Dec. 17, 2002

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Tip-off: 4:35 p.m.
Arena: Savvis Center (22,135)
TV: ESPN. Terry Gannon, play-by-play, Jay Bilas, color.
Radio: Tiger Radio Network. Mike Kelly, play-by-play, Gary Link, color
Rankings: MU is ranked #11 (Associated Press Poll) and #10 (ESPN/USA Today)
U of I is ranked #12 (Associated Press Poll) and #12 (ESPN/USA Today) Series: Illinois leads the all-time series, 20-12. Last Meeting-12/22/01, U of I , 72-61 at St. Louis, Mo.
Coaches:
Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke '89) 68-38 at MU and overall (4th season). Snyder is 1-2 vs. Illinois.
Illinois: Bill Self (Oklahoma St. '85) 60-17 at U of I (3rd season), 189-98 overall (10 seasons). Self is 2-0 vs. Missouri.

Who Will Earn the Right to Brag in '03?
The University of Missouri men's basketball team (6-0, #11 in the Associated Press Poll, #10 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll) travels east to St. Louis on Saturday for the 22nd Annual Busch Braggin' Rights game against the University of Illinois (7-0, #12 in the Associ-ated Press Poll, #12 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll). Mizzou is coming off of a dominating win over Memphis on Saturday (93-78) and finds itself without a loss heading into the Illinois game for the first time since 1991. Mizzou will make its first appearance on ESPN on Saturday with tip set for 4:35 p.m. Terry Gannon and former Duke Blue Devil Jay Bilas (who was a teammate of Missouri head coach Quin Snyder at Duke in 1989) will team for the broadcast.

Always a Classic
Mizzou and Illinois meet for the 33rd time on Saturday at the Savvis Center, and every time they get together, expect something crazy to happen. The two squads and their fans have participated in some classic battles through-out the years and three of the last nine games between the two squads have went to over-time. The most recent thriller was in 2000 when Illinois took an 86-81 overtime win over the Tigers.

Rank When We Are Ranked
Both squads enter Saturday's contest ranked in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll Top 15. The Tigers currently hold the No. 11 and 10 rankings while Illinois boasts the No. 12 ranking in both polls. That being said, the Tigers are 4-9 all-time vs. the Illini when they are ranked. Even worse is the fact that Mizzou is 0-4 when both teams enter the contest ranked.

Welcome Back Jimmy Mac
Amongst the dozens of already obvious story lines that exist in this game, is the return of Jimmy McKinney to the land of Nelly, the Arch and the Cardinals.While this is his first trip back to the Lou to play basketball, McKinney grew up watching the Braggin' Rights games and will have the chance to put his skills on display on Saturday. The Vashon High School graduate averaged 22 points and 6 rebounds his senior year and led the Vashon to three straight Missouri State Champion-ships.

Can't Stop the Bum Rush
Mizzou came out on fire against Memphis last Saturday. Before the game reached the 16:00 media time-out, the Tigers had bolted out to a 15-0 lead, which ultimately was the final margin of victory for the Tigers. MU hit six of its first eight shots in the contest and held Memphis scoreless in each of its first seven possessions.