Defense meets offense when the No. 16 Illinois Fighting Illini (8-3, 0-2 Big 10) welcome the Missouri Tigers (10-1) Thursday. Missouri edged past the UCF Knights 68-66 at FLA Live Arena on Saturday. With 17 points, Nick Honor was the scoring leader. D’Moi Hodge added 15 points.
Illinois won in dominating fashion on Saturday at State Farm Center, beating the Alabama A&M Bulldogs 68-47. Matthew Mayer had 21 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks to lead the team.
This marks the only meeting of the season between the teams. Illinois won the only matchup between the teams last season 88-63 at Enterprise Center in December 2021. Kofi Cockburn led the Fighting Illini with 25 points and 14 rebounds.
Jarron Coleman had 16 points in defeat. Hodge is averaging 16.4 points per game to lead the Tigers in scoring this season. Meanwhile, Kobe Brown is grabbing 5.7 rebounds per game, and Honor is dishing 3.3 assists.Terrence Shannon Jr.’s 17.8 points per game have powered the Fighting Illini on offense.
Coleman Hawkins is recording 6.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.The Tigers rank as the country’s sixth-best team in offensive efficiency, while the Fighting Illini are 16th in defensive efficiency.
The Fighting Illini have found success in the Tigers’ last 10 trips to Enterprise Center, winning six. In the last 10 games, Missouri is 9-1 with an average margin of +14.1 (87.5-73.4). Illinois has a 7-3 record over the last 10, scoring 77.2 points per game on average while holding opponents to 62.6 (+14.6 margin).
TIGERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Isiaih Mosley: 3.4 | 9.5 | -6.1
Points per game:
DeAndre Gholston: 12.8 | 10.0 | +2.8
FIGHTING ILLINI HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Dain Dainja: 10.0 | 15.5 | -5.5
Points per game:
Matthew Mayer: 12.6 | 9.2 | +3.4
Dain Dainja: 6.0 | 9.8 | -3.8
Rebounds per game:
Dain Dainja: 3.4 | 5.4 | -2.0
Assists per game:
Terrence Shannon Jr.: 1.4 | 2.7 | -1.3
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Missouri (+220)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
