CHAMPAIGN — One nonconference game remains on Illinois' schedule. It's a doozy and also just a taste of what the Illini will start seeing on a regular basis once Big Ten play starts.
Illinois (9-4) will play at No. 16 Missouri (10-1) at noon Friday in Columbia, Mo. It's the start of Braggin' Rights week, with the Illinois men's team set to face Missouri on Saturday night in St. Louis.
The Illini and Tigers have played regularly in baseball the past few seasons. Their softball teams played this past spring. A football showdown is back on the schedule — albeit nine years from now.