University of Illinois
Missouri
Braggin' Rights at Stake Sunday in St. Louis
December 19, 2024 | Men's Basketball
PREVIEW
| ILLINOIS (7-3, 1-1 B1G) vs. Missouri (10-1) | |
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| Event | McBride Homes Braggin' Rights |
| Date | Time | Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024 | 12 p.m. CT |
| Location | St. Louis, Mo. | Enterprise Center |
| Buy Tickets | Ticketmaster.com |
| TV | ESPN (Tom Hart & Daymeon Fishback) |
| Live Stream | espn.com/watch | ESPN App |
| Radio | Busey Bank Illini Sports Network | Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 146 or 195, SXM App 957 |
| Live Stats | Statbroadcast.com |
| Printable Notes | Illinois | Missouri |
| Pregame Press Conference | Coach Underwood (Dec. 21) |
| 2024-25 Stats | Illinois | Missouri |
| Record Book | Illinois |
| Shop | Online Store | Auctions |
| Social Media | @IlliniMBB  | #Illini | @IlliniMBB  | Facebook  | YouTube  |
| PROBABLE STARTERS (Based on previous game) | |||||||||
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG | Note |
| G | 32 | Kasparas Jakucionis | 6-6 | 205 | Fr. | 16.1 | 6.1 | 5.6 | Last 5 games: 22.0 p / 6.2 r / 4.6 a / 50% 3FG |
| G | 4 | Kylan Boswell | 6-2 | 205 | Jr. | 10.1 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 12.3 ppg over last 7 games |
| G | 22 | Tre White | 6-7 | 210 | Jr. | 9.1 | 5.0 | 0.8 | Season-high 23 points vs. #20 Wisconsin |
| F | 3 | Ben Humrichous | 6-9 | 225 | Gr. | 8.3 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 2.1 3-pointers/game (8th in Big Ten) |
| C | 13 | Tomislav Ivisic | 7-1 | 255 | So. | 14.2 | 9.7 | 1.5 | 5 double-doubles (9th in NCAA / 1st in Big Ten) |
| OFF THE BENCH | |||||||||
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG | Note |
| F | 0 | Carey Booth | 6-10 | 215 | So. | 2.0 | 1.3 | 0.1 | Four of five field goals are 3-pointers |
| G | 2 | Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn | 6-1 | 185 | So. | 5.3 | 1.6 | 0.1 | Career-high 21 points vs EIU |
| G | 5 | AJ Redd | 6-3 | 170 | Jr. | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | Former team manager turned walkon |
| F | 7 | Will Riley | 6-8 | 195 | Fr. | 13.5 | 4.2 | 1.7 | 4 games of 10+ points and 5+ rebounds |
| F | 15 | Jake Davis | 6-6 | 205 | So. | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.4 | Season-high 4 rebounds vs. UMES |
| F | 21 | Morez Johnson Jr. | 6-9 | 255 | Fr. | 4.6 | 6.2 | 0.3 | 2.3 offensive rebounds/game (5th in Big Ten) |
| G | 24 | Keaton Kutcher | 6-2 | 195 | r-Jr. | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | Scored first Illinois points vs. SIUE |
| REDSHIRT (Averages from 2023-24 season) | |||||||||
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG | Note |
| G/F | 20 | Ty Rodgers | 6-6 | 210 | Jr. | 6.2 | 5.3 | 2.0 | Started all 38 games last season |
| F | 31 | Jason Jakstys | 6-10 | 210 | Fr. | -- | -- | -- | Third-Team All-State |
Head Coach Brad Underwood
Career Record: 259-118 (.687), 12th year
At Illinois: 150-91 (.622), 8th year
Big Ten: 81-59 (.579)
Series History vs. Missouri
All-Time Record / Streak: Illinois leads, 34-20 / Illinois W-1
Last Meeting: #13 Illinois 97, Missouri 73 (12/22/2023 in St. Louis)
Record in St. Louis / Streak: Illinois leads, 27-15 / Illinois W-1
Underwood vs. Missouri: 3-4
Opening Tips
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The 44th edition of the McBride Homes Braggin' Rights between Illinois and Missouri is set for Sunday afternoon at Enterprise Center in St. Louis (12 p.m. CT / ESPN).
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The Illini are looking for back-to-back Braggin' Rights victories for the first time since a stretch of five straight wins over Mizzou from 2013 through 2017.
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Illinois returns just two of 97 points scored and four of 200 minutes played from last year's Braggin' Rights victory.
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Sunday's matchup with Missouri is Illinois' first game in eight days, following the team's 66-64 loss at the buzzer to No. 1-ranked Tennessee on Dec. 14, and its only contest in a 14-day period before the team's final game of the 2024 calendar at sold-out State Farm Center vs. Chicago State on Dec. 29.
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Illinois is No. 15 in the NCAA NET rankings through games played Dec. 17. The Illini rank third in the Big Ten.
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The Fighting Illini are 1-2 away from State Farm Center, including a 1-1 mark in neutral-site contests with a 100-87 loss to then-No. 8 Alabama on Nov. 20 in Birmingham, and a 90-77 victory on Thanksgiving Day vs. then-No. 19 Arkansas in Kansas City.
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Following the Illini's 66-64 setback vs. No. 1 Tennessee in their last outing, the Orange and Blue are now 1-2 vs. SEC foes this year. Missouri – which is receiving votes in this week's AP top 25 on the heels of a 10-game winning streak – is the fourth SEC team Illinois will face during non-conference play. The Illini met an additional SEC opponent prior to the regular season, traveling to Ole Miss for a charity exhibition game on Oct. 27.
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Illinois is the winningest team in the Big Ten since 2019-20, registering a 70-32 (.686) mark in league play. And when including the conference tournament, the Illini have a league-best 76 wins during this time span. The Illini won the 2024 Big Ten Tournament championship as the #2 seed, captured the regular season championship in 2022, and led the conference in wins while adding a B1G Tournament crown in 2021.
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Head coach Brad Underwood has also led Illinois to the Big Ten's best road record since the start of the 2019-20 season. During that span, the Illini are 29-22 (.569) in conference road matchups, and have finished .500 or better in four of the last five seasons.
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Illinois' victory over No. 20 Wisconsin on Dec. 10 marked the 150th victory of Brad Underwood's Illini tenure. In his eighth season in Champaign, Underwood now ranks fifth on the Illinois all-time coaching wins list, and is just one win away from a tie for fourth place.
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Underwood has led the Fighting Illini program to AP Top-25 rankings in six consecutive seasons. The Illini are receiving votes in the latest AP and coaches polls released Monday.
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Following the 2024 Elite Eight appearance and Big Ten Tournament Championship, Illinois has a dramatically different roster this season. The program returns just one rotation player – last year's ninth-leading scorer Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn – and returns just 2.9% of its minutes, 2.2% of its points, and 2.0% of its rebounds overall
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Newcomers to the Illini roster have accounted for 93.2% of the team's scoring so far (783 of 840 total points), with UI freshmen accounting for 43.7% of those points (342).
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Illinois' top three scorers and rebounders are all in their first year of collegiate basketball. Freshman G Kasparas Jakucionis ranks first in scoring (16.1 ppg) and third in rebounding (6.1 rpg). Sophomore C Tomislav Ivisic nearly averages a double-double at 14.2 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Freshman F Will Riley is the Illini's No. 3 scorer at 13.5 points per game. And Freshman F Morez Johnson Jr. ranks second on the team at 6.2 rebounds per game.
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Illinois has nine newcomers among its 10-man playing rotation. The Illinois lineup features seven underclassmen: three freshman and four sophomores.
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Kasparas Jakucionis has scored 20+ points in five consecutive games, the first Illini freshman to do so in program history. Over that span, he is averaging 22.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game while knocking down 17 3-pointers at a 50.0% clip.
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Jakucionis is the fifth freshman of the Brad Underwood Era to record at least five total 20-point games in his rookie season, joining Ayo Dosunmu (7 in 2018-19), Trent Frazier (5 in 2017-18), Giorgi Bezhanishvili (5 in 2018-19), and Kofi Cockburn (5 in 2019-20).
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Illinois leads the Big Ten and ranks among the NCAA leaders in: 3-point attempts per game (5th in NCAA, 32.7), total rebounds per game (2nd, 45.6), defensive rebounds per game (2nd; 32.2), offensive rebounds per game (46th, 13.4), field goal percentage defense (8th; .369), and 3-point percentage defense (8th; .264). The Illini also rank second in the Big Ten in rebounding margin (8th in NCAA; +11.3), 3-pointers made per game (21st; 10.6), and free-throw attempts per game (23rd; 25.3).
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KenPom.com ranks the Illini 16th in adjusted efficiency rating (+22.06). Illinois is one of 14 programs nationally to rank in the top 35 in both defensive efficiency (13th, 95.1) and offensive efficiency (31st, 117.2)
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According to KenPom, the Illini rank seventh nationally, and third among Power Conference programs, with a 3-point attempt rate (3-point attempts/total field goal attempts) of 51.6%. The Illini boast the best overall offensive efficiency rating (117.2) among the top 25 programs in 3-point attempt percentage.
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The Illini's scoring average of 84.0 ppg is the team's highest since the 1993-94 Illini also averaged 84.0 ppg.
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Illinois' scoring margin of +19.4 points per game is on pace for the No. 2 mark in program history. The 1942-43 Illini outscored opponents by 20.6 points per game. The team's top mark since 1960 is +15.9 set in 2004-05.
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Illinois ranks second nationally in rebounding at 45.6 boards per game, on pace for the program's best average in 53 seasons, since posting 48.0 rebounds per contest in 1971-72. The Orange and Blue have outrebounded their opponents in nine of 10 games this season.
McBride Homes Braggin' Rights Facts & Figures
Braggin' Rights Series Record: Illinois leads 27-16
Record in St. Louis: Illinois leads 27-15
Current Streak: Illinois W-1
Illinois when ranked: 14-8
Missouri when ranked: 6-10
When both teams are ranked: Illinois leads 6-3
When neither team is ranked: Illinois leads 9-5
In overtime games: Tied 2-2
At Enterprise Center (1994-): Illinois leads 18-11
At The Arena (1980-93): 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: 22 points (2022)
Closest margin: 1 point, five times (1992, 1993, 2003, 2007 and 2013)
Illinois Scoring Record: 36, Ayo Dosunmu (2020)
Missouri Scoring Record: 31, Kobe Brown (2022)
Illinois Rebounding Record: 14, Kofi Cockburn (2021)
Missouri Rebounding Record: 15, Doug Smith (1990)
Attendance Record: 22,484 (1999)
Braggin' Rights All-Time Results
| 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 |
| Dec. 21, 2016 | Illinois 75, Missouri 66 |
| Dec. 23, 2017 | Illinois 70, Missouri 64 |
| Dec. 22, 2018 | Missouri 79, Illinois 63 |
| Dec. 21, 2019 | Missouri 63, Illinois 56 |
| Dec. 12, 2020 | Missouri 81, #6 Illinois 78 (@Columbia, Mo.) |
| Dec. 22, 2021 | Illinois 88, Missouri 63 |
| Dec. 22, 2022 | Missouri 93, #16 Illinois 71 |
| Dec. 22, 2023 | #13 Illinois 97, Missouri 73 |
