| Illinois Probable Starters (from the previous game) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
13 |
Tracy Abrams |
6-2 |
185 |
Gr. |
12.7 |
3.1 |
3.2 |
GW FTs vs. MIZ in '13 |
| G |
5 |
Jalen Coleman-Lands |
6-3 |
190 |
So. |
8.1 |
2.2 |
1.0 |
25 3FG |
| G |
21 |
Malcolm Hill |
6-6 |
225 |
Sr. |
18.2 |
6.4 |
2.3 |
2nd in B1G in PPG |
| F |
12 |
Leron Black |
6-7 |
220 |
r-So. |
13.1 |
6.8 |
0.9 |
CH 21 pts vs. CMU |
| C |
33 |
Mike Thorne Jr. |
6-11 |
280 |
Gr. |
6.3 |
4.7 |
0.3 |
59.3% FG |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
0 |
D.J. Williams |
6-7 |
210 |
So. |
3.0 |
1.4 |
0.6 |
4 BLK |
| G |
1 |
Jaylon Tate |
6-3 |
170 |
Sr. |
3.6 |
1.8 |
3.9 |
2.0 A/TO |
| F |
2 |
Kipper Nichols |
6-6 |
225 |
r-Fr. |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Illini debut vs. BYU |
| G |
3 |
Te'Jon Lucas |
6-0 |
170 |
Fr. |
3.3 |
0.8 |
1.6 |
70.6% FG |
| C |
22 |
Maverick Morgan |
6-10 |
245 |
Sr. |
8.2 |
3.6 |
0.5 |
61.2% FG |
| G |
23 |
Aaron Jordan |
6-5 |
190 |
So. |
1.8 |
0.9 |
0.3 |
5-12 3FG |
| G |
35 |
Samson Oladimeji |
6-5 |
195 |
Fr. |
0.7 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
First PTS vs. CMU |
| G |
41 |
Clayton Jones |
6-0 |
170 |
r-Jr. |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
3 G |
| F |
43 |
Michael Finke |
6-10 |
230 |
r-So. |
7.8 |
5.3 |
0.6 |
16 pts vs. MIZ in '15 |
| G |
44 |
Alex Austin |
6-4 |
190 |
r-Sr. |
0.7 |
2.0 |
0.0 |
3 OREB |
| Sitting Out |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
10 |
Drew Cayce |
6-1 |
165 |
So. |
- |
- |
- |
Redshirting (transfer) |
| F |
45 |
Cameron Liss |
6-6 |
220 |
Jr. |
0.6 |
0.0 |
0.2 |
Redshirting (last year's stats) |
Head Coach John Groce
Career Record: 171-120/.588 (9th year)
At Illinois: 86-64/.573 (5th year)
Series Notes vs. Missouri
All-Time Series Record: Illinois leads 30-16
Record at St. Louis: Illinois leads 23-12
Last Meeting: Illinois 68, Missouri 63 (Dec. 23, 2015 at St. Louis)
Series Streak: Illinois W-3
Groce vs. Missouri: 3-1
Braggin' Rights Notes
• Up next for the Fighting Illini is the 36th edition of Bud Light Braggin' Rights. Illinois owns a 23-12 advantage over Missouri in the annual rivalry game played in downtown St. Louis. Tickets for Wednesday's 6 p.m. game are available online at ticketmaster.com and in person at the Scottrade Center box office.
• 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, and the Illini now enter this year's contest at Scottrade Center on a three-year winning streak.
• Illinois has one St. Louis area product on its roster in senior guard Malcolm Hill (Fairview Heights, Ill), the 2013 Post-Dispatch All-Metro Player of the Year and all-time leading scorer at Belleville East High School. Hill has had a stellar career with the Orange and Blue, now a Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy candidate who is on pace to become the UI's third-leading all-time scorer. He enters his final Braggin' Rights game averaging 18.2 points (second in Big Ten) and 6.4 rebounds on the season.
• The St. Louis area will continue to be represented on the Illini roster following Hill's graduation. Illinois' top 10-ranked recruiting class for 2017 includes two players from the metro area in five-star center Jeremiah Tilmon of East St. Louis Senior High School and three-star wing Javon Pickett of Belleville East High School.
Braggin' Rights Breakdown
Series Record: Illinois leads 23-12
Current Streak: Illinois W-3
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 6-3
In overtime games: Tied 2-2
At Scottrade Center: Illinois leads 14-8
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. 8, 1981 – #13 Missouri 78, Illinois 68 (OT)
Dec. 28, 1983 – #20 Illinois 66, Missouri 60
Dec. 6, 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
Dec. 20, 2014 – Illinois 62, Missouri 59
Dec. 23, 2015 – Illinois 68, Missouri 63
Current Illini With Braggin' Rights Experience
• Tracy Abrams: 22 pts, 6 reb in 2013 … 4 pts, 3 reb in 2012 … 0 pts, 2 reb in 2011.
• Malcolm Hill: 21 pts, 5 reb in 2015 … 10 pts, 3 reb in 2014 … 0 pts, 0 reb in 2013.
• Maverick Morgan: 2 pts, 3 reb in 2015 … 0 pts, 1 reb in 2014 … 0 pts, 2 reb in 2013.
• Jaylon Tate: 0 pts, 1 reb in 2015 … 1 pts, 1 reb in 2014 … 2 pts, 0 reb in 2013.
• Michael Finke: 16 pts, 3 reb in 2015.
• Jalen Coleman-Lands: 8 pts, 0 reb in 2015.
• Leron Black: 2 pts, 3 reb in 2014.
• Aaron Jordan: 0 pts, 2 reb in 2015.
• D.J. Williams: 0 pts, 0 reb in 2015.
Opening Tips
• Illinois carries a season-best five-game winning streak into Wednesday's final non-conference contest vs. Missouri, looking to win six straight for the first time since November 14-28, 2014.
• During its current win streak, Illinois is averaging 80.8 points (404) on 49.5 percent shooting (143-289), including 41.1 percent from 3-point range (39-95).
• Illinois has shot at least 50 percent from the field in six of its nine wins, and has made at least 50 percent during the second half in eight of nine victories.
• After posting an average victory margin of 20.0 points over its first eight wins, Illinois won its first close game of the season on Saturday against BYU, 75-73. The Illini improved to 25-13 all-time under Coach John Groce in games decided by five points or less.
• Tracy Abrams is averaging 15.8 points over the last five games (79), shooting 57.4 percent from the field (27-47) and 64 percent from 3-point range (16-25).
• Leron Black averaged 17.0 points (85) over a five-game stretch prior to BYU, scoring at least 15 points in all five contests. He was limited by foul trouble to only 16 minutes against the Cougars, taking just three shots.
Frontcourt Stepping Up
Illinois has received consistent production from its frontcourt rotation, with fours Leron Black and Michael Finke combining with fives Mike Thorne Jr. and Maverick Morgan to average 38.0 points on 61.1 percent shooting and 24.5 rebounds over the last two games.
Another Pro Sports Venue
Illinois' fifth game away from State Farm Center this season also will mark its fifth time playing in a professional arena. Prior to Wednesday's visit to Scottrade Center, home of the NHL's St. Louis Blues, the Illini faced West Virginia and Florida State at Barclays Center (Brooklyn Nets and New York Islanders), defeated VCU at AmericanAirlines Arena (Miami Heat) and most recently took down BYU at the United Center (Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks).
Age is Just a Number
Chicago native Tracy Abrams will suit up for his final Braggin' Rights game on Wednesday. The last time he was on the Scottrade Center court, he led Illinois to its first win over Missouri since 2008, scoring a team-high 22 points and hitting the winning free throws with 4.6 seconds left to give the Illini a 65-64 victory on Dec. 21, 2013.
The sixth-year point guard has overcome injuries that sidelined him for the entirety of back-to-back seasons. During his recovery, Abrams earned bachelor's and master's degrees and is now working on his second master's. He will turn age 25 on Feb. 6. Abrams is older than five Chicago Cubs who played in Game 7 of the World Series and helped his hometown clinch a world championship.
Player – Birth Date
Tracy Abrams – Feb. 6, 1992
Willson Contreras – May 13, 1992
Javier Baez – Dec. 1, 1992
Kyle Schwarber – March 5, 1993
Addison Russell – Jan. 23, 1994
Albert Almora Jr. – April 16, 1994
Note: Kris Bryant (born Jan. 4, 1992) is one month older than Abrams
Strong Scheduling
Illinois felt it had constructed a competitive non-conference schedule heading into the year, and with one game left before Big Ten play starts, numbers from the NCAA are showing that to be the case. Illinois currently ranks No. 17 overall in Strength of Schedule (SOS), with five of its 11 games against Div. I opponents ranking in the top 100 of the RPI. Illinois has the second-highest SOS nationally among Big Ten teams.
Notes from the Last Time Out: Illini 75, BYU 73 (Dec. 17)
• Illinois' winning streak has reached five games for the first time since Dec. 5-23 last season.
• The Illini led by as many as 16 points in the first half and did not trail for the final 37:09. The only BYU lead of the game was 5-4 at the 17:25 mark of the first half as the Cougars led for a total of just 16 seconds.
• Illinois' bench played a big role in the win, outscoring BYU's reserves 28-to-7. Maverick Morgan (14 points), Michael Finke (10), D.J. Williams (2) and Jaylon Tate (2) all contributed off the bench.
• Tracy Abrams led the team in scoring for the second straight game with 15 points, his seventh double-digit scoring effort of the season. Abrams scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half, including a steal and layup with 21 seconds left to put the Illini up five.
• Maverick Morgan posted his second career double-double with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting along with a career high-tying 10 rebounds.
• Malcolm Hill scored 10 points to reach double figures in each of the last six games and 10 of 11 games against Div. I opponents this season.
• With 10 points vs. the Cougars, Hill moved up one spot on the UI all-time scoring list. He finished the game with 1,461 career points to move past Dave Scholz (1,459) and into 14th place. Next up is D.J. Richardson, who scored 1,477 points from 2010-13.
» Complete Braggin' Rights Game Notes
