Mizzou vs. Illinois: Braggin’ Rights Game preview, TV, tipoff time, projected lineups
Missouri vs. Illinois
WHEN/WHERE: 7 p.m. Saturday at Scottrade Center, St. Louis
TV/RADIO: ESPN2; KMBZ (98.1 FM)
PROJECTED LINEUPS:
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
C | 23 | Jeremiah Tilmon | 6-10 | Fr. | 9.8 |
F | 24 | Kevin Puryear | 6-7 | Jr. | 10.6 |
F | 21 | Jordan Barnett | 6-7 | Sr. | 14.4 |
G | 55 | Blake Harris | 6-3 | Fr. | 3.6 |
G | 3 | Kassius Robertson | 6-3 | Sr. | 14.5 |
P | No. | Illinois | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 43 | Michael Finke | 6-10 | Jr. | 11.8 |
G | 43 | Mark Alstork | 6-5 | Sr. | 7.2 |
G | 23 | Aaron Jordan | 6-5 | Jr. | 12.1 |
G | 13 | Mark Smith | 6-4 | Fr. | 8.6 |
G | 3 | Te’Jon Lucas | 6-1 | So. | 6.7 |
ABOUT MISSOURI (10-2): The Tigers head into the Braggin’ Rights Game in St. Louis after a close win over Stephen F. Austin that saw Kassius Robertson tie a season-high in scoring with 23 points and Jordan Barnett nearly break his, but came a basket short with 22. Missouri is clicking on all cylinders right now offensively as Jeremiah Tilmon continues to be more of a factor while his foul-trouble issues continue to look like a thing of the past. Both Tilmon and coach Cuonzo Martin will both be playing a few miles from their hometown of East St. Louis, Ill. Tilmon originally committed to Illinois but flipped to Missouri after former Illini coach John Groce was fired in the spring. Martin was considered for the Illinois job after Groce was sacked but ultimately chose the Tigers.
ABOUT ILLINOIS (8-5): Brad Underwood’s first season in Champaign, Ill., could be going a little better. After leaving Oklahoma State for the Big Ten after just one year in Stillwater, Underwood has yet to get a major win with his new team. Illinois lost its last game to New Mexico State and has losses against Maryland, Wake Forest and UNLV. The team’s leading scorer, Leron Black, was injured in the team’s loss to UNLV and didn’t play in the game against New Mexico State. It’s unsure whether Black will suit up on Saturday night. Illinois freshman Mark Smith, a former Missouri baseball commit, has shown flashes of being a very dominant player but has struggled from beyond the arc, where is he only shooting 23 percent.
Alex Schiffer: 816-234-4064, @TheSchiffMan
This story was originally published December 22, 2017 at 12:32 PM with the headline "Mizzou vs. Illinois: Braggin’ Rights Game preview, TV, tipoff time, projected lineups."