Illinois vs. Missouri: 3 keys to 2019-20 edition of Braggin’ Rights game

Illinois and Missouri are set to square off in St. Louis on Saturday, marking the 39th time the two teams will meet in this border rivalry.

Just ask anyone associated with Illinois or Missouri hoops, the biggest game of the year for both is when they play each other. The bitter rivals who will meet this weekend at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, have had differing seasons so far.

Don’t let the stats fool you though. Just like any other rivalry, stats and records go out the window for this game.

For Illinois, they are looking to finish off a December slate of major conference teams with a 2-2 record as a win against the Tigers would do just that. After letting games against Miami (FL) and Maryland slip away, the Illini bounced back with a top-5 win over Michigan last Wednesday and are looking to add another quality win to their resume.

The same cannot be said about Mizzou necessarily though. The Tigers have not lived up to expectations so far coming into this weekend with a 6-4 record. Their December has been significantly easier than that of their border rival but they are still 2-1 in the month with a bad loss to sub-.500 Big South member Charleston Southern. A win against Illinois would give a glimpse of hope to the Tigers and their fans, showing that maybe they can still be a tournament team that can play well through their conference slate during a down year for the SEC.

And yes, we all know that a rivalry game wouldn’t be a rivalry without smack talk and hatred toward the opposing side, but this year seems a little different. For Illini fans, there are two easy pieces of evidence when it comes to why they hate Mizzou so much.

Mark Smith and Jeremiah Tilmon.

For those of you not familiar with the situation, Smith (transferred) and Tilmon (decommitted) were both once a part of Illinois basketball’s future plans. Obviously, times have changed and they are now a part of the current in Columbia. It’s safe to say the boo’s during their introductions may be the loudest a fanbase is all day.

With all of this being said, let’s break down the three biggest keys that will determine the outcome of these bitter rivals.