Just a few short years ago, the Missouri Tigers women’s basketball team knocked off No. 1 South Carolina at home.

It was quite the miracle, due to the fact that they only had eight players available heading into the game against a top opponent. They had also never beaten a No. 1 team before.

It took the Tigers past regulation time to get the 70-69 win in 2021, but they did it in the end. The final shot happened with just .1 second left on the clock.

That year, South Carolina served as their first SEC game of the season. This is also the case for the 2024-25 season. Missouri will take on the Gamecocks on Jan. 2 at 6 pm.

The Tigers had a five game win streak to their name earlier in the season, but that was lost when they fell to Oral Roberts on Dec. 18. Missouri is looking to build that streak back up following a 90-51 win against Jackson State.

This game will serve as a true test for Missouri as they kick off SEC play with one of the most talented teams in the country. They currently hold a three-game losing streak against the Gamecocks.

Today’s Schedule

Did you notice?

• Three Missouri Football players officially declared for the NFL draft. Running back Marcus Carroll and defensive end Johnny Walker Jr. took to X to share their respective decisions. Running back Nate Noel shared his news with a post on instagram.

• Defensive end Johnny Walker Jr. ended his Mizzou career with the longest streak in the nation of consecutive games with a sack. He racked up seven in a row to close out his final season as a Tiger.

More from Mizzou On SI:

Wide Receiver, Safety Announce Returns to Mizzou for 2025 Season
Starting Trent Pierce Was an ‘Easy’ Decision for Mizzou’s Dennis Gates
‘You Have to be a Finisher”: Another Comeback Win a Perfect Ending to Mizzou’s Season

Check out our social media…

X (formerly known as Twitter): @MizzouSI
Instagram: MizzouOnSI
Facebook: Missouri Tigers On SI
YouTube

Games like Tuesday’s Citrus Bowl don’t come around very often for Illinois, and seasons like 2024 have been even less frequent around Champaign.

Consider that as recently as 2016-2018, the Illini were able to pull together just nine wins over a three-year stretch. With their 21-17 upset over South Carolina on New Year’s Eve, the Illini topped that total in 2024 alone – only their fifth 10-win season in program history and first since 2001.

There was plenty to process after Illinois’ fifth fourth-quarter comeback this season – this one without late-game heroics of receiver Pat Bryant – but we’ve landed on three big-picture takeaways worth breaking out:

The month between Illinois’ win over Northwestern in its regular-season finale and Tuesday’s Citrus Bowl triumph wasn’t a bye, per se, but it underscored how well Bielema teams have performed – especially in recent years – when they have extra time to prepare.

Now 6-1 coming off bye weeks, the Bielema-coached Illini were on point in just about every way against the Gamecocks. They shut down South Carolina’s biggest threat (quarterback LaNorris Sellers’ scrambling), matched Shane Beamer’s mass-substitution machinations, managed the clock effectively and committed no penalties.

Too late to recast ballots for 2024 Big Ten Coach of the Year?

Reports of the Big Ten’s death, as it turns out, were exaggerated. Indiana’s 10-point loss to Notre Dame has somehow been held up as the avatar for all that is wrong with the College Football Playoff and the supposed overblown reputation of the Big Ten. But let’s take stock of just the past 10 days, shall we?

Penn State smashed SMU. Ohio State took Tennessee to the woodshed. You can still smell the lamination on USC’s Big Ten credentials, but the Trojans still topped Texas A&M. Nebraska topped Boston College, Penn State slapped around Boise State and, in what had been considered to be an embarrassment of a season for the reigning national champions, Michigan beat No. 11 Alabama.

So much whining about Bama having been denied its rightful place in the CFP. So little proof.

Meanwhile, Illinois did its part to rep the Big Ten, and quarterback Luke Altmyer wasn’t shy about sharing his feelings of vindication after the Illini’s win over the Gamecocks – particularly when faced with that special brand of SEC snobbery.

It’s silly for anyone outside an organization to pretend to know exactly what’s going on behind the curtain, but as a natural cynic who has covered Illinois football for more than 30 years across seven coaching regimes, I’ll say this: These Illini seem different.

Bielema has a plan and values culture (practicing, not merely preaching it), which means he’s simpatico with athletic director Josh Whitman. And it’s amazing what can be accomplished when you throw smart, experienced people into the same boat and they all row in the same direction together. That has been the mark of Illinois athletics in recent years, but it has also been the m.o. of Bielema’s program, seemingly from top to bottom.

The last few steps to the top of the mountain are the hardest, and you know what they say about staying there. Solving NIL will be the key to Illinois’ long-term success, but a 10-win season culminating in a Citrus Bowl win over an SEC team that many believed belonged in the CFP should help properly equip the Illini for the climb.

Social Media Reacts to Illinois Football’s Citrus Bowl Upset Over South Carolina

Gesture-Gate: The Ridiculousness of the Shane Beamer-Bret Bielema Clash

Illinois Football Stuns South Carolina in Program-Shifting Citrus Bowl Upset

South Carolina has already added two offensive linemen from the transfer portal this cycle and the Gamecocks are not done adding at the position, according to head coach Shane Beamer.

With two projected guards already signed out of the portal, GamecockCentral has consistently told its subscribers that the Gamecocks would like to add another lineman, ideally a true center, from the transfer portal.

While Beamer did not specifically mention the center position, he did confirm the team’s plan to continue adding on the offensive line while in Orlando this week.

“We needed to increase the competition,” Beamer said Friday. “I think we’re still looking for interior offensive linemen in the portal for sure. The fact of the matter is, we lose our center and both guards. We’ve got young guys, it’s time for them to step up, like I said, but we also need to continue to bolster the competition in that room. We’ve done that already but I wouldn’t say we’re done there yet either.”

South Carolina Transfer Portal Resources:

The Gamecocks kicked off their portal recruiting on the o-line with the addition of former Wake Forest starter Nick Sharpe, who announced his commitment two and a half weeks ago.

The 6-foot-2, 330-pounder is considered the No. 53 interior offensive lineman in the portal.

South Carolina followed that up last week with a commitment from Western Kentucky transfer guard Rodney Newsom Jr.

The 6-foot-3, 303-pounder is ranked the No. 14 interior offensive lineman in the transfer portal.

With starting guards Torricelli Simpkins III and Kamaar Bell, both portal acquisitions last season, and starting center Vershon Lee all out of eligibility the Gamecocks will look for younger players to step up or veteran transfer players to take over those roles.

GamecockCentral’s Chris Clark reported a new name to watch at center earlier this week who has already set a South Carolina visit.