Pregame: Illinois vs Missouri, Saturday, December 22nd, 7:00pm CT, BTN

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#26      
The St. Louis Illini Club is hosting our annual pregame/during-game/postgame party downtown at the Tin Roof again this year: http://stlouisillini.org/bragginrights. Many people are saying a noteworthy bald alumnus will be making an appearance at about 5pm. (Not me, but also me.)

Ballpark Village is also fun, but I think that's where Mizzou is hosting their event, so be forewarned, etc.
 
#27      

Deleted member 746094

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Evansville - East Tennessee - UNLV - Mississippi Valley State. That's it. Those are our 4 wins this year. All were at home.

Tiggers 84
ILLINI 75

Mark Smith leads all scorers with 26. On the positive front, I still hold out hope that we pass Rutgers for 13th place in the Big 10.

Mizzou has beaten one good team in UCF and a decent Oregon State team. Other than that they have wins over Central Ark, Kennesaw St., Oral Roberts, and Old Dominion. I would bet the farm we are at least 6-3 against their schedule.

I think we frustrate the crap out of Mark Smith and give the Mizzou fans a sneak peak of how he will play against SEC level competition. Giorgi and Tilmon spend a lot of time on the bench which negates any front court advantage Tilmon may have provided. Trent and Kip combine for 55 points and Ayo has us talking triple double with a few minutes left to go.

ILL- 87
Mizzou- 78
 
#28      
Got tickets on the floor for the wife and I... leave for Mexico Sunday morning... sure will make the week of scuba diving and tequila on the beach a lot sweeter if we get our 6th in row!
Be prepared to drink a lot of tequila if we don't.
 
#29      
Scotttrade is not nearly as large as the United Center. it was recently upgraded but viewing angles and distances
are much better/closer than the UC. acoustics are better of you like loud!
 
#30      

skyIdub

Winged Warrior
Evansville - East Tennessee - UNLV - Mississippi Valley State. That's it. Those are our 4 wins this year. All were at home.

Tiggers 84
ILLINI 75

Mark Smith leads all scorers with 26. On the positive front, I still hold out hope that we pass Rutgers for 13th place in the Big 10.

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#31      
I will be there. Will be emotionally invested in this one. Must win for fan pysche this year. Otherwise, Eeyore's will be out in force.

A win against Mizzou would be a wonderful lift -really positive show of progress heading into the main part of the conference schedule.
 
#32      
Really think this game favors us....our frontcourt is learning and I would say is on the curve about where they should probably be being freshman. Kipper seems to have finally learned/accepted his role and seems to be "getting" it. Giorgi is way more than any of us could have hoped for...the guards are way better on our side imo....Smith will be exposed (dare I say intimidated by ours-wait to see Feliz get chest to chest to him). Hopefully Ayo will step it up, along with Frazier/Williams/Jordan, I don't see how Mizzery can cope to be honest?

83-67....ILLINI, the youngsters will understand the importance and rise to the challenge!
 
#33      
Hoping the refs let them play... if its touch fouls it will hurt us...

I would agree, however, they will be called for their share if it is a touch foul game...we have more even depth than they do imo.

Comparing players:

Tilmon vs Giorgi = Tilmon (giorgi can hang if he stays out of foul trouble)
Smith vs (any guard) = ILLINI, the kid is flat over rated and over his head...time will tell.
Puryear vs Nichols = Puryear, he will be the one to beat us imo if anyone does.
Geist vs Frazier/Ayo = ILLINI, Geist is not a creator really...favors our defensive pressure
Pickett vs Williams/Jordan = ILLINI, easily

Outside of the frontcourt, I don't see even if a game is called close how we don't win this one, and if the kids would learn the "killer" instinct, gas down all the way....then we win comfortably!
 
#34      

Deleted member 8213

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Be prepared to drink a lot of tequila if we don't.

I am always ready win or lose my friend!

But honestly I've said this before in previous years if I had to choose between winning every non-conference game and losing to Mizzou or the opposite, it would not be an easy choice for me. I grew up with this game. When I was about 10 years old mom got me a Mizzou t-shirt I wanted, they had Ricky Frazier, Stipo, and Sunvold and of course they were all over the STL news. My father was not happy and the next year he got us tickets to the Checkerdome to see the Illini with Bruce Douglas, Efrem Winters, and Doug Altenberger and we wore ORANGE for the W. Never missed a game after that. Fifteen years later during the Lon Kruger era after I was a U of I graduate, I was dating the woman who would become my wife and I invited her to the game. Her family is from mid Missouri and some work for the Mizzou in Columbia. She said "Oh sounds great, but I'm not sure if I will wear yellow or orange..." I said, "well you can wear whatever you want, but if you want the ticket for the seat next to me, you will be wearing orange." Last year was the first year I had missed since it started because our plane left out for Mexico the day before so we watched from a dive bar in Puerto Vallarta... this year I made sure we are leaving on the Sunday AFTER the game!
 
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#36      

CAHALL15

Central Illinois
Evansville - East Tennessee - UNLV - Mississippi Valley State. That's it. Those are our 4 wins this year. All were at home.

Tiggers 84
ILLINI 75

Mark Smith leads all scorers with 26. On the positive front, I still hold out hope that we pass Rutgers for 13th place in the Big 10.
Oral Roberts, Texas-Arlington, Oregon State, Kennesaw State, and Central Arkansas have been Missouri’s wins and all of them were at home.

We should get another W this year. Their guards suck and Tilmon really hasn’t taken a big step forward for them with Jontay out. 76-65 Illinois
 
#37      
I don't know how or why, but we'll win this one. Only game I was confident on before the year started.
 
#39      
If the ref call touch fouls, GB and Tilmon probably shouldn't bother taking off their warmup pants.
 
#40      

westms77

Gilbert, AZ
i just hope we play with the passion of a NCAA tourny game
 
#41      
...You always knew it was Christmas time when Santa Claus delivered presents, and Lou beat Norm at the Busch Braggin' Rights Game.
 
#42      

UofIChE06

Pittsburgh
barttorvik has UI at a 3 pt favorite. Kenpom should be about a pickem but don't have a sub to know for sure
 
#43      
Mizzou has beaten one good team in UCF and a decent Oregon State team. Other than that they have wins over Central Ark, Kennesaw St., Oral Roberts, and Old Dominion. I would bet the farm we are at least 6-3 against their schedule.

I think we frustrate the crap out of Mark Smith and give the Mizzou fans a sneak peak of how he will play against SEC level competition. Giorgi and Tilmon spend a lot of time on the bench which negates any front court advantage Tilmon may have provided. Trent and Kip combine for 55 points and Ayo has us talking triple double with a few minutes left to go.

ILL- 87
Mizzou- 78

Old Dominion just beat ‘Cuse at ‘Cuse. Oregon St just lost to a bad Texas A&M team in Portland though so this might be a wash.

I’ll agree with the previous posters. Illinois +2.5 looks about riight.
 
#44      
Their guards suck and Tilmon really hasn’t taken a big step forward for them with Jontay out.

Smith is close to 50% from 3 this year. Not sure who'll guard him, but gotta hopefully he's not feeling it Saturday.
 
#45      
Typed and hit backspace on a few comments. I think we'll contain him just fine.

Realtalk, though, our pressure defense seemed to catch Fizzou completely by surprise last year (do they not watch film?). As long as we continue to be able to run circles around their guards like we did last year, we'll be fine.
 
#47      
I do not recall, why was Mark Smith was granted immediate eligibility to play at Missouri?

Temple 19 pts 6 rebounds
Kansas St 11 pts 4 rebounds
Iowa St 15 pts 7 rebound

Interesting how a player like Smith can be a non-factor at one school, and a solid contributor at another.
 
#48      

alaaji

Morocco
I do not recall, why was Mark Smith was granted immediate eligibility to play at Missouri?

Temple 19 pts 6 rebounds
Kansas St 11 pts 4 rebounds
Iowa St 15 pts 7 rebound

Interesting how a player like Smith can be a non-factor at one school, and a solid contributor at another.

It could be the extra year of maturity or the different system or a combination of the two.
 
#49      

I Bomb

Stylin' and Profilin'
Smith is allowed to just chuck 3s now; must be the kind of system he was looking for. That, and apparently he's decided he can be bothered to rebound now.
 
#50      
barttorvik has UI at a 3 pt favorite. Kenpom should be about a pickem but don't have a sub to know for sure
A couple of days ago, Miznoz was rated 93 to our 94 on KenPom and they were a 1 point favorite.
Somehow, over the weekend, Miznoz moved to 95 vs our 94 and we are now a 1 point favorite.
I think I'll just sign on to your perspective and say that KenPom sees the game as pickem. (y)
 
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