Dec. 19, 2014
* Stats from 2013-14 season
Head Coach John Groce
Career Record: 136-87/.610 (7th year)
At Illinois: 51-31/.622 (3rd year)
Big Ten: 15-21/.417
Series Notes vs. Missouri
Series Record: Illinois leads 28-16
Record at St. Louis: Illinois leads 21-12
Last Meeting:  Illinois 65, #23 Missouri 64 (Dec. 21, 2013 at St. Louis)
Series Streak: Illinois W-1
Groce vs. Missouri: 1-1
Braggin' Rights Notes
• Saturday marks the 34th edition of the Bud Light Braggin' Rights, with Illinois owning a 21-12 advantage over Missouri in the annual rivalry game played in downtown St. Louis.
• Illinois won eight consecutive Braggin' Rights from 1983-90 and won nine of the first 10 games in St. Louis. After Missouri won seven of nine games from 1991-99, Illinois won nine in a row from 2000-08, the longest winning streak in the history of the series. Mizzou then won four straight before the Illini snapped the Tigers' winning streak last year with a 65-64 victory, the fifth Braggin' Rights game decided by one point.
• This marks the first time in four years and just the eighth time in Braggin' Rights history that neither team is ranked in the Top 25. In the Braggin' Rights series, Illinois is 8-6 when unranked, 11-6 when playing an unranked Missouri, and 4-3 when neither team is ranked.
• Illinois has one St. Louis area product on its roster in sophomore guard Malcolm Hill (Fairview Heights, Ill). Hill was the 2013 St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Metro Player of the Year and the all-time leading scorer at Belleville East High School (2,067 points). He went scoreless in four minutes of action in last year's Braggin' Rights. Hill is the Illini's second-leading scorer this season, currently averaging 13.0 points.
Braggin' Rights Breakdown
Series Record: Illinois leads 21-12
Current Streak: Illinois W-1
Illinois when ranked: 13-6
Missouri when ranked: 6-10
When both teams are ranked: Illinois leads 6-3
When neither team is ranked: Illinois leads 4-3
In overtime games: Tied 2-2
At Scottrade Center: Illinois leads 12-8
At The Arena: Illinois led 9-4
Illinois' longest winning streak: 9 (2000-08)
Missouri's longest winning streak: 4, twice (1991-94 & 2009-12)
Illinois' largest winning margin: 32 points (2005)
Missouri's largest winning margin: 18 points (1994)
Closest margin: 1 point, five times (1992, 1993, 2003, 2007 and 2013)
Past Braggin' Rights Games in St. Louis
Dec. 10, 1980 - Illinois 84, #14 Missouri 62
Dec. 08, 1981 - #13 Missouri 78, Illinois 68 (OT)
Dec. 28, 1983 - #20 Illinois 66, Missouri 60
Dec. 06, 1984 - #7 Illinois 65, Missouri 50
Dec. 21, 1985 - #15 Illinois 67, Missouri 55
Dec. 23, 1986 - #9 Illinois 92, Missouri 74
Dec. 22, 1987 - Illinois 75, #17 Missouri 63
Dec. 19, 1988 - #5 Illinois 87, #10 Missouri 84
Dec. 20, 1989 - #5 Illinois 101, #4 Missouri 93
Dec. 19, 1990 - Illinois 84, Missouri 81
Dec. 23, 1991 - #16 Missouri 61, Illinois 44
Dec. 23, 1992 - Missouri 66, Illinois 65
Dec. 22, 1993 - Missouri 108, #19 Illinois 107 (3OT)
Dec. 22, 1994 - Missouri 76, #23 Illinois 58
Dec. 20, 1995 - #14 Illinois 96, #15 Missouri 85 (OT)
Dec. 28, 1996 - Illinois 85, Missouri 69
Dec. 23, 1997 - Missouri 75, Illinois 69
Dec. 22, 1998 - #15 Missouri 67, Illinois 62
Dec. 21, 1999 - Missouri 78, #15 Illinois 72
Dec. 21, 2000 - #5 Illinois 86, Missouri 81 (OT)
Dec. 22, 2001 - #9 Illinois 72, #8 Missouri 61
Dec. 21, 2002 - #12 Illinois 85, #11 Missouri 70
Dec. 23, 2003 - #21 Illinois 71, #11 Missouri 70
Dec. 22, 2004 - #1 Illinois 70, Missouri 64
Dec. 21, 2005 - #6 Illinois 82, Missouri 50
Dec. 19, 2006 - Illinois 73, Missouri 70
Dec. 22, 2007 - Illinois 59, Missouri 58
Dec. 23, 2008 - Illinois 75, #25 Missouri 59
Dec. 23, 2009 - Missouri 81, Illinois 68
Dec. 22, 2010 - #9 Missouri 75, #21 Illinois 64
Dec. 22, 2011 - #8 Missouri 78, #25 Illinois 74
Dec. 22, 2012 - #12 Missouri 82, #10 Illinois 73
Dec. 21, 2013 - Illinois 65, #13 Missouri 64
Current Illini With Braggin' Rights Experience
Seven players on the UI roster have Braggin' Rights experience, but with senior Tracy Abrams sidelined for the season, that leaves six who will suit up on Saturday: seniors Nnanna Egwu and Rayvonte Rice and sophomores Malcolm Hill, Maverick Morgan, Kendrick Nunn and Jaylon Tate.
» Egwu played just three minutes as a freshman. He had 12 points and nine rebounds as a sophomore and seven points, four rebounds and two blocked shots last season.
» Rice registered 14 points and four rebounds in his debut last year.
» Nunn had three points, two rebounds and a game-high three steals last year.
» Tate added two points and an assist in eight minutes in 2013.
» Morgan had two rebounds in five minutes.
» Hill tallied a steal in four minutes.
Illini Items
• The Illini travel to St. Louis to face Missouri on Saturday and will conclude non-conference play at home vs. Kennesaw State. Illinois then opens Big Ten play with four out of five games on the road. Altogether, Illinois will endure a stretch of 10 out of 14 games away from home from Nov. 27-Jan. 14. Illinois is the only team from the six major conferences that over the course of 14 consecutive games this season will play 10 games away from its home arena.
• Illinois plays a combined six road/neutral games during non-conference play, tied for the most among Big Ten teams this season. The Illini have played the most road/neutral games in the Big Ten in each of Coach Groce's three seasons, totaling 19 over his tenure. Michigan State has the second-highest total in the league over that period with 16.
• Illinois ranks 20th in the nation in scoring (79.4 ppg) this season and has reached the 70-point marker eight times, winning seven of those eight games.
• Illinois has held its opponent to less than 70 points in seven of eight wins this season, and 33 of its last 35 victories dating back to Feb. 10, 2013 during Groce's first season.
• Six different players have been the Illini's leading scorer in a game this season, while five different players have been the UI's top rebounder.
• The Illini lead the nation in free throw percentage, shooting 78 percent as a team (181-232). Illinois has shot better than its season average from the line in six games. The Illini single-season school record for free throw shooting is 74.4 percent, set by the 1996-97 squad.
• Illinois ranks fifth in the nation in turnover percentage (.146), 10th in turnovers (10.3 avg.) and 17th in turnover margin (+4.6).
• Senior Rayvonte Rice is one of only four players to rank in the Big Ten's top 10 in both scoring (sixth, 17.3 ppg) and rebounding (10th, 6.5 rpg), joined by Nebraska's Shavon Shields, Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky and Iowa's Aaron White.
• Rice has an offensive rating of 125.1 on the season, ranked 15th nationally among players with at least 24 percent of possessions used (KenPom).
• Rice has improved his shooting this season. He is currently shooting 49.2 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from 3-point range after entering his senior year as a 42.4 percent career shooter, including 28 percent from behind the arc.
• Rice has scored in double figures in every non-conference game of his Illini career (26 games).
• Rice is averaging 19.8 points through five road/neutral games this season (99).
• Rice ranks fourth in the Big Ten in steals, averaging 2.3 spg. His steal rate of 4.6 ranks 44th nationally.
• Sophomore Malcolm Hill entered his sophomore year with a career-high of 11 points. He has surpassed or equaled that total in nine of 11 games this season.
• Hill has nearly tripled his scoring average this year (13.0 ppg) compared to his freshman campaign (4.4 ppg). His 8.6-point increase in scoring average is tied with Michigan's Zak Irvin for the highest by a Big Ten player this year.
• Hill leads the Illini with 27 offensive rebounds, owning an offensive rebound percentage of 10.7. He grabbed 21 offensive rebounds all of last season.
• Senior Nnanna Egwu has tallied 164 career blocked shots, 13 away from equaling the Illini all-time record.
• After totaling a combined six rebounds through the first three games, Egwu has grabbed at least five boards in each of the last eight games, averaging 7.3 boards over that stretch (58).
• Egwu is averaging 8.3 rebounds (33), including an average of 4.3 offensive boards (17) in four games this season against teams from the six major conferences.
• Egwu has knocked down seven 3-pointers this year after totaling five treys all of last season. He is shooting 41.2 percent from behind the arc this year.
• Egwu has scored in double figures in back-to-back games, doing so for the first time since hitting double digits in each of the first four games last season.
• Sophomore Kendrick Nunn has increased his scoring average to 9.2 points after averaging 6.2 points as a freshman. Nunn is third on the team in scoring despite playing the sixth-most minutes.
• Nunn is averaging 11.0 points in his two games as a starter this season (22) after averaging 10.3 points last year in 12 starts.
• Nunn is currently shooting 47.1 percent from 3-point range (sixth in Big Ten) after shooting 38.8 percent from behind the arc last season.
• Senior Ahmad Starks ranks fifth in the Big Ten with a 3.3 assist/turnover ratio. He has had a positive ratio in nine of 11 games with the other two an even ratio.
• Starks has made at least one 3-pointer in every game this season, while junior Aaron Cosby has knocked down at least one triple in all but one game on the year.
• Freshman Leron Black has averaged 6.5 rebounds over the last two games (13) after totaling a combined nine boards over the previous four games (2.3 avg.).
» Complete Braggin' Rights Game Notes (PDF)
