What Will the Deciding Factors Between Mizzou, Illinois in Braggin' Rights?

Perspective from coaches and players on what will determine the rivalry game in St. Louis between the Missouri Tigers and the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Dec 22, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates looks on during the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Both of the Braggin' Rights games that Dennis Gates has coached in with the Missouri Tigers against the Illinois Fighting Illini have been blowouts, being decided by 22 and 24 points respectively.

The resumes of both teams entering Sunday's matchup promise a much more competitive game.

Missouri rides into the game in St. Louis on a 10-game win streak, less than three weeks removed from a victory over Kansas, then the top-ranked team in the nation.

Illinois last went toe to toe with No. 1 Tennessee, falling 66-64. They earned a quality, 90-77 win over Arkansas on Thanksgiving.

The Tigers and the Illini are also near the top in the nation for two statistical categories respectively.

The emphasis in Gates' speech to his team at the conclusion of practice Saturday was a focus on the details. If the 2024 rendition follows the history of past Braggin' Rights games though, the energy of a ruckus environment at the Enterprise Center will need to be matched on the court.

"You go into rivalry games, you have x's and o's and this and that, I think it just comes down to fight," Missouri's Mark Mitchell said. "It don't matter what the record is. You could be 0-10, the other team 10-0, but it's still going to be a dogfight until the very end.

Out of the gates, Missouri will be looking to set the tone for the game and make sure the energy in a split crowd is swinging in their favor. It was key in its win over Kansas, with Missouri forcing six turnovers and shooting 7-for-13 in the first 11 minutes to take a 22-11 lead.

"When we played Kansas, we came out, we set the tone early," Mitchell said. "We weren't gonna back down, we weren't gonna lay down. I think just being tough, physical, disruptive is something that's going to be really important."

Dec 8, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Tony Perkins (12) and Kansas Jayhawks forward KJ Adams Jr. (24) fight for a loose ball during the first half at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Turnovers were key for all 40 minutes in the Tigers' win over Kansas, with Missouri scoring 23 points off 22 turnovers. Illinois, giving up an average of 11.2 turnovers per game, has been focused in their preparation on protecting the ball.

"That's been a big emphasis for coach [Brad] Underwood this week in practice," Illinois guard Kylan Boswell said of turnovers. "Being ball tough and then not fouling on the other end. ... I feel like we've done a good job this year of making sure we're not fouling too many times."

Illinois is looking to be cautious when it comes to fouls as Missouri's 29.5 free-throw attempts are the second-highest in the nation. Missouri has been successful on 71.4% of those attempts.

Illinois will have to balance an avoidance of fouls and turnovers while still sticking to their physical identity. Entering Sunday's game, Illinois leads the nation with 45.6 rebounds per game.

"There's gonna be some of those turnovers," Underwood said. "I think that decisions you make at the rim they have to be solid and and we just can't have live-ball turnovers. Those are the ones that I'm really concerned the most about."

Gates' rotations this season, as they have in his entire tenure with Missouri, are deep and fluid. Illinois' elite rebounding ability will be something that influences his decisions, and the decisions of his players on the court.

"We gotta make sure, rotation wise, that we are not in a compromising situation so we're in position to block out," Gates said. "They're gonna crash all five guys if they can. We know that. We gotta do our job and make sure our shot selection doesn't put us in a disadvantage defensively."

Underwood has seen first-hand how both turnovers and rebounds can impact the game. In losses to Tennessee and Alabama, the Illini gave up 11 and 13 turnovers respectively. They lost the rebound battle 42-to-37 to Tennessee.

"That could be a deciding factor," Underwood said of rebounding. "Turnovers, rebounding, those are always, in almost every game, deciding factors."

Both squads also bring two players who could single-handedly be deciding factors in Missouri's Anthony Robinson II and Illinois' Kasparas Jakucionis.

Jakucionis, a freshman from Lithuania, has been making an impact already for Illinois. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound guard leads the team in both points (16.6) and assists (5.6)

"He's a great player," Robinson said of Jakucionis. "It's gonna be a touch matchup. And I'm gonna come out there and show what I got."

Dec 14, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kasparas Jakucionis (32) drives the ball against Tennessee Volunteers guard Chaz Lanier (2) during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Robinson has made leaps of growth since his freshman year, averaging 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists this season. In Missouri's win over California, the Florida product scored 29 points and recorded six assists. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound point guard is a facilitator offensively and a pesky defender.

"He's a guy that we call 'the head of the snake,'" Underwood said of Robinson. "He makes them go. He's very, very unselfish. And then he's he's a he's a he's a past on the defensive side. He's, you know, he's done a great job of of hounding some really good point guards"

A win over a fringe-top-25 team would be especially important for Missouri before entering SEC play. The Tigers will have an uphill battle in conference play, where Gates suspects 13 or 14 teams will be good enough to make the NCAA tournament.

After the statement win over Kansas, Missouri is looking to prove that win was not a fluke.

"It's gonna be a fun atmosphere," Robinson said. "Just gonna come in and show we got . And we can shock the world a little bit. People are doubting us, we're gonna come out and show people what we got."

Read more Missouri Tigers news:

All Things Mizzou Podcast: Braggin' Rights Preview, Football Transfer Portal
Mizzou Guard Caleb Grill (Neck) Returns to Practice Ahead of Illinois Game