Mizzou Basketball Throttled by No. 13 Illinois in Braggin' Rights Game
ST.LOUIS, Mo. - The Al-Pacino-esque death stare that took over Dennis Gates' tense face displayed what Illinois' Quincy Guerrier put to words in his post-game press conference, "I thought the game was over by halftime to be honest."
Missouri had dug themselves into a 24-point hole before the end of the first period against No. 13 Illinois. The Enterprise Center started the game by housing a fair mix of Missouri and Illinois fans but by the end of it, it was mostly orange that remained as the Illini crushed the Tigers, 97-73.
12 games into the season, Missouri seems to be still searching for an identity. Gates has thrown a plethora of rotations on to the court but has yet to settle on a consistent lineup. Against Illinois, Gates' made a change to the starting-five by inserting freshman forward Trent Pierce in place of sophomore forward Aidan Shaw.
"Trent earned that spot," Gates said. "I thought he had a solid performance. Definitely looking forward to the growth that he'll have for the remainder of the season."
12 different Tigers saw playing time, with only three (Sean East II, Tamar Bates and Trent Pierce) scoring more than 8 points.
Illinois was able to find much more offensive success, with the trio of Terrence Shannon Jr., Guerrier and Coleman Hawkins combining for 73 points. Missouri's defense has now allowed 90 points in two straight performances. The 97 points from Illinois was the highest scored in the Braggin' Rights series since Missouri's thrilling 108-107 triple-overtime win in 1993.
Illinois' physical defense put together an elite performance, grabbing 51 rebounds compared to just 35 for Missouri. The shooting numbers for Missouri were less than ideal. The Tigers shot 39.4% from the field, 56.3% on free-throws and a horrific 22.2% from three. An early dry-spell quick turned into a drought when Illinois went on a 14-2 run in the middle of the first period.
Friday's loss served as an unfortunate reminder of the fact that Missouri is undergoing a transition year. Bridged between a 2022 team that wildly outperformed expectations and the promising future that lies ahead, the 2023 Missouri team seems to lack firepower. Last season, the Tigers escaped the non-conference schedule with only one loss to Kansas. After the loss to Illinois, however, the 2023 team now sits at 7-5.
Despite multiple rough losses early this season, Gates is still optimistic about the potential of this year's team.
"I truly believe that we have been going in the right direction," Gates said. "I'm not going to rip things apart or make these guys feel like something is wrong with them. It's a long season."
Missouri will return to Mizzou Arena next Saturday, December 30th to take on Central Arkansas. The Tigers will open SEC play on January 6th when they host Georgia.
