Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Illinois 82, Missouri 50

• This game was a lot of fun.  We had tickets behind the hoop on the Illinois side, section 110, row D.
• This was a beating.  Mizzou had the lead 2-0.  At no point after that moment did they appear to have a chance.
• Dee had a great game, and continues to get better and better as a point guard.  17 points, 7 assists, 0 turnovers.  Outstanding!
• I've heard others talk about how Rich McBride had a great game, but I don't think I agree.  5 points, 4 assists, 3 turnovers.  I noticed several defensive mistakes.  Yes, it was nice to see him driving to the hoop, but as a complete package, I just don't see this as a great game for McBride.  In contrast, Jamar Smith had another fine game off the bench.
• Same goes for Sean Pruitt vs. Marcus Arnold.  Pruitt's stat line never says "starter" to me.  Marcus Arnold came in for 19 minutes and got 13 points, 0 turnovers and a steal.
• I'm not arguing for a change in the starting lineup.  Bruce knows best.  But it's got to be interesting dealing with a situation where 2 of your starters are being chased so closely by their respective backups.
• Another solid night for Warren Carter on the offensive side.  9 points, 1 assist, 0 turnovers.
• This was a great game for those of us who enjoy watching dunks.  Randle, Augie, Arnold, and even Jamar.
• After the game, we watched the sports segment on a local St. Louis newscast.  I burst out laughing when the reporter described it as "Quin Snyder's final Braggin' Rights game".  He's right, of course, but journalists are supposed to report only the facts that can be verified.  :-)
• I have mixed feelings about the margin of this game.  As a rivalry game, it is fun to see a complete beat down like this.  However, the value of the rivalry goes down if the game is never close.  In the long run, we need Mizzou to get its program back to a credible level of competition.
• But in the meantime, congrats to the team for winning this event six years in a row.
• This was the 25^th Braggin' Rights game, but it was my first time seeing it in person.  I hope I get to go every year.