Braggin' Rights Pregame: Illinois vs Missouri, Saturday, December 22nd, 5:00pm CT, ESPN2

[illiniobserver22]

Originally Posted by Cool Hand Luke

No he didn't. He totally didn't.

My bad, I mis-remembered, it was the elite 8 where they lost by 2 to Kansas, who won the championship. Still really impressive at a school like Davidson, who hadn't won a tourney game since 1969.

[Cool Hand Luke]

Yep. I remember watching that game and that tournament. Curry was absolutely unreal.

What I remember most from that game was the look of relief on old Bill's face when he finally broke through that Elite Eight barrier.

[jcgoldie]

Originally Posted by Illinoiss

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Gonzaga have 2 7ft along with Elias Harris?
Everyone was worried about him going off. I don't know the exact number but I don't think he scored double digits. I firmly believe we'll lock bowers down, cause turnovers and hit our open 3s. We've also played great in neutral sites along with being in small arenas. Scott trade center isn't all that big. I have a good feeling about this game

22 k for basketball is pretty big.

[carmelillini]

Originally Posted by ThreeInOne4Ever

I don't care what part of the state you hail from, if you've ever had an encounter with Missouri fans at the Braggin' Rights or Arch Rivalry game, you have every reason you'll ever need to mark this game as one of the biggest of the year. Even their "classy" fans smack of white trash and are incredibly obnoxious.

We are a house divided. I'm Illini grad and daughter is Mizzou alum. She was with us at the Braggin Rights game three years ago in black and gold. Some fat slob Illini fan was giving her a crude, classless hard time. I about busted the guy in the mouth but was held back. So don't talk to me about this being one sided. This fat "white trash" dude was pure Illini.

[dgcrow]

Originally Posted by carmelillini

We are a house divided. I'm Illini grad and daughter is Mizzou alum. She was with us at the Braggin Rights game three years ago in black and gold. Some fat slob Illini fan was giving her a crude, classless hard time. I about busted the guy in the mouth but was held back. So don't talk to me about this being one sided. This fat "white trash" dude was pure Illini.

Unfortunately, all teams have at least a few classless slobs who call themselves fans. I guess I'm old fashioned, but I have never understood why some people think that being a "fan" of a team must include trash-talking the fans of other teams. I've always believed that the very essence of good sportsmanship is respect for the other team--and their fans.

[Illinoiss]

Originally Posted by Archie

Gonzaga doesn't have a "big" that compares to Oriahki and Bowers.

Who on Illinois can lockdown Bowers?

Mclaurin?* Paul? Henry? Egwu? Langford? I think the zone will give them trouble getting it in the post.

[Illinoiss]

Originally Posted by jcgoldie

22 k for basketball is pretty big.

Damn really 22k? I've been to Scott trade for a Blues game and it seemed like a small arena. Didn't know it holds that many

[Botb9]

I don't think you have to really lock down Bowers. Keep everyone else in check. Shut down their guards. Bowers won't score 30 on his own.

[HeartofaChampion]

Originally Posted by Illinoiss

I think the zone will give them trouble getting it in the post.

The strategy vs. Gonzaga makes sense here, too.

[troyk]

Robert Archibald ‏@RobertArchibald #TBT Looking forward to seeing the #Illini hoist the trophy on Sat #BragginRights http://twitpic.com/bnp7o0

I'm guessing Arch ends up with 4 fouls from the stands.

[zoggle101]

Brown/Dixon > Brown but Brown is arguably as good as Dixon in my honest opinion. The kid was an elite prep player and if anyone can fill the shoes of a dynamic scorer like Michael Dixon Jr. its a guy like Brown not to mention he has plenty of help with guys like Pressey, Bell, and Ross in the backcourt. I'm excited to see the Tigers freshmen too. Negus Webster Chan has had a solid freshmen season and has number of starts. Stefan Jankovic, Ryan Rosburg, and big point guard Diminque Bull round out their 12 class.

[Ransom Stoddard]

Originally Posted by troyk

Robert Archibald ‏@RobertArchibald #TBT Looking forward to seeing the #Illini hoist the trophy on Sat #BragginRights http://twitpic.com/bnp7o0

I'm guessing Arch ends up with 4 fouls from the stands.

And Augie gets 3 without even being in the building.

[jhayton]

Originally Posted by Illinoiss

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Gonzaga have 2 7ft along with Elias Harris?
Everyone was worried about him going off. I don't know the exact number but I don't think he scored double digits. I firmly believe we'll lock bowers down, cause turnovers and hit our open 3s. We've also played great in neutral sites along with being in small arenas. Scott trade center isn't all that big. I have a good feeling about this game

The 2 7 ft's combined for 25 and 13 and Harris went for 15 and 9. If they had stayed with what was working instead of trying to beat us off the dribble we would have had trouble on our hands.

JG saved our bacon by being flexible and switching defenses to keep them off balance. I am not saying that that won't work again, but Mizzou has had that film for almost 2 weeks to study.

If Haith is half the coach that JG is then he will have a plan to exploit our Hack'a'Shaq bigs defensive mentality. I also believe that JG will have a plan to make the whole thing work out in our favor.

What concerns me most is the fact that their guards will not be overmatched like GU's was. Can we beat a team that we don't have a dramatic edge on, on the perimeter? That will be the question we need to answer.

[illiniguy24]

I went to the Braggin' rights game a few years back when we played awful, but still kept it some what competitive. I don't think this Mizzou team will be ready for our new sense of energy and similar up-tempo pace. They will be used to the old BW ways, any old scouting report they had from when they played them can be thrown out the window IMO. I wouldn't be surprised if we come out and take an early 10 point lead before they realize this is a revived team. I can't wait for this one, its time they remember who wears the pants in this relationship!

[jrichisamazing]

Turnovers could be a big factor in this game. We have won the turnover battle in almost every game this year haven't we? Also turnovers lead to fastbreak points and that is what gets the fans to really get loud, especially dunks. I used to think dunks were just a flashy way of getting 2 points but going to this rivalry game the past couple of years made me realize that they can be very important. Whoever gets more turnovers=fast break pts will get their crowd into it more, which creates momentum, which pumps the team and makes them play at a higher level.

Remember the Ga tech game when Bertrand had that rediculous and-1? That got the Hall up and loud and we cruised to a victory because of that play.

[saltygrapes]

Originally Posted by zoggle101

Brown/Dixon > Brown but Brown is arguably as good as Dixon in my honest opinion. The kid was an elite prep player and if anyone can fill the shoes of a dynamic scorer like Michael Dixon Jr. its a guy like Brown

Dixon is a senior who averaged 13.5 ppg on 49% shooting last season. Dixon is a dynamic and efficient scorer. Brown is a Freshman who has played a total of 3 games in his college career.

Dixon >>>>>>> Brown. Maybe in 3 years that won't be the case, but right now it is.

Originally Posted by zoggle101

not to mention he has plenty of help with guys like Pressey, Bell, and Ross in the backcourt. I'm excited to see the Tigers freshmen too. Negus Webster Chan has had a solid freshmen season and has number of starts. Stefan Jankovic, Ryan Rosburg, and big point guard Diminque Bull round out their 12 class.

He really hasn't. He's averaging 6 points on 34.5% shooting, 69% from the free throw line. 32% from three. He's been horribly inefficient and inconsistent scoring the ball.

He has shown flashes though. He rebounds well, he's shown an ability to pass the ball well, and with experience he will be a good player for them. Right now though, he's not great.


Bowers and Pressey run that Missouri team. Oriakhi takes up space, defends the paint, rebounds, and scores off of layups. Their wings are inefficient and have been mediocre. If Illinois can keep Bowers in check and Missouri off the glass reasonably well, I expect them to win. Missouri has not been a very good scoring team against better teams.

[drumanimal]

I honestly hope we see another Flyin' Bertrand repeat performance from last year. I think we can win this one. Can't wait til game time.

[zoggle101]

Originally Posted by saltygrapes

Dixon is a senior who averaged 13.5 ppg on 49% shooting last season. Dixon is a dynamic and efficient scorer. Brown is a Freshman who has played a total of 3 games in his college career.

Dixon >>>>>>> Brown. Maybe in 3 years that won't be the case, but right now it is.



He really hasn't. He's averaging 6 points on 34.5% shooting, 69% from the free throw line. 32% from three. He's been horribly inefficient and inconsistent scoring the ball.

He has shown flashes though. He rebounds well, he's shown an ability to pass the ball well, and with experience he will be a good player for them. Right now though, he's not great.


Bowers and Pressey run that Missouri team. Oriakhi takes up space, defends the paint, rebounds, and scores off of layups. Their wings are inefficient and have been mediocre. If Illinois can keep Bowers in check and Missouri off the glass reasonably well, I expect them to win. Missouri has not been a very good scoring team against better teams.

Have you watched Brown play? Kid's an elite athlete who gets after it at both ends of he court. It's arguable that he is better than Dixon right now with more upside. Brown is actually a sophomore for those wondering.

A freshman playing 30 mpg with a few starts on a top 15 isn't solid? I don't know what is? I never even made it seem like nor suggested he was a one and done kid. He's he fifth option on the floor even with he second unit but obviously does a lot of the little things right.

Thanks for letting us in on Missouri but you do realize there has been hype behind them all season with several national articles written about this years team for weeks now.. I started hyping them up right after they added Mr. Oriaki from UCONN.

If you're going to share knowledge try to do it with teams unlike Gonzaga and Missouri who don't have a ton of information out there about them already.

My biggest miss has been USC but I'm pretty sure I had the whole college basketball community buying into that uncalled for hype: The Trojans have sucked so far this year and I was expecting more out of Ari Srewart, JT Terrell and Aaron Fuller. Stewart and Terrell were as good as current Demon Deacon duo Travis Mckie and CJ Harris. O'Neil is doing a horrible job out there.

Purdue still has time but it looks like they won't finish ahead of the Aaron White along with Roy Devin Marble lead Hawkeyes. I called Marble being their go to guy BEFORE the season started.

UNC, Texas, W. Va, Stanford, UCLA, Baylor, and FSU are all teams who can get where I thought they'd be by the end of conference. I'll say 5 in that group will be dancing with six possible. I will back off the Bruins and Tar Heels elite talk but boh teams are more Han capable of competing in the second tier of college basketball. I'll throw Baylor, Kentucky, and NC state in there too along with us, Gonzaga, UNLV, plus a few others.

Can we beat Missouri? Yes, but Brown more than makes up for the loss of Michael Dixon Jr IMHO. Like I said, it was supposed to be a gimme last year because they lost Bowers last season killing their interior depth. It didn't matter and we lost.

[WesterveltVictoryCigar]

Originally Posted by zoggle101

It's arguable that he is better than Dixon right now with more upside.

No one in their right mind would argue this. Dixon was the B12 6th man of the year and averaged double figures for the past 2 seasons with a 2:1 A/TO ratio. Meanwhile, Brown's played a grand total of 3 college games.

[mattcoldagelli]

Somebody really needs to start tracking zoggle's "calls"

[ChiTownIllini22]

Originally Posted by zoggle101

Have you watched Brown play? Kid's an elite athlete who gets after it at both ends of he court. It's arguable that he is better than Dixon right now with more upside. Brown is actually a sophomore for those wondering.

A freshman playing 30 mpg with a few starts on a top 15 isn't solid? I don't know what is? I never even made it seem like nor suggested he was a one and done kid. He's he fifth option on the floor even with he second unit but obviously does a lot of the little things right.

Thanks for letting us in on Missouri but you do realize there has been hype behind them all season with several national articles written about this years team for weeks now.. I started hyping them up right after they added Mr. Oriaki from UCONN.

If you're going to share knowledge try to do it with teams unlike Gonzaga and Missouri who don't have a ton of information out there about them already.

My biggest miss has been USC but I'm pretty sure I had the whole college basketball community buying into that uncalled for hype: The Trojans have sucked so far this year and I was expecting more out of Ari Srewart, JT Terrell and Aaron Fuller. Stewart and Terrell were as good as current Demon Deacon duo Travis Mckie and CJ Harris. O'Neil is doing a horrible job out there.

Purdue still has time but it looks like they won't finish ahead of the Aaron White along with Roy Devin Marble lead Hawkeyes. I called Marble being their go to guy BEFORE the season started.

UNC, Texas, W. Va, Stanford, UCLA, Baylor, and FSU are all teams who can get where I thought they'd be by the end of conference. I'll say 5 in that group will be dancing with six possible. I will back off the Bruins and Tar Heels elite talk but boh teams are more Han capable of competing in the second tier of college basketball. I'll throw Baylor, Kentucky, and NC state in there too along with us, Gonzaga, UNLV, plus a few others.

Can we beat Missouri? Yes, but Brown more than makes up for the loss of Michael Dixon Jr IMHO. Like I said, it was supposed to be a gimme last year because they lost Bowers last season killing their interior depth. It didn't matter and we lost.

Do you want a cookie or something?

[Botb9]

Now that Joe Strauss has gone from beat writer to columnist for the STL P-D, he's decided to throw out a few words of his own.

We need a game that has alternately served as referendum, Broadway play, harbinger and outlier. We need Norm Stewart stomping at midcourt at the old Arena in 1993, spewing bile with no time on the clock and the Fighting Illini at the line in a game the Tigers won (or stole) in triple overtime.

We need Quin Snyder leaving the court head down at halftime in December 2005, offering a perfect target for some disenchanted fan of the black and gold to dump a tub of buttered popcorn on the well-coiffed coach.

We need Stewart refusing to send his team onto the court because he was convinced the Illini’s Lou Henson had exercised his prerogative as the “home” coach to give the Tiger players leaden balls for the pregame shootaround.

Most of all, we need to start divining what is real and what is imagined in the make-believe December world of college basketball.

Joe Strauss

[Illini1324]

Originally Posted by ChiTownIllini22

Do you want a cookie or something?

:laugh: Thank You

[WizardBill]

Originally Posted by ChiTownIllini22

Do you want a cookie or something?

I love http://www.IllinoisLoyalty.com

However, there are two problems that I have, and this above is one of them.

First, I love BTF! He has some very good information. When he is wrong, he is blasted until tomorrow by people who have no information, but point out that he is wrong.

Second, people complain about others pointing out when they are right.

Sheesh. Can't win. You are wrong, you get blasted. You point out when you are right, you get blasted.

[trevdv]

ESPN's Weekend Watch

We're getting even more national respect today, as both ESPN and Fox Sports released their games of the weekend, with Illinois-Mizzou clocking in at #1 in both.

You have to respect the Illini right now. How can you not? They've played great. I understand the reasons for skepticism, namely the way they score (shoot a lot of 3s, make a lot of 3s), but right up until we see the Illini go completely cold in a sample size that means something, you have to give them credit.

http://espn.go.com/ncb/notebook/_/pa...0221/dec-21-23