| Opponent | Location | Day/Time (CT) |
|---|---|---|
| vs. Illinois | Scottrade Center - St. Louis, Mo.. | Saturday, Dec. 20 / 1:00 p.m. CT |
| Game Media | ESPN2  | Live Stats | Live Audio |
|
| Fan Info | Scottrade Center | Buy Braggin' Rights Tickets | |
LAYUPS...
• Mizzou Men's Basketball (5-5) faces Illinois (8-3) on Saturday, Dec. 20, in the 34th Annual Bud Light Braggin' Rights Game at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo., with tip-off at 1 p.m. on ESPN2.
• Johnathan Williams, III has been the Tigers' leading scorer over the last five games with his 14.2 points per game average. He is also the team's leading rebounder (7.6) in that span.
• Mizzou's 46 first-half points vs. Elon (Dec. 11) were the Tigers' most points in a half this season.
• Head coach Kim Anderson's squad was stopped short by Xavier on Saturday, Dec. 13, dropping a 74-58 result. Besides Williams, III's 17 points, Mizzou was also paced by freshman forward Jakeenan Gant, who scored 13 points in 15 minutes of action off the bench in his first playing time of the season.
LAST TIME OUT...
• Mizzou dropped to 5-5 on the season with a hard-fought setback to Xavier, 74-58, at Mizzou Arena on Saturday, Dec. 13. The Tigers were led in scoring and rebounding for the fourth consecutive game by sophomore forward Johnathan Williams, III.
• In all, nine Tigers scored points, marking the fifth time this season that nine or more players have gotten on the board in the same game.
• Williams finished with a team-high 17 points and nine rebounds. He has reached double digits in scoring in his last four games and in eight total games on the year.
• For the third time in the past four games, Williams attempted double-digits in free throws. He shot 7-of-11 (63.6 percent) from the line vs. Xavier.
• Freshman forward Jakeenan Gant scored his first career points on his first offensive touch of the game, swishing a baseline jump shot with 7:44 left in the first half. He finished with 13 points (in 15 minutes) and two blocks on 4-of-8 FG shooting and a 4-of-4 mark from the FT line.
A LOOK AT THE OPPONENT... ILLINOIS
• Illinois is out to an 8-3 start to its 2014-15 season, including a 2-2 mark in neutral site games. Head coach John Groce's team started the season with five-straight games at its home court, the State Farm Center, winning all five by an average margin of 31.6 points.
• The Fighting Illini have dropped three of their last five games, all of which have come in the month of December. The recent holiday skid started with a 70-61 setback at Miami on Dec. 2., followed by a home win over American by a score of 70-55 (Dec. 6).
• Following the American victory, Illinois dropped two neutral site contests, first to Villanova inside Madison Square Garden in New York, 73-59, on Dec. 9. Groce's group then fell to Oregon at the United Center in Chicago on Dec. 13, 77-70, despite a career high-tying 29 points from senior guard Rayvonte Rice. Illinois had built a five-point lead with 8:16 remaining in the game.
• The Fighting Illini won in their most recent action, defeating Hampton by a score of 73-55 on Wednesday, Dec. 17. Illinois was led in scoring by sophomore guard Kendrick Nunn's 16 points.
• Illinois leads the all-time series vs. Mizzou, 28-16. The Tigers had won four consecutive games against the Fighting Illini before dropping last season's game in the final moments, 65-64.
• Mizzou head coach Kim Anderson fondly recalled the 1993 triple-overtime win for Mizzou during the latest weekly press conference, calling it "not only one of the great games in the series, but in college basketball."
