Mizzou basketball vs. Illinois: TV, tipoff time and a prediction for Braggin’ Rights
THE DETAILS
Tipoff: Noon Saturday
Where: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
TV: SEC Network
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
PROJECTED LINEUPS
P | No. | Illinois | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 21 | Kofi Cockburn | 7-0 | Fr. | 15.4 |
F | 15 | Giorgi Bezhanishvili | 6-9 | So. | 9.6 |
G | 20 | Da’Monte Williams | 6-3 | Jr. | 3.5 |
G | 11 | Ayo Dosunmu | 6-5 | So. | 14.8 |
G | 1 | Trent Frazier | 6-2 | Jr. | 10.2 |
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 23 | Jeremiah Tilmon | 6-10 | Jr. | 9.7 |
F | 24 | Kobe Brown | 6-7 | Fr. | 5.4 |
F | 5 | Mitchell Smith | 6-10 | R-Jr. | 4.1 |
G | 12 | Dru Smith | 6-3 | Jr. | 10.8 |
G | 13 | Mark Smith | 6-5 | Jr. | 12.9 |
About Illinois (8-3): The Illini have been impressive thus far this season, led by big man Kofi Cockburn. They turned heads when they defeated then-No. 5 Michigan at home right after they came up just short at Maryland. Illinois is one of the best teams on Mizzou’s nonconference schedule. While Cockburn is a big inside presence, the Illini feature a balanced offense with four players in double-figure scoring. KenPom ranks them at No. 39.
About Missouri (6-4): The Tigers bounced back well after an upset loss to Charleston Southern, winning their last two games, including on the road at Temple. The slow starts to games are still worrisome, but they’ve done well to squash that recently. KenPom has Mizzou at 57th. Guard Mark Smith and forward Jeremiah Tilmon, both with heavy Illinois ties, lead Mizzou into Braggin’ Rights.
Prediction: This one will be close and the matchup between Cockburn vs. Tilmon should be exciting to watch. If the Tigers can hit more than a third of their threes and play strong defense, they should be competitive. Should Tilmon fail to stay on the floor and Cockburn physically outworks Mizzou’s backups, it could be a long day for Mizzou fans. We’ll say Illinois wins a close one, but if the Tigers can make a few extra outside shots, it’ll change the game.
Illinois 65, Missouri 61