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As we mentioned in this morning's podcast, tonight's Braggin' Rights game is getting A LOT of hype. I don't know if it has more to do with the relative disappointing seasons that both football teams have had or the surprisingly good starts by both basketball teams. Probably a combination of the two. But I, and some TB posters, are having a hard time remembering the last time we were this jacked for a basketball game.
And as we also talked about during the podcast (you really should just listen to it, seriously go ahead, you can find it a couple inches below this post or right here) this is going to be the Tigers last chance to really prove themselves against a semi-legit team until late January when they travel to Okie St. If we lose then we're going to have to wait awhile before the Vitales and Katzs start giving us some love.
So this game is big for a number of reasons. If Mizzou wins then we could realistically be looking at a 17-1 start. I know the Tigers' schedule gets real brutal toward the end of the year, but it would take quite a collapse to miss the Tourney after starting 17-1.
I don't want to make too much out of this game because if the Tigers do lose the season is hardly over. But the last few years this game really has set the tone for the rest of the season:
2007: Maybe the sloppiest game in Braggin' Rights history (seriously, no one deserved to win this game). I thought the Tigers were a Tournament team going into the season but they suffered a couple tough losses early on to Cal and Michigan St. I still had hope before this game but afterward I started thinking the Tigers might be in for a long year.
2006: Highly competitive and well-played game. Great effort by the Tigers but they eventually came up just short when Stefhon Hannah turned the ball over on the last play of the game. Too often down the stretch of this game I thought we just gave the ball to Hannah and watched while he tried to create his own shot (that's a knock on the team, not Stef). Entertaining game that ultimately left us a little disappointed and thinking that good things might be right around the corner. Much like the entire 06-07 season.
2005: The infamous 82-50 massacre. Maybe the lowest point of the Quin Snyder era. If you didn't think Quin was on his way out before this game you definitely did after it.
So this may not be the BIGGEST game of the year, but it is indeed big. I think the key player in this game is going to be Illini point guard Overweight Dee Brown (aka Chester Frazier). I don't really know why but I've never been able to stand this guy. It's probably because he usually plays about 40 minutes against us and plays like crap for 38 of them but then hits a backbreaking 3-pointer in the final two minutes.
Anyways, Chester has committed 16 turnovers over the last five games against powerhouses like Chicago St., Detroit and Hawaii. Demetri McCamey has also been a turnover machine this season. This might be a game where Matt Lawrence's minutes are limited regardless of whether or not his jumper is falling because we need to be able to put all kinds of pressure on these guys. Zaire Taylor, J.T. Tiller, Kim English, Miguel Paul and Marcus Denmon better be licking their chops.
Free throws are also going to be HUGE. We need to shoot at least 75 percent from the line because this thing is bound to be close. If we can do that and force 15+ turnovers I think we win this thing and party like it's 1999.
PREDICTION: MIZZOU 78 ILLINOIS 69
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