Missouri's Dennis Gates and Players Preview Braggin' Rights Matchup vs Illinois

Missouri Tigers men's basketball head coach Dennis Gates and players Sean East and Nick Honor spoke to the media the day ahead of the team's Braggin' Rights game against No. 13 Illinois.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Mizzou basketball has reached a crucial stretch of the 2023-24 season. Coming off of back-to-back losses to No. 2 Kansas and Seton Hall, the Tigers now sit at 7-4. the Tigers will look to bounce back on Friday night against No. 13 Illinois at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The annual Braggin' Rights rivalry game provides both teams with a heated atmosphere to ramp up before conference play begins. Ahead of tomorrow's game, Missouri head coach Dennis Gates and graduate guard's Nick Honor and Sean East previewed the matchup.

"The atmosphere is going to be electric in here," Gates said. "Records do not matter, it never has in this rivalry. We're excited to be able to play another game in our tough schedule."

With 22,000 seats in the Enterprise Center and a split crowd, Gates' players are prepared to ignore any possible distractions.

"We know it's going to be a tough atmosphere, big game, so we just got to stay composed," Honor said.

The Braggin' Rights series in St. Louis started in 1980, with Illinois currently holding the advantage in the series 26-16. 

"It's one of the biggest rivalries in the NCAA," East said. "This is definitely NCAA tournament feel ... I mean it's going to be an interesting game, I can't wait to get out there."

"You do put a little emphasis playing this game. It's one that's talked about, not only just for the season, but probably for years to come"

Last year, Missouri was able to come away with a momentum-building, 93-71 win over Illinois. For Gates and Honor, both returning starters, the win allowed the 2022 team to show the world what they knew they were capable of.

"It kinda just shows the outside world what we know we're capable of," East said. "We always knew we we're good enough to be a ranked team, coming out here and proving it gave everybody the same belief that we had."

Illinois, 8-2 on the year, has built a strong resume early on this season, looking to be an improved team from 2022 where they lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Arkansas. 

"They're a great offensive rebounding team, they're excellent at getting the ball to the right players," Gates said. "They've done a good job, they have a balance of inside-outside play. It's in their record. They've done a tremendous job and it's a different team then they were last year."

Missouri and Illinois will tip-off tomorrow night at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcasted on Fox Sports.

Missouri Men's Basketball Falls Short in Comeback Attempt Against Seton Hall, 93-87