Illinois made a very strong case to join the Top 25 Tuesday. And Missouri . . . well, the Tigers proved they don’t belong just yet.

The Illini beat the Tigers in the Braggin’ Rights game. This isn’t a news flash, since Illinois wins this game every year.

As rivalries go, this has been most one-sided.

But the way Illinois won, THAT was impressive. The Illini did everything well, storming to a 40-22 halftime lead and then holding off the Tigers’ belated second-half charge.

Bruce Weber’s team played at its desired tempo and made its preferred shots. Guard Demetri McCamey led the way, nailing 18 of his 20 points during the first half.

Guard Trent Meacham took charge in the second half, scoring 15 of this 23 points.

Through the first 30 minutes of the game, Illini ballhandlers beat the Missouri pressure with quick, smart passes.

By taking care of the ball, they kept the Tigers out of their transition game. They didn’t allow many easy buckets — and Mizzou couldn’t make the tough ones, hitting just two of 18 shots from three-point range and just 37.1 percent of their field goal attempts overall.

Leo Lyons had a strong game for Missouri, scoring 22 points, but that was about all the Tigers had to talk about. DeMarre Carroll hobbled out of the game with an injury. He returned, but he wasn’t terribly effective.

The Tigers played helter-skelter basketball, turning the ball over 12 times while earning just 11 assists. Defensively, they managed to force 12 second-half turnovers — but they didn’t convert enough of them to get back into the game.

Illinois gains some steam headed towards Big Ten play. Missouri needs to get back to work, since the Illini exposed their flaws.