What happened
Did Illinois flirt with blowing a 10-point lead late in the second half? You bet. Late-game performance still leaves something to be desired for this team one-third of the way through the season. But enough plays were made down the stretch -- consecutive defensive stops in the final nine seconds the pivotal moments -- that helped the Illini avoid a repeat of a last weekend's last-second loss to Tennessee and take home the Braggin' Rights trophy for the second straight season.
What it means
Brad Underwood had never coached his team to consecutive Braggin' Rights victories until Sunday. This one wasn't a blowout like last year, but it still goes down as back-to-back wins in a key rivalry game for the first time in Underwood's tenure. It also assured Illinois a .500 finish against the SEC this season. Both wins came in games the Illini were more likely/expected to win, but any wins against the best conference in the country are worth celebrating.
What's next
Another break in the schedule with a holiday to celebrate. Illinois (8-3) won't be back in action until after Christmas with its penultimate nonconference game of the season Dec. 29 at home against Chicago State. (The Duke game in February is the last non-Big Ten date on the schedule). The 0-14 Cougars basically epitomize the idea of a trap game with the Illini's Pacific Northwest swing looming as the restart to conference play in the new year.
What was said
"After the last two years that have been pretty ugly basketball games for the fans, I think we gave them a great show (Sunday). Very proud of this group. We fought through a lot. This is a team that's 11 games into their growth. We've played a very, very tough and demanding schedule, and there's been some unbelievable learning opportunities in that stretch. (Sunday) was one."
-- Underwood after his team weathered a late Missouri charge for the win
Grades are in: Illini fare well under pressure
Player of the game
Illinois guard Kylan Boswell
Kasparas Jakucionis topped 20 points for the fifth straight game, but the Illini don't win Sunday afternoon in St. Louis without Boswell. The junior guard fought his jump shot, going 2 of 12 from the field, but he made 11 of 12 free throws, came up a single rebound short of a double-double (and of tying his 7-foot-1 teammate Tomislav Ivisic for the team lead) and had five assists. Perhaps his most important contribution, though, was his leadership down the stretch in a tight game.
Backcourt
Illinois: A-
Missouri: A-
Jakucionis didn't just score a game-high 21 points. The Illini freshman also knocked down some key shots, including a go-ahead bucket with 28 seconds to play, but five turnovers didn't help his cause. Underwood said he'll live with some turnovers by Jakucionis, but 25 turnovers in his same five-game stretch of 20-point games is probably too many. Missouri's backcourt got a boost from a pair of two former Big Ten guards, with Tony Perkins and Tamar Bates combing for 35 points.
Frontcourt
Illinois: A-
Missouri: B+
The Tigers were able to narrow their rebounding gap a little bit in the second, but Illinois still finished with a commanding plus-12 advantage that included turning 12 offensive rebounds into 13 second-chance points. Morez Johnson Jr. had five of those offensive boards and finished with eight total to go with Ivisic's sixth double-double and 13 points and eight rebounds from Tre White, who played more at the 4. The Tigers' best answer in the frontcourt was 18 points and six rebounds from Mark Mitchell.
Bench
Illinois: B+
Missouri: A-
Underwood got what he wanted from his bench against Missouri. Johnson was a force on the glass and as a post defender. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn added one of his better offensive performances in a month to go with solid on-ball defense. A few more made shots from Will Riley wouldn't hurt, but Underwood won't let him stop shooting. Still, the Tigers wound up with the edge on bench scoring, with six different players combing for 22 points.
Overall
Illinois: A-
Missouri: B+
There are moments where Illinois looks borderline unbeatable. Then others where they fumble away a double-digit lead late in the second half. Call them growing pains. Not only for a team relying on a freshman (albeit not your average freshman) as its best player but also for a roster that's 80 percent newcomer. That combination has won Illinois some big games through the first month-plus of the regular season and lost the Illini a couple, too. Sunday was the former, with back-to-back Braggin' Rights victories for the first time since 2016 and 2017.