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Massive bragging rights
Illinois rocked rival Missouri in its latest showdown. Plus: Ranked Big 12 teams rolled on Monday -- including a monster Dybantsa game -- while Miami (Ohio) stayed unbeaten. Also, Virginia and Vandy are dealing with injuries and much more news.
Mike Miller
December 23, 2025
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1. Bragging rights? Illinois has those for a while
No. 20 Illinois didn’t really treat Missouri like a rival on Monday night. More like a hated enemy.
The Illini’s 91-48 victory was the most lopsided in series history, which has been played 45 times since 1980. The previous record was 32 during the 2004-05 season. (Ask Illinois fans if they see that as a promising sign.) They pulled away midway through the first half with a flurry of 3-pointers and offensive rebounds that stretched the lead to 16 by halftime. It only grew from there.
Freshman Keaton Wagler scored 22 points and hit a career-high five 3-pointers. He’s made 12 of his last 18 from deep and looked every bit like one of the nation’s top freshmen.
Also important was junior wing Andrej Stojakovic, who recovered from a first-half injury to score 16 points. He didn’t seem to suffer any ill effects in the second half as Illinois (9-3) made a statement about their ceiling.
As for Missouri (10-3), it’s lost three of its last five games, with the only wins coming against Alabama State and Bethune Cookman.
When it opens SEC play on Jan. 3, it’ll have a rough time earning any notable wins with a defense that’s allowing 105.9 adjusted points per 100 possessions. That’s the worst mark in the league.
2. Big 12’s top teams breeze on Monday
It was a good night to be a ranked Big 12 team.
