Live from St. Louis
ST. LOUIS - The streak is over.
Missouri beat Illinois 81-68 at Scottrade Center on Wednesday, ending the Illini's record nine-game winning streak against the Tigers.
A crowd of 20,497 witnessed Missouri shut the door on Illinois and end a near-decade of St. Louis misery. Missouri's (8-3) players and coaches huddled around the Braggin' Rights trophy at center court - in Tiger paws for the first time since Quin Snyder and Lon Kruger were on the sideline - as black-and-gold fans threw an early holiday bash.
Illinois (8-4) has lost two straight for the second time and fell to 0-4 on neutral courts this season.
HQ Live Report - 12:16 left in the second half - Missouri 59, Illinois 46
-Consecutive three-pointers from Marcus Denmon put Missouri ahead by 11. JT Tiller's free throws made it a 13-point lead.
-Bruce Weber and the UI coaches were livid that Missouri's Justin Safford (a Bloomington product) was allowed to call timeout while falling out-of-bounds.
-The Illinois defense isn't good enough to stop Missouri right now.
-You can see that Mike Tisdale is being more aggressive on the boards.
Deadline approaching, working on tomorrow's stuff, back in a few.
Klee
HQ Live Report - Halftime - Missouri 41, Illinois 34
-Slow start, better finish for Illinois. Brandon Paul's five straight points - his first points of the game - cut a 12-point deficit to a seven-point deficit and curbed some of the momentum.
-Leading scorers: D.J. Richardson and Demetri McCamey with seven points for Illinois, English with 15 for Mizzou. The latter is one shy of his average.
-The turnovers are an issue for Illinois. That's 13 turnovers in the first 20 minutes, and they've had more than 15 in a game only once.
-Stephen Bardo is on the Illini Sports Network halftime show with Tate. Marcus Jackson is going to catch up with him in a minute.
-Longtime SIU play-by-play voice Mike Reis is in attendance. He worked with Weber during his time with the Salukis. Reis pointed out that Weber's best teams usually have been led by seniors. He said that was the case at Purdue and SIU. (The '04-05 being an exception.) Something to think about.
-This is the best rebounding effort Illinois has had this season. The edge is 21-11 and the Illini aren't allowing second-chance points. With Mizzou's limited frontcourt the height figured to be an advantage - and Mike Tisdale has seven of those boards. His parents, sitting behind us, are pleased with his first half.
-Illinois needs to make this more of a halfcourt game. Missouri is shooting 55 percent and getting too many open looks.
"When teams have gotten us out of that fast-paced game, we've struggled," English said Monday.
-D.J. Richardson and Demetri McCamey are giving each other a pep talk.
Back in a few.
Klee
HQ Live Report - 2:03 left in the first half - Missouri 38, Illinois 28
-They just showed Whitey Herzog on the video board. Somewhere, Mike Goebel just had a moment.
-Illinois is rattled. Missouri is attacking.
-Emailed question: "Paul, Do you think coach Weber is making a mistake by starting two raw freshmen? How would you compare DJ & Brandon with Dee, Deron, & James when they were freshmen starters?" -A.K., Crystal Lake, IL
The short answer: it's not a mistake because Brandon and D.J. are his second- and third-best guards. Those are his best options. At the start of the season he toyed with the idea of starting Legion over one of the freshmen but wanted to put his most effective players on the floor from the opening tip.
-English leads all scorers with 15 points. Illinois is doing an awful job of finding Missouri's best scorer. He just hit another three, but Weber and the UI coaches are all over the officials about what should have been an over-and-back violation.
Back in a few.
Klee
HQ Live Report - 5:36 left in the first half - Missouri 30, Illinois 28
-Tyler Griffey checked into the Braggin' Rights game with 7:57 remaining in the first half.
-D.J. Richardson is a tad hyped. He's gotten rattled by the pressure and his jumpers are long. Not so unexpected, this is the largest crowd he's played in front of.
-Mike Tisdale took another charge. Weber applauded. Mizzou's faithful didn't like the call and booed. Weber didn't applaud Tisdale's fouling of a three-point shooter.
-Fast, fast pace. For the first time in several years, Illinois doesn't shy from a faster pace.
-Missouri's cheerleaders won the hold-the-tiny-cheerleader-in-the-air contest. Marcus Jackson said it's called the "Liberty pose." I don't know why he knows that.
-Marcus Jackson also points out that both players wearing No. 3 have the last name "Paul" (Brandon and Miguel Paul) and both have mohawks.
Back in a few.
Klee
HQ Live Report - 9:52 left in the first half - Missouri 19, Illinois 15
-That last layup from Kim English took four seconds from basket-to-basket. The shot clock read "31" when the ball fell through the hoop. Illinois didn't get back quick enough. English has 10 points, and he's going to be an exceptional player as an upperclassmen.
-MB from Hoosierland checks in via email: "I seem to remember D.J. Richardson setting a goal to win the Matto. How's he doing?"
Brandon Paul leads the Matto rundown with 59 points. Demetri McCamey is second (55 points) and D.J. Richardson is third (53). Mike Tisdale is fourth (50) and Dominique Keller and Bill Cole are tied for fifth (41).
-The Matto chart isn't always the key in this matchup, however. Missouri won the Matto battle last season but was blown out on the scoreboard.
-Quick first half so far. Those on deadline appreciate Jim Burr's quiet whistle to this point.
Back in a few.
Klee
HQ Live Report - 12:12 left in the first half - Missouri 14, Illinois 11
-Illinois can't leave Kim English open. His name was a highlight in the scouting report, and he's averaging 16 ppg in just 22 mpg. The sophomore has a pair of three-pointers.
-Alex Legion checked in at 12:47. The reserves have been solid so far, with a tip-in from Keller and a jumper from Jeff Jordan.
-That's the first time Demetri McCamey has checked out of the game, at 12:24. I don't imagine he'll be sitting for long.
Back in a few.
Klee
HQ Live Report - 15:43 left in the first half - Illinois 9, Missouri 7
-Bruce Weber stuck with the McCamey, Richardson, Cole, Davis and Tisdale lineup out of the first media timeout.
-Demetri McCamey had eight straight points to put Illinois ahead. That's why we wrote this today - "Can Missouri stop Demetri McCamey?" His best half at Illinois was the first half against Mizzou last season, when he had 18 of his 20 points before intermission. If Brandon Paul is sidelined for a period of time, they're going to need another big one from McCamey.
-Brandon Paul just came out of the tunnel and returned to the Illinois bench He's seated four seats down from the coaches, with his right ankle heavily taped.
-Hectic pace to start this off. Too many turnovers for Bruce Weber's liking. Missouri has had fewer turnovers than its opponent in all 10 of its games.
Back in a few.
Klee
HQ Live Report - 18:37 left in the first half - Missouri 5, Illinois 0
-Brandon Paul subbed out at the 19:00 mark and immediately was led to the locker room by athletics trainer Al Martindale. It looked like an ankle and he was limping badly. We'll forward an injury update asap.
Back in a few.
Klee
HQ Live Report - Tipoff - Illinois vs. Missouri
-In Tuesday's Insider we wrote that Illinois had sold its allotment of tickets, and Missouri didn't request as many tickets as usual, so there were more available to the general public. It looks to be about 60-40 Illinois fans right now. That could change, but that's probably what to expect.
-Tyler Griffey's father, Chris, bought about 30 or so tickets for his son's return to the St. Louis area. This will be the sixth consecutive Braggin' Rights game Tyler has attended and, of course, his first as a player. As a recruit, he sat behind the Mizzou bench and the Illini bench, depending on which one was the home team.
-To answer Ted's email... UI assistant Jay Price always has the Mizzou scouting report.
-Dominique Keller, the lone scholarship senior, has taken over Chester Frazier's duties as the guy to get his teammates fired up in the pregame huddle. Chester can correct me on this - he's watching from Germany - but I think he used to spell "I-L-L-I-N-I" on the court in those huddles.
-Same starting lineup for Illinois: McCamey, Richardson, Paul, Davis and Tisdale.
Back in a few.
Klee
HQ Live Report - 40 minutes until tipoff - Illinois vs. Missouri
What's up everyone, Paul Klee and Marcus Jackson joining you from courtside at the Scottrade Center. We'll be here through the final buzzer with the HQ Live Report. Drop us a line with any questions or observations from the ESPN2 broadcast. Beth Mowins (play-by-play) and Steve Lavin (analysis/expert storyteller) are two seats to our left so we can pass it along.
A few items to get started...
-Here's a look at Demetri McCamey, who quietly is having an All-Big Ten-type season. Problem is, Meechi hasn't gotten the attention because Illinois has lost games it should win. Here's what others are saying. Click here.
-Missouri's leading scorer, Kim English, was an excellent interview. Astute observations from the sophomore. He also worked out with Chester Frazier - and Carmelo Anthony, Klee's NBA MVP to this point - in the offseason in Baltimore. Here's how English said the Tigers are approaching tonight's game. Click here.
-Here's Klee's online basketball chat from Tuesday. Variety of topics, and I always appreciate your questions. Click here.
-Might have some Twitter updates during the game. Follow us here.
-I'm told Missouri point guard Zaire Taylor (illness) is considered questionable for tonight's game. It's uncertain whether he will play.
-Stephen Bardo is in the house. The former Illini addressed the team this afternoon following its shootaround at Scottrade Center.
Back in a few.
Klee
I am watching this game w/my 10 year old son and we can't believe the lack of intensity and lack of urgency the Illini are showing in the braggin rights game. Really disappointing. Further, I can't believe how bad the point guard play is w/Jeff Jordan (picks up his dribble) and the incredible lack of toughness from Tisdale (how about a dunk or two). Really unnerving and shows this team won't go to far...
Well this coaching staff stinks, this team has more talent than Missouri and Georgia but they don't have any sense of style. NIT, NIT, NIT, NIT, remember fellow Illinifans this would make the third time in three years no NCAA tournament. Again, I will continue to pose this question on this website: What if the Illini dose not come back and beat Arizona in the Regional finals? How much room would we be giving this Weber DUD!
Danimal you are correct, this dude is over his head. Well, what is going on with Illini sports, especially the revenue sports (football and basketball)! Oh, Ron "sorry" Guenther, I will do some young kids a favor and give them my season tickets. Thanks for a great sports season Illini!
The N-G really needs to stop leading cheers and to start examining the problems within the sports programs and the athletic department as a whole. Twice in recent seasons, the beat writer/cheerleader has proclaimed the Illini to be world-beaters after the first game -- at home against an overmatched opponent.
Weber might be a good to excellent coach, but I think we see now he has some recruiting/player development issues that tend to surface too often for a major program. Yeah, the players play and need to do better to motivate themselves, but when the same pattern of inconsistency keeps surfacing in the same way with different groups of players, then the focus needs to go to the head of the bench.
Topot what do you knbow about Illini sports, I hate people like you who can hide behind a post and make comments without any merit! You wan merit Topot, since Weber has brought in his own recruits the Illini have lost in the first round of the NCAA's (barely made it), no Ncaa tournament, lost in the first round of the NCAA's again, and now it looks like NIT!
Topot what do you know about Illini sports, I hate people like you who can hide behind a post and make comments without any merit! You want merit Topot, since Weber has brought in his own recruits the Illini have lost in the first round of the NCAA's (barely made it), no Ncaa tournament, lost in the first round of the NCAA's again, and now it looks like NIT!
Can we bring back Lon Kruger or maybe, just maybe we can hire Jeff Caple from Oklahoma or Chris Collins (Duke assistant)! My brother once said about Bruce Weber, what does it mean, when your own brother can't/won't send his best player ever from his high school team to your college program (thanks bro)!
I am getting sooooooo tired of hearing all the excuses for Illini lifeless, indifferent playing and sorry losses. Either this Illini team is worse than mediocre and just not a good team, or the players are playing waaaaay below their talent and potential, which makes me ask, why play at all?
tmoney68: Thanks for all your brilliant insight. Firing coach Weber is a great idea:
Illinois is the 11th-winningest college basketball program in the nation during Weber's tenure.
Weber already ranks third on the Illinois career coaching wins list.
Weber owns the highest winning percentage of any coach in Big Ten history who has coached at least six seasons in the conference. His 152 wins, meanwhile, are the most in Big Ten history by a coach after his first six years.
Illinois now has two Big Ten Championships (2004, 2005) and two runner-up finishes (2006, 2009) during Weber's six seasons in Champaign-Urbana.
I'm sure your much more succesful at whatever you do for a living....
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