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College basketball teams can find strength in numbers in February, which is a big reason Missouri climbed into the upper tier of the Southeastern Conference.

The physicality of league play grinds down players. Fatigue sets in. Cold and flu season hits full force. Nagging injuries mount.

Teams with impressive depth can gain a big advantage — and Tigers coach Dennis Gates can comfortably extend his playing rotation into double digits these days.

Contrast that to the challenges SLU and Illinois have encountered during the stretch run.

Billikens coach Josh Schertz got zero points in just 12 minutes from his injury-depleted bench Friday in the 78-69 loss at Loyola Chicago. All five starters played 35 minutes or more.

Not surprisingly, the Billikens lacked defensive energy in the game’s closing minutes. Once again, they failed to close out a game strong.

After starting its Atlantic 10 schedule 5-1, SLU has lost five of seven games.

Illini coach Brad Underwood also has been caught short in recent weeks. After starting 4-1 in the Big Ten, Illinois went 5-7 in its next 12 games while guard Kasparas Jakucionis (forearm injury), Tomislav Ivisic (mononucleosis, ankle injury, flu) and Morez Johnson Jr. (broken wrist) missed time.

Jakucionis and Ivisic are back to full strength, but the Fighting Illini fell to Michigan State 79-65 at home Saturday while getting outscored 42-24 in the second half.

Spartans coach Tom Izzo gave six reserves 92 minutes of playing time. Underwood got just 47 minutes from his three substitutes.

While freshman sensation Will Riley scored 13 points in 30 minutes off the bench and Jake Davis had eight points in 14 minutes, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn was scoreless in three minutes, and Tre White didn’t play for the second straight game.

“I’m going to put the best guys out there that fit,� Underwood said. “I’ve had some conversations with Tre. He’s back healthy, which is good. But we’re at the point of the year, we’re going to put guys out there that play well together and help us win.�

During their disastrous second half, the Illini settled for 3-point jumpers and quit driving to the basket — something Gibbs-Lawhorn did well in earlier games.

“I’ve got to get Dravyn going back again, that’s ultimately on me, and Tre going again,� Underwood said after that loss. “We’ll get those guys going. That’ s my job, to do a better job of getting those guys in.�

Meanwhile, Mizzou has been exploiting his depth. While all five SLU starters average 30 or more minutes per game — led by guards Gibson Jimerson (37.6) and Isaiah Swope (36.6) — no Missouri player averages more than 27 minutes.

Gates shortened his playing rotation during SEC play, but he still seeks looks for opportunities to spread the workload. He paces some players and challenges others.

Tamar Bates played 34 minutes against Texas A&M, then just 20 against Oklahoma. Mark Mitchell played 31 minutes at Tennessee, then just 20 against Texas A&M.

Tony Perkins played 30 minutes at Tennessee, then 18 against Texas A&M. Trent Pierce played 33 minutes against Ole Miss back in January, then more recently, he played just eight minutes combined against Texas A&M and Oklahoma.

Foul trouble limited Anthony Robinson II to just 22 minutes combined against Mississippi State and Tennessee. Then he played 15, 23 and 25 minutes in his next three games.

Caleb Grill has received consistent usage off the bench, and so has Jacob Crews, albeit with a lesser role. On the other hand, Josh Gray’s minutes off the bench are dictated by matchups.

Missouri’s depth allows Gates to go big with his lineup to gain heft or go with a smaller lineup for more skill.

He will give guard Marques Warrick key minutes here and there when he seeks an offensive spark. He will do the same with freshman forward Marcus Allen when seeking more toughness and rebounding.

When an opposing big man must be leaned on, 7-foot, 300-pound Peyton Marshall can do that.

This load management has paid off. The Tigers keep playing energetic defense and winning 50-50 balls.

They overcame cold shooting in the first half at Georgia by tracking down offensive rebounds and earning extra chances.

“They had 3-point shooters literally get their own rebound,� Florida coach Mike White noted. “You don’t see that much.�

Individual Tigers have been able to hit their refresh button. Mitchell’s 25 points against Oklahoma came after he played just 24 minutes the game before.

After scoring two points in 20 minutes against the Sooners, Bates had 13 points in 27 highly efficient minutes at Georgia. After scoring two points in 22 minutes over two games, Robinson scored 25 points in 49 minutes in his past two games.

Missouri outscored Georgia by 24 points while Robinson was flying around the court Saturday.

The Tigers face massive challenges ahead, with No. 4 Alabama next up Wednesday and a desperate Arkansas team awaiting them Saturday. The SEC tournament is going to be a war, then the Tigers will likely face a difficult path in the NCAA Tournament.

But their bid for a successful postseason should have legs.