Braggin' Rights: Illini vs Mizzou

Eamonn: Here's my thing with Illinois: 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.

The same goes for Brandon Paul. Do I know if a guy who has struggled with efficiency his entire career can sustain a suddenly POY-level performance? No. But if he does, at some point we have to stop asking the question.

In any case ... that game is tough to predict. Jabari Brown represents a major X factor for Missouri. Frank Haith has been singing his praises already.

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