Game Information
Missouri Tigers (10-2) vs #18 Illinois Fighting Illini (8-3)
Time: 7pm CT Monday
How to watch: FS1
DraftKings Odds
Spread: Illinois -8.5
Total: 154.5
KenPom Projection
Illinois 84, Mizzou 77
Mizzou, Illinois Battle For Braggin’ Rights
Braggin’ Rights are on the line tonight as the Missouri Tigers and Illinois Fighting Illini renew their rivalry at Enterprise Center.
Missouri will be looking to take back the trophy after losing a tight game to Illinois last year, 80-77.
Tigers Need This One
This is always one of the biggest games on the calendar for the Tigers and their fans, but it takes on added importance this year. Mizzou has yet to post a Quad 1 or Quad 2 victory this season, losing at Notre Dame and against Kansas in Kansas City. The Tigers’ best win has come against an average-at-best Minnesota team, so it’s going to be an uphill climb to make the NCAA Tournament if Missouri can’t pull the upset tonight.
The Tigers haven’t played up to expectations either, as they have a losing record against the spread at 5-7.
Illinois Battle-Tested
While Missouri has mostly faced cupcake competition, Illinois has played an impressive schedule so far. The Illini have beaten ranked teams in Texas Tech and Tennessee and also picked up a Big Ten win against Ohio State. Their three losses have all come against ranked teams in Alabama, UConn, and Nebraska.
Illinois is an impressive 13th in the NET rankings, while Missouri comes in at #67.
My Pick
It’s quite clear that Illinois is a quality team, but the jury is still out on Missouri - and I have my doubts on how good the Tigers are.
Mizzou has been able to take care of weak competition in large part because of its length. One of the Tigers’ strengths is two-point field goal percentage (5th in the nation at 63.1%). However, that advantage will be neutralized tonight with Illinois being the second-tallest team in the country.
I think Missouri will struggle to keep up with an Illinois team that ranks 4th in the nation in offensive efficiency according to KenPom.
Give me the Illini by double digits.
Pick: Illinois -8.5 at -108 on DraftKings (bet to -9.5)
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Wednesday night on the STL Sports Central YouTube channel. Follow him on X @GamblingDads, and click here for his daily picks on all of our St. Louis area sports teams. Get Eric's picks for all sports by following him in the Action Network app with the username "esontag". Disclaimer