With Christmas fast-approaching, Frank Haith has been doing his best St. Nick impression by delivering Tiger fans win after win. Now Haith and his 8th ranked team head to St. Louis looking to wrap up a 12-0 start versus the No. 25 Fighting Illini in the annual Braggin’ Rights game.
Both teams come into the game ranked in the Top 25. The Tigers earned the lofty ranking by way of punishing its opposition and averaging nearly 88 points per game. The Tigers’ closest game to this point was a 10 point victory over Villanova on Dec. 6.
Illinois on the other hand is barely hanging on to its ranking after an embarassing offensive showing in a loss to UNLV and close calls against the likes of Cornell, St. Bonaventure and Illinois State.
Both squads will be geeked to play in front of family and friends in a packed Scottrade Center. Mizzou will look to expose the Illini’s youth and inconsistency. Leading scorer Marcus Denmon (19.6ppg) will look to bounce back from a poor offensive performance vs William & Mary on the center stage of one of college basketball’s best non-conference rivalries.
The Fighting Illini will be looking to halt its negative momentum and hand their opponents the first loss of the season. To do so, they will have to slow down the game’s pace and utilize their distinct size advantage in the post and on the boards.
But what Haith’s team lacks in size, they seemingly make up for with superior offensive execution. I expect senior guards, Denmon and Kim English to come out the gate like madmen. If they Tigers can get off to an early lead, they can blow the game open early. If not, their superior execution should allow them outlast any Illini spurts and keep Braggin’ Rights for a third-consecutive year.
