It’s that time of the year again. We are two months into the college basketball season and the Braggin’ Rights game is almost here. This rivalry between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Missouri Tigers started in 1932 in Columbia and has been played 53 times since then. This Sunday, December 22nd, the Fighting Illini and the Tigers face off at their neutral site, the Enterprise Center. The current record of this rivalry has Illinois in front with 34 wins and Missouri with 20. Last year during the 2023-24 season, the Fighting Illini destroyed the Tigers by 26, with a final score 97-63. This Illini team was supported by Terrance Shannon Jr who scored 30 points. However, this rivalry is always unpredictable. Even recently in 2022, the Missouri Tigers faced off against #16 Illinois, and on paper, it looked like the Illini would win, but that was not the case. Missouri did what nobody was expecting and dominated Illinois by 22 points. In this game, Kobe Brown led the Tigers in scoring 31 points. Both teams have had great seasons, and unlike previous years, this year’s matchup looks like it could be very close.
Missouri is coming off of a great win against the Kansas Jayhawks with a score of 76-67. This was an important win for the Tigers, considering Kansas was the #1 ranked team in the nation and they had only accomplished one win against the Jayhawks since 2009. Tamar Bates scored 29 points to help the Tigers lead by as much as 24 points in the second half and ultimately win by nine. Bates is the current highest scorer for Missouri, averaging 14.1 points per game. In this upcoming battle, Bates will be a good test for the Fighting Illini defense.
On the other hand, the frontrunner in scoring for the Fighting Illini is Kasparas Jakucionis. Jakucionis is averaging 16.1 points per game and has helped Illinois amass an impressive season so far. The Illini have notable victories against #19 Arkansas and #20 Wisconsin. They have also put up two great fights against top 10 opponents. The outcome of these games have ended in a devastating loss at the buzzer in a close game against #1 Tennessee and a 13-point loss to #7 Alabama. In my opinion, these tough losses stem from the lack of collegiate experience from the players on this team. The average starting lineup for Illinois consists of three freshmen. Likewise, only two players from last year’s Sweet Sixteen Illinois team returned to play this year. It seems that Illinois Head Coach Brad Underwood has had trouble developing chemistry between his players. Even though Illinois lost some difficult games, they looked like a very talented team that could give the Tigers some serious trouble.
In contrast to Illinois, Missouri has not had as impressive of a season. They have only faced two ranked opponents. These opponents include #21 Memphis, who came back from double digits to beat Missouri, and #1 Kansas who the Tigers embarrassed in a nine-point win.
The current spread of this year’s Braggin’ Rights game projects the Fighting Illini by 6. I believe that the Illini will win this matchup and cover the spread with a score of 90-79. Who do you think will win?
