COLUMBIA, Mo. — With their highest scoring first half of the season, the Missouri Tigers cruised to a 49-41 halftime lead in Saturday's Braggin' Rights Game at Mizzou Arena despite getting only six minutes from starting center Jeremiah Tilmon.
After jostling with Illinois 7-footer Kofi Cockburn for the game’s opening stretch, Tilmon headed to the bench with his second foul with 12:18 left in the first half. Without Tilmon, the Tigers used a mix of strategies against Cockburn, sometimes 7-3 freshman Jordan Wilmore, sometimes 6-10 Mitchell Smith, sometimes 6-8 Parker Braun and for one extended stretch, 6-7 Kobe Brown in an especially small lineup.