Missouri Tigers basketball vs. Illinois: Braggin’ Rights prediction, TV, lineups
THE DETAILS
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Mizzou Arena, Columbia
TV: ESPNU
Betting line: Illinois by 2
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
PROJECTED LINEUPS
P | No. | Illinois | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 21 | Kofi Cockburn | 7-0 | So. | 13.0 |
G | 11 | Ayo Dosunmu | 6-5 | Jr. | 22.6 |
G | 44 | Adam Miller | 6-3 | Fr. | 13.4 |
G | 20 | Da’Monte Williams | 6-3 | Sr. | 7.6 |
G | 1 | Trent Frazier | 6-2 | Sr. | 9.2 |
P | No. | Missouri | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 23 | Jeremiah Tilmon | 6-10 | Sr. | 8.5 |
F | 24 | Kobe Brown | 6-7 | So. | 6.5 |
G | 13 | Mark Smith | 6-5 | Sr. | 17.3 |
G | 1 | Xavier Pinson | 6-2 | Jr. | 13.5 |
G | 12 | Dru Smith | 6-3 | R-Sr. | 13.8 |
About No. 6 Illinois (4-1): The Illini have impressed this season, coming off an easy 83-68 road win over No. 10 Duke. Their lone loss this season is to No. 2 Baylor, so that’s no slouch. They’re led by 7-foot center Kofi Cockburn and guard Ayo Dosunmu, both of whom returned to school after trying out the NBA Draft waters. They shoot lights out on three-pointers at 47.3% this season. KenPom ranks them No. 15.
About Missouri (4-0): The Tigers are off to a perfect start and not just based off the win-loss record. There’s a renewed pace of play as they have also continued to defend well. The starting guards, Xavier Pinson, Dru Smith and Mark Smith, have all had their moments this season, leading the Tigers in scoring. Forward Jeremiah Tilmon looks like the senior who has finally put it all together with his talent. There’s plenty of optimism coming from this roster in MU coach Cuonzo Martin’s fourth season. KenPom has the Tigers ranked No. 45.
Prediction: When the annual Braggin’ Rights clash went down last year, Mizzou stood victorious because it kept throwing haymakers against Illinois. The Illini led the country in rebounding margin yet the Tigers physically edged them on the glass on their way to a second straight victory in the rivalry.
It’s a similar theme between these two experienced teams this year. Mizzou brought back just about every major contributor for this season while Illinois returned its two best players. That means the rebounding margin will once again become a deciding factor. That doubles as a Tilmon vs. Cockburn clash down low between two imposing forces.
Whoever ends up with the Tigers’ top defensive assignment will get a handful in Dosunmu. The lightning-quick guard has shown an ability to hit threes this season, making him that much more dangerous.
Mizzou can’t start off like it did against Liberty, where a stagnant offense was coupled by missing threes and loads of turnovers. The Tigers were able to stage a comeback against the Flames, but mistakes need to be minimal against a top-10 Illinois team.
It’ll also be a busy day in Columbia as the football team hosts No. 9 Georgia at 11 a.m. the same day.
We’ll say it’s a close, exciting game for the entirety of this one. There might be a few 7-0 runs mixed in to give the illusion of separation, but whenever you look at the scoreboard, it’ll be a tight one. But Mizzou ultimately edges out Illinois in a close one that comes down to the buzzer.
Missouri 75, Illinois 73