Tigers know atmosphere will affect Illini game

For Marshall Brown, Tuesday night’s game is going to be big, almost as big a game as the Missouri men’s basketball team will play all season.

“It’s not quite Kansas,” Brown said. “It’s a step below it. It’s probably one of the biggest games we’ll play in all year. It’s split half and half and it’s an exciting game.”

For a team like the Tigers (9-1), that excitement could effect their play in one of two ways. The noise it will hear from the 22,000-plus fans could drive their variety of presses and traps to a different level. Or, it could inspire them to play too fast and too reckless.

“I think, as a player, you want that atmosphere. As a coach, you definitely want that atmosphere,” Missouri coach Mike Anderson said. “Hopefully, that will give our players a little shot in the arm.”

Not that they will be depending on it. Forward Kalen Grimes said the Tigers will use the crowd’s energy only when they need it.

“We have to be excited the fans are there, but block them out and not let them get to us,” Grimes said. “Just keep our composure. Go out there and play and try not do too much.”

For the first time this season, Missouri will have more than 10,000 of its fans in attendance at a game. Half of the 22,000 tickets sold were allotted for Missouri fans, with the other half to Illinois. Previously, the biggest gathering of Missouri fans this season was on Nov. 25 when 7,470 saw the Tigers beat Stephen F. Austin.

If the 11,000 seats allotted are used by Missouri fans, it will be almost 4,000 more than saw the Stephen F. Austin game. Grimes is hoping the extra fan support will boost the Tigers.

“There’s going to be a lot of excitement in the building. We’re going to have quite a few fans, more than we’ve seen here so far,” Grimes said. “Hopefully they can bring the excitement. Of course, we’re going to bring it, and we’re going to feed off (the fans), and feed off each other.”

One Tigers player, however, said he isn’t caught up with the atmosphere of the neutral-site game. For him, it will be a home game.

“We’re still in Missouri. It’s like were home,” Keon Lawrence said. “I don’t think it’s going to affect any of us. We have to put the crowd to the side because the crowd’s not playing.

“But it will juice us up when we need it.”

BREAKTIME OVER: Missouri’s game against Illinois will be its first in 10 days. During those 10 days, Tigers players had to take finals while still participating in daily practices. To get his team back into game shape, Anderson brought in referees to officiate an intra-squad scrimmage on Sunday.

“It gives us more of a game setting because practices have been going on. And just to give us a little bit of a different look,” Anderson said. “And, more than anything else, giving us a game feel because we don’t have any.”

Lawrence said having referees, not the coaches, officiate the scrimmage helped the team “clean it up.” He said the referees called fouls that usually aren’t in practices.

“Usually, stuff that we can get away with, we couldn’t with the referees here,” Lawrence said. “It was a big help.”

Illinois, meanwhile, had an actual game on Sunday instead of a practice. On Thursday, Illini coach Bruce Weber said his team’s game against Belmont would help “get rid of some of the rustiness.” Before their Sunday game, the Illini last played on Saturday, Dec. 9.

“I wish I could have played Saturday night. We have exams through Saturday night and the school doesn’t allow us (to play that night),” Weber said. “It will be us with the quick turnaround, them with the rustiness of 10 days since the last game. You can go either way with that.”

Illinois (10-2) defeated Belmont 77-51.