GAME NOTES: The Illinois Fighting Illini bounced back from a two-game skid with a win Wednesday, and now look to string a pair of victories together as they play the Missouri Tigers in a non-conference tilt at the Scottrade Center.

Missouri has lost two of its last three games played, including a 74-58 defeat at the hands of Xavier last Saturday. The Tigers enter this clash with an even 5-5 record on the season, and a 1-2 mark at neutral court destinations.

Illinois used a very strong start to the season to propel the team forward, opening the new campaign with six consecutive wins before a nine-point loss to Miami-Florida ended the unblemished streak. Losses to Villanova and Oregon set the team back, but a 73-55 victory over Hampton Wednesday perhaps got the Illini back on track.

Illinois has a firm grip on the all-time series against Missouri, leading the long battle against the Tigers, 28-16. The two sides met last season - also in St. Louis - where the Illini came away with the slimmest of victories, 65-64.

Xavier asserted its offensive dominance against Missouri in the Tigers' latest outing, as the Musketeers connected on 53.3 percent of their shots from the floor and 18-of-22 from the free-throw line for the 16-point win. Mizzou was led in the contest by Johnathan Williams III, who netted 17 points with nine rebounds and four turnovers. Jakeenan Gant came off the bench to score 13 points as the only other Tigers player in double digits.

Missouri's offense hasn't been overpowering against opponents this season, as the Tigers enter netting 64.7 ppg on 42.2 percent shooting. Meanwhile, the Mizzou defense is allowing opponents to score 67.8 ppg on an even better 42.8 shooting percentage. Montaque Gill-Caesar paces the team with 12.6 ppg, while Williams checks in at second on the squad 12.2 ppg, adding in a team-best 6.2 rpg mark. Keith Shamburger is averaging a team-high 3.3 apg, followed closely by Wes Clark's 3.0 assists per outing.

Since the start of the new season, Illinois' offense has come back down to Earth a bit in terms of the gaudy scoring numbers the team put up. The Illini totaled 73 points on 42.9 percent shooting against Hampton in the team's 18- point win, and were led in scoring by Kendrick Nunn's 16-point effort. Rayvonte Rice chipped in with 12 points and five rebounds, and Nnanna Egwu added 10 with five boards and five blocked shots. Illinois limited Hampton to 34.8 percent shooting in the win.

The Illini started the season averaging around 100 points per contest through the team's first four games, which was never going to last, especially when the team's schedule got tougher. But the Illini are still an offensive power this season, at 79.4 ppg on 44.4 percent shooting. Rice leads the team with 17.3 ppg to go with a team-high 6.5 rpg. Malcolm Hill is the only other Illinois player to average a point total in double figures, contributing 13.0 ppg and 5.6 rpg in 11 starts. Defensively, the Fighting Illini are allowing opponents to score 64.3 ppg on 39.7 percent shooting.

Missouri will need to step things up offensively in order to keep pace with the high-octane Illinois offense, which is led by Rice. Both teams' campuses are located just under two hours away from the neutral-site venue in St. Louis, so there is no fan base advantage really. If Illinois can keep up its torrid offensive pace, the team should make quick work of the SEC Tigers.