Published on December 22, 2025 6:23 am
Last Updated on December 22, 2025 6:24 am
The 45th edition of the McBride Homes Braggin’ Rights game between Illinois and Missouri is set for Monday night at Enterprise Center in St. Louis (7 p.m. CT / FS1).
The Illini are looking to win three consecutive Braggin’ Rights games for the first time since a stretch of five straight wins over Mizzou from 2013-17.
Monday’s matchup with Missouri is Illinois’ first game in nine days, following the team’s 83-80 loss at the buzzer to No. 23-ranked Nebraska (Dec. 13), and its only contest in a 16-day period leading into the team’s final game of the 2025 calendar – and its final nonconference game – vs. Southern (Dec. 29) at State Farm Center. Big Ten play is set to resume on Jan. 3 when the Illini face Penn State at The Palestra in Philadelphia.
The Fighting Illini offense features five players averaging double figures in scoring – Kylan Boswell (16.1 ppg), Andrej Stojakovic (15.5), Keaton Wagler (15.1), David Mirkovic (13.6), and Tomislav Ivisic (10.0) – tied for the second-most in the nation.
Illinois is ranked No. 18 in both the AP poll and the coaches poll, and has reached as high as No. 8 on Nov. 17. The Illini have been ranked in the AP Top 25 in each of the last seven seasons under Brad Underwood.
Illinois is No. 12 in the NCAA NET rankings through games played Dec. 17, the fifth-best rating in the Big Ten.
Illinois is 3-3 on the season in Quad 1 games. Monday’s Braggin’ Rights matchup vs. Missouri is slated as the team’s first Quad 2 opportunity of the season.
Illinois’ total of three Quad 1 wins is tied for sixth-most in the NCAA and one behind national leaders Arizona, Duke, Gonzaga, Michigan State, and UConn, who have four each. (Through games played Dec. 17).
After leading the Big Ten in scoring last season (83.6 ppg), Illinois is currently averaging 87.8 points. At this early pace, the Illini would become the third team in program history to average 87+ points per game behind the 1964-65 (92.2 ppg) and 1955-56 (90.7) teams. The Illini opened this season with seven straight games of 80+ points. It marked the most such games to open a campaign since the 1988-89 Flyin’ Illini scored 80+ in each of their first 12 contests.
Illinois is No. 12 in the kenpom rankings with a net rating of +26.62. The Illini feature the No. 3-rated offense (125.7) and the No. 34 defensive rating (99.0) in the country. The Illini have had an overall kenpom rating of 35th or better each of the last six years under Brad Underwood with a high of No. 4 (2020-21). Illinois posted consecutive top-20 rankings in 2023-24 (10th) and 2024-25 (17th).
Brad Underwood has led Illinois to 29 wins over top-25 opponents since 2019-20, with 20 of those wins coming in ranked-vs.-ranked matchups. Illinois’ 29 top-25 victories are tied for 10th-most in the NCAA during that span. This season the Illini have ranked wins over No. 11 Texas Tech at home, and vs. No. 13 Tennessee in Nashville.
Illinois is 2-3 this season vs. top 25 teams, with a home win over No. 11 Texas Tech (81-77) on Nov. 11, and a neutral-site victory over No. 13 Tennessee (75-62) on Dec. 6 in Nashville, and losses to No. 11 Alabama (90-86) on Nov. 18 at Chicago’s United Center and No. 5 UConn (74-61) at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 28, and Dec. 13 at home vs. No. 23 Nebraska (83-80). With five ranked Big Ten teams in the most recent AP poll, the Illini’s current schedule could feature as many as nine ranked games during the regular season.
Missouri is the third SEC opponent Illinois faces in non-conference play, following the loss to No. 11 Alabama and the win over No. 13 Tennessee.
Illinois entered 2025-26 as the winningest team in Big Ten Conference play since 2019-20, with 81 league wins (tied with Purdue). The Illini now sit one game behind the Boilermakers in the win column through two conference games in the league’s early-December scheduling window. The Illini lead the conference with 35 road wins in league play during that span. When including the conference tournament, Illinois is also one game behind Purdue for the most total wins against Big Ten opponents over this span with 89.
As a team, Illinois ranks among the top three in the Big Ten, and among the top programs nationally in eight categories: The team leads the Big Ten with 13.8 fouls per game (seventh in the NCAA). The Illini are second in the B1G with a free-throw percentage of .782 (13th in the NCAA), 9.5 turnovers per game (14th), and 28.6 defensive rebounds per game (31st). Illinois is third in the Big Ten with 5.2 blocks per game (27th in NCAA), 41.6 rebounds per game (30th), a scoring average of 87.8 points per game (37th), and 28.9 3-point attempts per game (42nd).
Illinois’ roster boasts seven players averaging better than 4.0 rebounds per game: David Mirkovic (8.8 rpg), Zvonimir Ivisic (5.1), Keaton Wagler (4.8), Tomislav Ivisic (4.8), Ben Humrichous (4.5), Kylan Boswell (4.3), and Andrej Stojakovic (4.1). This mark is tied for the most in the NCAA.
Freshman G Keaton Wagler earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on Dec. 15 after averaging 21 points and 7.5 assists vs. Ohio State and Nebraska, while shooting 50% from the field, 54% from 3-point range and 92% from the free throw line. Wagler scored a career- and team-high 23 points with five assists in road win at Ohio State. He recorded a points-assists double-double with 19 points and career- and game-high 10 assists vs. No. 23 Nebraska. Combined, he knocked down seven 3-pointers on the week, hitting three against the Buckeyes and a career-high four against the Cornhuskers. It marks the third time through the first six weeks of the season that an Illini has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week, joining two accolades for forward David Mirkovic.
Freshman G Keaton Wagler ranks among the top players in the Big Ten with 51 free throws made (ninth), 61 free throws attempted (10th), 2.5 offensive rebounds per game (10th), an .836 free-throw percentage (11th), 166 total points (16th), a 2.40 assist-to-turnover ration (17th), 36 total assists (21st), 3.3 assists per game (21st), and 15.1 points per game (21st), while ranking 12th in the league in minutes per game (31.17), the top mark among the league’s freshmen.
Freshman F David Mirkovic is one of only four freshmen in the nation, along with Duke’s Cameron Boozer, North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson, and Washington’s Hannes Steinbach, averaging at least 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds (through Dec. 18). Mirkovic leads the Illini, ranks inside the top 10 in the Big Ten, and is among the national leaders with: 6.3 defensive rebounds per game (third in B1G, 33rd in NCAA); 97 total rebounds (third, 40th); five double-doubles (fourth in B1G, 37th); 8.8 total rebounds per game (fifth, 43rd); and 2.6 offensive rebounds per game (ninth, 149th).
Senior G Kylan Boswell is the Fighting Illini’s leading scorer and one of only three players in the Big Ten averaging better than 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game (through Dec. 17). In the Illini’s five ranked matchups this season, Boswell is averaging 20.8 points. He is the Illini’s active leader with 1,115 career points (607 at Illinois), with eight 20+-point games and 33 career double-digit scoring games in Orange and Blue.
Junior G Andrej Stojakovic transferred to Illinois with a reputation as a prolific scorer, and he has started off strong, averaging 15.5 points on 53.7% shooting. Stojakovic has four 20-point performances, highlighted by a season-high 26 points vs. No. 11 Alabama. Stojakovic also posted 23 points the win over No. 11 Texas Tech, and scored 20 and 24, respectively, in Illinois’ wins over LIU and UTRGV. In his Big Ten debut, Stojakovic had 17 points and four rebounds in the win at Ohio State, then posted an 19-point, 10-rebound double-double in the Illini’s B1G home-opener vs. No. 23 Nebraska.
Twin 7-footers Tomislav Ivisic and Zvonimir Ivisic rank among the top shooting big men in college basketball. Zvonimir is first in the NCAA among 7-footers with five games this season with multiple 3-pointers, while Tomislav ranks tied for second at three contests with multiple treys. They also rank 1-2 nationally in 3-pointers per game among players at least 7-feet tall. Tomislav averages 1.4 triples per game, while Zvonimir hits 1.2 3-pointers per contest.