Scouting: Illinois @ Missouri

Posted December 22, 2009 10:00 pm

By Lindsey Willhite

Illinois (8-3) vs. Missouri (7-3)

When: 8:30 p.m. at Scottrade Center in St. Louis

TV: ESPN2

Radio: WIND 560-AM

The skinny: The Illini are 0-3 on neutral courts this season, which isn't necessarily important here. What does matter is the team's apparent inability to focus for more than a few minutes at a time. Their weakness shows up on the boards (where they lost by 8 against Georgia on Saturday) and in their willingness to take shots with a high degree of difficulty. Mizzou will test Illinois' ballhandlers as Mike Anderson's defense ranks second nationally with a 29.6 turnover percentage. Sophomore guard Kim English leads the Tigers with 16.1 points in just 22.1 minutes per game. Will Illinois' nine-year winning streak in this series come to an end? Jeff Sagarin's Predictor rankings say Mizzou is favored by 5.

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