Can the Tigers rattle Chester Frazier with their pressure defense? There was a point early in the season when Illinois' senior point guard, Frazier, was playing with an assist-to-turnover ratio of over 5-to-1. He's been a bit sloppier with the ball of late, turning it over 16 times in the Illini's past five games.

"He's burped it up a little bit lately," Illinois Coach Bruce Weber said. "He's going a little too fast. I told him the other day -- we had a little meeting -- 'Just calm down, slow down. What you were doing, everybody loves.' I want the intensity on defense and the rebounding that he gives us, but I need the calmness and the assists and be a good leader."

Frazier's ability to keep a steady hand will be even more important against Missouri's high-pressure defense, which has been more effective than at any point in Anderson's first two seasons.

Illinois got a taste of that style when it played Clemson on Dec. 2 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Illini turned the ball over 17 times, five by Frazier, and suffered their only loss, 76-74 at Assembly Hall in Champaign, Ill.