Wednesday, December 21
St. Louis, Mo.
6 p.m. CT
University of Missouri
vs
Illinois
#BragginRights Up Next for @MizzouHoops on Wednesday
12/20/2016 10:52:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Tigers vs. Fighting Illini set for 6 p.m. CT tipoff on ESPNU on Wednesday
| MIZZOU (5-5) GAME DAY - Wednesday, Dec. 21 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OPPONENT | LOCATION | DAY | TIME | MEDIA | |
|
Illinois (9-3) |
Scottrade Center | Wednesday | 6 p.m. | ||
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou Men's Basketball (5-5) heads to St. Louis for the 36th Annual Bud Light Braggin' Rights Game, facing Illinois (9-3) at the Scottrade Center on Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 6 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
- The past three Braggin' Rights contests have been decided by a combined nine points, with Illinois escaping with the result in all three instances. Last year's final score separated the Fighting Illini from the Tigers by five points (63-68; Dec. 23, 2015).
- Head coach Kim Anderson's squad has made defense a priority thus far in the 2016-17 campaign, with Mizzou holding opponents an average of 10.3 points below their season scoring average entering the contest.
- Mizzou ranks second in the Southeastern Conference for overall field goal defense, holding opponents to a 36.8-percent mark from the field (222-of-604). The Tigers are third in the SEC in rebounds-per-game, averaging 40.9 boards through 10 contests
- The Tigers are holding opponents to 27.4 percent (63-of-230) shooting from three-point range, a mark that ranks seventh nationally.
- Mizzou is once again cultivating a talented, but young roster during the 2016-17 season. According to KenPom.com, the Tigers rank 346th out of 351 NCAA Division I teams in terms of experience.
OPPONENT - ILLINOIS
- Illinois enters the 36th Annual Bud Light Braggin' Rights game with a record of 9-3, winning its last five games. This month, Illinois has defeated VCU (64-46) on Dec. 3, IUPUI (85-77) on Dec. 6, Central Michigan (92-73) on Dec. 10 and BYU (75-73) on Dec. 17 at the United Center in Chicago.
- Led by head coach John Groce, Illinois won its first four contests of the season before dropping three straight games. The Fighting Illini lost a home contest in overtime to Winthrop (84-80) on Nov. 21, before dropping both games in the NIT Season Tip-Off at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., falling to then-No. 19 West Virginia (89-57) on Nov. 24, and then-No. 25 Florida State (72-61) on Nov. 25.
- Three from Illinois are averaging double-figures, led by senior guard Malcolm Hill, who is averaging 18.2 points per game and is shooting 42.6 percent (66-of-155) from the field. Redshirt sophomore forward Leron Black is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.1 points per game, while senior guard Tracy Abrams is averaging 12.7 points per game.
- On the boards, Black leads the way with 6.8 rebounds per game, while Hill is close behind, averaging 6.4 rebounds per game. Redshirt sophomore forward Michael Finke, who is averaging 5.3 rebounds per game, leads the team in offensive rebounds with 27.
- Illinois is averaging 80.2 points and 37.6 rebounds per game through 12 contests, allowing 70.7 points and 32.9 rebounds per game. Foes of the Fighting Illini have shot 41.9 percent from the field and 33 percent from the three-point line.
FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME
- Junior forward Jordan Barnett (St. Louis, Mo.) made his Mizzou debut vs. Eastern Illinois (Dec. 17), coming off the bench for 24 minutes, which matched his career high. Barnett recorded five rebounds in the game to match his career-best in that category, also scoring three points. Barnett also dished two assists against EIU.
- A mid-season transfer from Texas, Barnett was required to sit out the 2016-17 season's first semester, per NCAA transfer rules.
- Barnett was a prolific scorer and play-maker for Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis, averaging 20.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game as a senior.
- Named the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's All-Metro Player of the Year following his senior campaign, Barnett was considered one of the country's Top 100 players coming out of high school. He was ranked 70th overall by Rivals.com and 86th by ESPN.com.
LOCK DOWN ON DEFENSE
- Mizzou is performing well on the defensive end through 10 games this season, holding opponents to 63.8 points per game to rank third in the Southeastern Conference.
- On average, Mizzou's opponents are being held to 10.3 points below their respective season scoring averages entering contests against the Tigers.
- Shooting-wise, the Tigers rank first and second in the SEC for three-point field goal defense (.274 - 63-of-230) and overall field goal defense (.368 - 222-of-604), respectively.
BIG ON THE BOARDS
- Mizzou's current rate of 40.9 rebounds per game is significant in itself because it represents a solid improvement from last season's 35.8 boards per game.
- In back-to-back games, Mizzou reset its season-high for rebounds, first with 44 vs. Western Kentucky (Dec. 3) and then with 50 boards against Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 6.
- Being aggressive on the offensive glass has been a focus for the Tigers early in the 2016-17 season, with Mizzou averaging 11.6 offensive rebounds per game, thus far. Through its first 10 games last season, Mizzou averaged 8.2 offensive boards per game.
PURYEAR STAYING CONSISTENT
- Sophomore forward Kevin Puryear (Blue Springs, Mo.) scored 11 points (4-of-10 FG, 1-of-2 3PT, 2-of-3 FT) and grabbed seven rebounds vs. No. 20 Arizona (Dec. 10), adding a 21st "10-and-5" game to his career total. The effort was the sixth time this season Puryear recorded at least 10 points with five or more rebounds.
- Puryear has scored 10 points or more in 28-of-41 career games for the Black & Gold.
- Puryear's two season-high marks of 22 points and 10 rebounds both came against No. 11 Xavier (Nov. 17) at the Tire Pros Invitational in Orlando, Fla. The effort was the second double-double of his career.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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