The Missouri Tigers welcomed their rival, No. 6 Illinois, to Mizzou Arena and delivered a gritty performance for their first victory over a team ranked in the Top 10 since 2014.
Both teams got off to a good start in the first half. There might not have been many fans in the arena, but the players provided all the energy needed. A quick-paced game that featured up-and-down fastbreak play had the game deadlocked at nine early.
With around 12 minutes to play in the half, Jeremiah Tilmon picked up his second foul, and in a close game, Cuonzo Martin had to figure out how he would defend the Illini star Kofi Cockburn without his best defender inside.