University of Missouri
Illinois
Braggin' Rights on the Line Sunday
12/21/2024 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| Missouri (10-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. Illinois (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten) | |
| Game Details | Sunday, Dec. 22 • Noon • St. Louis, Mo. • Enterprise Center |
| Television | ESPN |
| Radio | Tiger Radio Network | Sirius XM: 374 | Sirius XM App: 374 |
| Game Notes | Missouri | Illinois |
| Game Coverage | Live Stats | Twitter: @MizzouHoops | Instagram: @MizzouHoops |
McBride Homes Braggin' Rights are on the line Sunday afternoon when University of Missouri men's basketball takes on Illinois in St. Louis. Tipoff at Enterprise Center is set for noon on ESPN.
ABOUT THE TIGERS
• Mizzou is 10-1 during the 2024-25 campaign and is currently on its longest winning streak in 11 seasons with a 10-game run.
• The Tigers' winning streak hit double figures on Tuesday with an 83-72 victory over Jacksonville State. Jacob Crews led the team with a season-best 19 points in the winning effort.
• Junior Mark Mitchell leads the team with 13.5 points and 1.2 blocks per game.
• Tamar Bates and Anthony Robinson II also score in double figures with 12.3 and 11.5 points per game, respectively.
• Robinson also averages a team-best 4.2 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
• Josh Gray has a team-best 5.3 boards per game.
• MU ranks fifth nationally with a scoring offense of 88.7 points, 70th with scoring defense of 66.7 and eighth with a scoring margin of +22.0.
ABOUT THE FIGHTING ILLINI
• Illinois enters Braggin' Rights with a 7-3 mark, starting Big Ten play with a 1-1 record.
• The Illini are coming off a two-point setback to No. 1 Tennessee on Saturday, 66-64.
• Four players are scoring in double figures for the Illini, led by 16.1 points from Kasparas Jakucionis, who also averages a team-best 5.6 assists.
• Tomislav Ivisic is second with 14.2 points to go with a team-leading 9.7 rebounds per game.
• Illinois enters the game with a scoring offense of 84.0 points and a scoring defense of 64.6 points.
SERIES HISTORY
• The two rivals have met annually since 1983 with all but the 2020 meeting during the COVID season in St. Louis.
• Overall, the Illini own a 34-20 all-time edge in the series, including a 26-16 advantage in St. Louis.
• The Illini have won two of the last three games, including a 97-73 victory last season.
• The Tigers, however, has claimed victory in four of the last six years, highlighted by a 93-71 win two years ago.
TIGERS VERSUS BIG TEN
• Missouri has played Big Ten schools 144 times during its history with 54 of the 144 games coming against Illinois.
• Overall, the Tigers own a 58-86 all-time record versus the conference.
• In two-plus seasons with Dennis Gates as head coach, MU is 2-1 versus the Big Ten, going 1-1 against Illinois and defeating Minnesota in 2023.
STAY HOT MIZZOU
• The Tigers are currently one of the nation's hottest teams, having won 10-straight games.
• Mizzou owns the fourth-longest winning streak in the country entering Sunday's matchup.
• Overall, it marks the 12th time in school history Mizzou has had a winning streak reach double figures and the first since the 2013-14 team won its first 10 games of the season.
• The Tigers last extended their winning streak to 11 during a 14-game run in 2011-12.
TOUGH TEAM TO PLAN FOR
• The Tigers are a difficult team to game plan for with the amount of weapons they have.
• On Tuesday, Jacob Crews became the eighth different Tiger to lead the team in scoring this season in just 11 games.
• The team's leading scorer, Mark Mitchell, has led Mizzou in points just once this season and no player has led MU in scoring more than twice.
• No other SEC school has had more than six players lead the team in scoring this season.
OFFENSIVE LEADERS
• The Mizzou offense is one of the nation's best this season.
• The Tigers are currently ranked fourth in the country with a scoring offense of 88.7 points.
NO. 2 IN FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
• The simple key to the MU's early-season success on offense is efficient shooting.
• The Tigers currently rank second nationally with a field goal clip of 52.0 percent.
CONSISTENT OFFENSE
• The key to a good offense is consistency and the Tigers are certainly doing that so far in 2024-25.
• Missouri has scored at least 75 points in all 11 games this season – its longest run since a 14-game stretch in 2011-12.
• Additionally, MU has also shot at least 44 percent in all 11 games – its longest run since a 28-game stretch in 1988-89.
TOP 10 IN STEALS
• The team's strength on defense is its ability to create turnovers and gain extra possessions.
• Mizzou currently ranks fifth in the country with 10.5 steals per game, resulting in an average of 22.4 points off turnovers per game.
• Sophomore Anthony Robinson II leads MU and ranks 19th nationally with 2.45 steals per game, collecting at least three steals in 6-of-11 contests.
