Missouri finds Illinois wearing a lofty ranking

ST. LOUIS -- No poll is necessary for Quin Snyder, who knows what Missouri is up against when it faces top-ranked Illinois tonight.

Even if they weren't No. 1, the Illini have won four straight in the 24th annual neutral-site game against the Tigers. And, according to the Missouri coach, they're playing like the top team in the country heading into the game.

"Our guys have seen them a lot already," Snyder said. "They've seen how they've blitzed teams, good teams. For us to have an opportunity to be in that game or win that game, we've got to be unbelievably hungry and we've got to probably be close to perfect, as good as they are."

Illinois (10-0) has beaten its opponents by an average of nearly 22 points, is shooting 53 percent overall and has gone 43 percent from 3-point range. Arkansas beat Missouri by 10 in Columbia earlier this month after losing by 12 to Illinois, the closest any team has come.

Missouri (6-4) shapes up as just another victim.

The Tigers have struggled to say the least with two losses at home, also falling to Davidson. The Tigers were in serious danger of a third loss at the new Mizzou Arena on Sunday, trailing Indiana by 17 before rallying for an ugly 3-point victory built on free-throw shooting.

This season there's one senior starter on a Missouri team rebuilding after the program was hit by NCAA probation, and it's been a work in progress. But players saw the Indiana comeback perhaps as the springboard to better days.

"We haven't even started conference yet and we're about to play the No. 1 team in the country," guard Jason Conley said. "I've always said the time is now. There's no more time to wait."

Illinois coach Bruce Weber is wary of an upset. Last year, after all, his young team knocked off a star-studded Missouri team by one.

"I'm sure as a fan, it would be human nature to say 'Man, this is going to be really tough,"' Weber said. "But I've seen teams and I've been part of teams where you're a major underdog and you come up with a different level of performance.

"I think they need somebody to be very special in the game, rise up and double their numbers."

Certainly, it's a special occasion. The game is always the toughest ticket in town and the Savvis Center will be packed with the usual 50-50 down-the-middle mix of raucous partisan fans.

"There's a buzz, an adrenaline," Weber said. "This game, you won't have any problem getting them up for that. If you look at the faces of the guys last year with the trophy after the game, it was like they won a championship.

"They had that big smile, that grin. They were shining."

At least from a fan standpoint, Illinois players say it's one of the biggest games of the season.

"This is all people talk about," Illini forward James Augustine said. "People say it's one of the best games they've ever been to, so whether we're down or they're down, they're going to come out and play as hard as they can."

Missouri enters the game having won four of five, having held Indiana to a season-low 53 points in its big comeback Sunday. So there's at least slim hope, even if all of the wins have come at home and this will be their first ranked opponent of the season.

"On one day, near Chrismas, who knows?" Snyder said.

On the other hand, Snyder noted that Illinois is unlikely to grant the second chance that Indiana allowed after Missouri shot 23 percent and fell behind 31-16 at halftime.

"Against Illinois, you do that and you're done, the game's over," Snyder said. "They'll run you out of the gym in the first 10 minutes."

Notes: Illinois leads the series 22-12, although Missouri won three straight from 1997-99. ... Kleiza leads Missouri in both scoring (16.2 points) and rebounding (7.5), while senior Luther Heads (15.8 points) is the top scorer on a balanced Illinois team. ... Snyder is 1-4 against Illinois. ... Illinois has totaled 222 assists already, an average of 22 per game. ... Missouri's 16-point first half was the school's worst output since it also scored 16 against Kansas State on Jan. 16, 2001.