redshirt sophomore Mitchell Smith will see some action in the post, and if Jeremiah Tilmon gets into foul trouble, expect to see Reed Nikko in his spot.
Tip Time Information
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Tipoff: 7:00 p.m.
TV Info: Big Ten Network
Radio: Tiger Radio Network. For a list of affiliates, click here.
Keys to the game
1. Take care of the basketball
Turnovers have been a simple, straight-forward predictor of Missouri's success this season. In the seven games in which the Tigers have turned the ball over fewer times than their opponent, the team is 7-0. In the three games in which it has turned the ball over more, it is 0-3. Avoiding turnovers will be especially important against Illinois because the Illini's pressing defense thrives on creating turnovers. Illinois has forced a turnover on a whopping 24.9 percent of opponents' possessions this season. That ranks No. 6 nationally. Turnovers doomed Missouri when these two teams played last season, as the Tigers turned the ball over 21 times compared to 10 from Illinois. The Tiger guards will have to do a better job of protecting the ball this time around if they want to end the losing streak in this matchup.
2. Keep Tilmon on the floor
Missouri fans saw on Tuesday how dominant Jeremiah Tilmon can be when he is able to stay out of foul trouble and find his offensive rhythm early in the game. Tilmon scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Xavier. On paper, this matchup should present another opportunity for Tilmon to have a big game, as Illinois only has one player taller than 6-foot-6 who plays meaningful minutes. The Illini rank No. 241 nationally in total rebounds per game and No. 302 in defensive rebounding, so the opportunity could be there for Tilmon to get some easy buckets on offensive rebounds. The catch is, putting two big games together in a row has always been difficult for Tilmon. He'll need to ignore the boos of Illinois fans (he heard a lot of them last year since he originally signed with Illinois before reversing his commitment after John Groce was fired) and find the balance between constant fouling and passive play.
3. Weather the early storm
Speaking of boos, Tilmon is not the only Missouri player who is going to hear them. Sophomore guard Mark Smith played for Illinois last season before transferring to the Tigers. The Illinois faithful in attendance will surely make their presence known when he touches the ball. Combine that with initial shock of facing Illinois' defensive pressure, and the first 10 or so minutes of the game could become dangerous for a relatively young Missouri team. In fact, last season the Tigers fell behind 19-5 in the first nine minutes and trailed 42-22 at halftime, and they could never close the gap. Illinois has struggled to close games this season, so if Missouri can just avoid digging itself into a hole early in the game, it should be able to keep the score close throughout.
The Bottom Line
Missouri has certainly appeared to be a better team than Illinois of late. The Tigers upset Central Florida a few weeks ago, then thrashed a Xavier team that beat Illinois early in the season. But that hasn't always mattered when these two teams take the floor. If Missouri can take care of the ball and keep Illinois from dictating the tempo of the matchup, it should be in a good position. That's a lot easier said than done against an Underwood-coached team, however.
Prediction: Missouri 68, Illinois 66
Player of the game: Mark Smith comes out especially motivated against his old team and leads the way for Missouri with an 18 point, 8 rebound performance.
