They envisioned orange uniforms, not gold ones.
Throughout high school, Javon Pickett, Mark Smith and Jeremiah Tilmon talked about suiting up together for Illinois, taking on opponents while representing their home state. All three committed to the Illini, and their paths looked set.
Missouri fans should be happy plans fell through. The once-Illini crew helped the Tigers (8-3) knock off Illinois 79-63 in the annual Braggin’ Rights game, and Pickett — the lowest-ranked recruit of the three — had the best game of his college career.
Pickett made his first seven shots and scored a career-high 16 points.