Illinois super seniors Trent Frazier and Da’Monte Williams had a conversation before Wednesday night’s Braggin’ Rights contest against Missouri in St. Louis. They decided that after three years consecutive years of losing to Mizzou that they had enough.
“We had to bring it back to Champaign this year,” Frazier said after the Illini’s 88-63 blowout win over the Tigers. “Our last time, last opportunity to bring the trophy back. It was special to be out there tonight.”
After the game when the life-sized trophy was presented to Illinois, Frazier was the first to touch it, the first to bring it to his teammates and the first to lift it above his head for the Illini fans inside the Enterprise Center to see.
It was a moment that was three years in the making for both Frazier and Williams – and that’s why Illinois coach Brad Underwood wanted to take his two super seniors out of the game together.
“They’re the heart of what we tried to build this thing on in the last five years,” Underwood said. “Our culture and our work ethic, if you guys could have seen those guys yesterday in practice and the and energy that they had and trying to help Brandin (Podziemski), Luke (Goode) and RJ (Melendez) understand this game and what a true rivalry is, and it does have a different vibe.”
Illinois led the game for 39:14 of the 40 minutes and were able to fight off a near four-minute scoring drought compounded with an extended 11-0 scoring run by Missouri to shrink a once 29-12 lead to just 29-23. But it was Frazier who helped get the momentum back on the Illini’s side with a pair of three-pointers on back-to-back possessions inside of the two-minute mark of the first half that helped Illinois take a 40-26 lead into halftime.
“I tend to go on those little heaters where I feel like I won’t miss a shot,” Frazier said. “But like I said earlier, I mean, I got to give credit to Jake (Grandison) and Kofi (Cockburn), those other guys. They set unbelievable screens. Obviously, teams want to force me into the paint. It’s hard for me to shoot the three sometimes, so those guys, getting me open, that’s how I get my looks.”
Frazier hit two more deep jumpers to start the second half, including one more three before Alfonso Plummer buried a three to make the Illini lead 47-26 with 18:33 left in the game, which forced Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin to call a timeout.
Grandison continued his hot shooting streak from behind the three-point line by making 3-of-5 to score nine points in addition to his four rebounds and six assists, and Cockburn was the star of the game for the Illini with his game-high 25 points and 14 rebounds. The Illini’s All-American wanted to help Frazier and Williams end their Braggin’ Rights tenure with a win.
“It’s incredible,” Cockburn said about what it meant to help his teammates get the win. “This is why I play, when you get bonds like this, like Trent and Monte, it makes you kind of owe it to them to give this opportunity. They’re leaving now and just want to make sure they leave on the right track…to see the smile on their faces, know that they accomplished something great.”
In the three previous seasons, Missouri was the team that looked like they wanted to have Braggin’ Rights over their rival more than Illinois did. They played harder, they got more 50-50 balls and looked like the tougher team. Illinois vowed that they were going to play differently in 2021, and they did to the tune of a 25-point victory.
“Missouri is a team that is going to try to come out and kill you, literally,” Cockburn said. “You have to be mentally locked in, you can’t have too many mistakes. We had to play tougher than them and that was just the focus, playing tougher than them. … Making sure we were dialed in on the defensive end and know that we will win the game if we play really good defense.”
The 63 points that Illinois allowed Mizzou to score is the second-lowest amount that a high major opponent has scored against them this season, Illinois held Rutgers to just 51 points on Dec. 3 in an 86-51 win over the Scarlet Knights.
When Frazier finally checked out of the game, it was Underwood who was there to meet him at half court with open arms. The two embraced in a long hug before Frazier proceeded to the Illinois bench to begin the celebration on the bench with his teammates.
“He’s been my guy since day one,” Frazier said of the moment with his head coach. “He’s always had my back, vice versa. I took on the challenge to be just like him every time I stepped on the court. He’s always fighting for us, so you know whenever I step in between those lines I go out there and do what he would actually do. Doesn’t matter the assignment, I just try to take on his identity of what he wants this team, this program to be about, and that’s what I’m about. I’m with him and I’m never going to stop doing that.”
Before the game, Frazier, and Cockburn both said that their recent Christmases hadn’t been the best because they had lost the Braggin’ Rights game. This year, they get to go home to their families and celebrate the holiday, but also Braggin’ Rights.
“The feeling the past three years, it was horrible,” Cockburn said. I remember crying on the bus back. I mean, I was having horrible pain on my plane home, just thinking about everything that happened and how to change the game. I think this year, obviously, the circumstances are different. I’m way more happy right now. I think I’m going to have a really good flight back home. I’m going to enjoy time with my family, and I’m going to be ready to compete with these guys and do it again (when we get back from Christmas break). I love these guys and I love playing with them.”
