Halftime Report
Illinois has overcome an early deficit to take the lead back in this one. They have jumped out to a quick 37-32 lead against Missouri.
If Illinois keeps playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 8-3 in no time. On the other hand, Missouri will have to make due with a 10-2 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Illinois Fighting Illini @ Missouri Tigers
Current Records: Illinois 7-3, Missouri 10-1
How To Watch
What to Know
Missouri has enjoyed a ten-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They and the Illinois Fighting Illini will compete for holiday cheer at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday at Enterprise Center. The Tigers are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 88.7 points per game this season.
Missouri’s season wasn’t pretty last year but it’s starting to look like struggles are in the rearview. They walked away with an 83-72 victory over Jax. State on Tuesday.
Among those leading the charge was Mark Mitchell, who had 18 points plus six assists and six rebounds. He has been hot recently, having also posted three or more blocks the last three times he’s played. Another player making a difference was Jacob Crews, who went 6 for 9 from beyond the arc en route to 19 points.
Meanwhile, Illinois entered their game against Tennessee last Saturday without any home losses, but there’s a first time for everything. Illinois lost 66-64 to Tennessee on a last-minute layup From Jordan Gainey. The matchup marked the Fighting Illini’s lowest-scoring match so far this season.
Illinois struggled to work together and finished the game with only six assists. That’s the fewest assists they’ve managed all season.
Missouri’s win was their tenth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-1. As for Illinois, their loss ended a six-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 7-3.
Keep an eye on the arc in Sunday’s contest: Missouri has made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 8.7 threes per game. However, it’s not like Illinois struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 10.6. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Missouri is hoping to beat the odds on Sunday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. They are a gamble against the spread as they sit with a 4-7 ATS record.
Odds
Illinois is a 3.5-point favorite against Missouri, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 3.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 156 points.
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Series History
Illinois has won 5 out of their last 9 games against Missouri.
- Dec 22, 2023 – Illinois 97 vs. Missouri 73
- Dec 22, 2022 – Missouri 93 vs. Illinois 71
- Dec 22, 2021 – Illinois 88 vs. Missouri 63
- Dec 12, 2020 – Missouri 81 vs. Illinois 78
- Dec 21, 2019 – Missouri 63 vs. Illinois 56
- Dec 22, 2018 – Missouri 79 vs. Illinois 63
- Dec 23, 2017 – Illinois 70 vs. Missouri 64
- Dec 21, 2016 – Illinois 75 vs. Missouri 66
- Dec 23, 2015 – Illinois 68 vs. Missouri 63
