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

3. Who will win the guard battle?

Each of these teams has guards that can change the outcome of the game within a matter of minutes. The key will be which star group can make the right plays to give their team the upper hand.

For Missouri, the Tigers are led by the aforementioned Illinois transfer Mark Smith. The leading scorer on the team at 12.9 ppg., Smith has been the go-to-guy so far this season. Along with leading the team in points, Smith is also leading the team in rebounds while shooting 40.9% from three.

Another guard, Dru Smith, is the second of the two lead guards for the Tigers. Smith makes up the only other scorer that averages double digits with 10.8 ppg. He is Missouri’s leading assister with 4.2 apg and is making his free throws at a 90% clip. These two guards will have a big task on their hand when matching up against three stellar guards for Illinois though.

The three-headed monster of the Illini consists of Andres Feliz, Ayo Dosunmu and Trent Frazier. These three guards make up three of Illinois’ four scorers that average double digits and are the top three assisters on the team.

Dosunmu is seen as the best, so good that he is a projected first-round pick in next year’s NBA Draft. Both Feliz and Frazier have their roles though, Feliz as a floor general and Frazier as a knockdown shooter. Together, these three combine to cover all the aspects needed in guard play in major college basketball.

If Mizzou is able to slow down all three of these guards then they will have a good chance to pull off the Braggin’ Rights win. If not, the Tigers’ chances drop dramatically as there is just too much talent on this Illini team to not play great defense.