3 Key Numbers from Illinois Basketball's Win Over Missouri

The Illini fought their way to an 80-77 victory over the Tigers on Sunday in St. Louis

The Illinois basketball team gathers around the Braggin' Rights trophy, awarded to the winner of the annual rivalry game with Missouri, which the Illini earned in Sunday's 80-77 win over the Tigers in St. Louis. / University of Illinois

After a full week off, Illinois (8-3, 1-1 Big Ten) made the short trek across the Missouri border to St. Louis for its annual clash with Mizzou (10-2, 0-0 SEC). 

In yet another physical, whistle-heavy matchup – similar to last week’s contest against No. 1 Tennessee – the Illini battled and withstood a bruising 40 minutes to hold off the Tigers 80-77. 

The trophy stays in Champaign!

The Illini earn back-to-back Braggin’ Rights victories for the first time since a stretch of five straight wins over Mizzou from 2013-17.#Illini | #HTTO | #EveryDayGuys pic.twitter.com/PElvt6lnTw

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) December 22, 2024

Offensively, Illinois used a scoring-by-committee attack, with four Illini scoring in double figures, and shot a fantastic 22-for-23 (95.7 percent) from the free-throw line.

On defense, the Illini had trouble keeping the athletic Tigers out of the lane, but they avoided damage from the perimeter and otherwise did just enough to slow down the high-octane Missouri offense to eke out the win.

Below are three key numbers that determined just how Illinois was able to get it done on both ends: 

12

As expected, the Illini controlled the glass, outrebounding the Tigers by 12. Leading the way were Tre White, Kylan Boswell, Tomislav Ivisic and Morez Johnson Jr. – each of whom hauled in eight or more rebounds. On the offensive glass, the Illini snagged 12 boards – five of them from Johnson, in what coach Brad Underwood described as his best performance as an Illini – en route to 13 second-chance points. That Illinois so thoroughly dominated the boards may have made the competitiveness of the game something of a surprise – but our next number should offer an explanation.

17

There was concern on Illinois' side that it would struggle with Missouri’s aggressive, turnover-forcing defense – and that’s exactly what happened. With 17 turnovers, the Illini allowed Missouri to stay within arm's reach all 40 minutes – and even briefly take the lead late in the second half. Freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis’ scoring streak of 20-plus points may have continued, but so did his other streak of four turnovers over more – now up to five games. His scoring and playmaking ability is undeniable, but Jakucionis must figure out his turnover woes for the Illini to unlock their full potential.

39.7

Heading into this one, Missouri’s field-goal percentage on the season (52.0 percent) ranked second in the nation. Stocked with efficient scorers who are willing to make the extra pass and players who love to get to the rim, the Tigers hadn’t shot below 44.2 percent all year – but neither had they played a squad with defensive might of the Illini. Clearly bothered by Illinois’ size, length and physicality, Missouri missed an uncharacteristic number of bunnies and layups around the rim, and failed to make up for it from deep (3-for-13 on 3-pointers). The Illini’s ability on the defensive end has been a pleasant surprise through 11 games and will need to be their calling card at least until more shots start falling.

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