Braggin' Rights

Braggin' Rights (known for sponsorship reasons as McBride Homes Braggin' Rights, previously Busch Braggin' Rights) is the annual men's college basketball contest between the University of Illinois Fighting Illini of the Big Ten Conference and University of Missouri Tigers of the SEC.

History

Before 1976, the Tigers and the Illini met sporadically. The official first meeting between the two schools occurred on December 21, 1932, where the Tigers hosted the Illini at Brewer Fieldhouse. Illini head coach Craig Ruby, a former star and coach at Mizzou, led his team to victory, 36-24. The following year, the Illini hosted the Tigers at Huff Hall, winning again by 36-24. Over the next half-century, the two teams met ten more times, culminating with a back-and-forth series called the Show-Me Classic. This event began in December 1976 in Columbia, Missouri, at the Hearnes Center, where Missouri defeated Illinois, 76-75. Over the next three years (1977–79) the two teams reciprocated home courts.

This series was replaced by the Braggin' Rights series on a neutral court sponsored by Anheuser-Busch for the 1980-81 season, with the game moving to St. Louis, Missouri, during the month of December. From 1980 to 1993 (excluding 1982), it was played at the St. Louis Arena (originally known as the Checkerdome when the series started), and since 1994, it has been played at Enterprise Center. St. Louis is within convenient driving distance of the two schools' home cities of Columbia, Missouri (2 hours), and Champaign, Illinois (3 hours); many students at both schools come from the area; both schools have a large alumni base in greater St. Louis; and the Enterprise Center has a larger capacity than either school's home arena (State Farm Center for Illinois and Mizzou Arena for Missouri). It is traditionally held over the students' holiday break near the end of December and is nationally televised. One of the most closely contested games in the series was the final game held at the St. Louis Arena on December 22, 1993. Missouri defeated Illinois 108-107 in a game that lasted three overtimes.

Before 2000, the series was fairly evenly matched, with Illinois leading the series 11-8 before the game held in 2000. However, the Illini went on a decade-long winning streak under Bill Self and Bruce Weber, while at the same time Missouri basketball floundered with Quin Snyder as coach. Tiger fan frustration with not being able to win one of their marquee games boiled over so much that in Snyder's final game, an 82-50 drubbing in 2005, one fan threw a full tub of popcorn on him while he was exiting the arena. Since hiring Mike Anderson in 2006, though, Missouri's fortunes took an upward turn, culminating in an emphatic win in 2009 with the Enterprise Center playing Prince's "1999" following the victory, as a sly reference to the last time Missouri had won in St. Louis.

Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, it was decided that the 2020 Braggin' Rights game would not be held at the Enterprise Center, but rather at one of the teams' home stadiums. A coin flip, performed by Andy Katz, took place on November 12, 2020 that determined Missouri would host the December 12, 2020 game. The game returned to the Enterprise Center the following year. Prior to the 2023 edition, it was announced the series would continue at the Enterprise Center through 2029.

The name of the victorious team is engraved on a large trophy that, unlike other college rivalry trophies, does not travel home with the winning team. The trophy is displayed in a glass case in the Enterprise Center lobby, where it occupies either an orange-and-blue or black-and-gold space in the cabinet, depending on who won. The other side has a plastic square reading "THE TROPHY BELONGS HERE NEXT YEAR" in the position where the trophy would go.

Other Mizzou and Illini teams now play Braggin' Rights games, most notably football.

Accomplishments by the two rivals

The following summarizes the accomplishments of the two programs.

*''Through March 18, 2023''

Game results

Games with both teams ranked

(Rankings are from AP Poll)

Winning team is shown. Ranking of the team at the time of the game by the AP poll is shown under the team name.

Series results

Winning team is shown. Ranking of the team at the time of the game by the AP poll is shown by the team name.
Rankings are from the AP Poll (1936–present)

Series statistics

* Series Record: Illinois leads 35 to 20
* Current Streak: Illinois, 2 wins
* Illinois when ranked: 13-7
* Missouri when ranked: 5-10
* When both teams are ranked: Illinois leads 6-3
* Illinois when unranked: 22-13
* Missouri when unranked: 15-25
* When both teams are unranked: Illinois leads 18-11
* In overtime games: Tied 2-2
* At Brewer Fieldhouse: Illinois led 2-1
* At Huff Hall: Illinois led 3-0
* At Municipal Center: Missouri led 1-0
* At Hearnes Center: Tied 1-1
* At Assembly Hall: Tied 1-1
* At St. Louis Arena: Illinois led 9-4
* At Enterprise Center: Illinois leads 19-11
* At Mizzou Arena: Missouri leads 1-0
* Illinois' longest winning streak: 9 (2000–08)
* Missouri's longest winning streak: 4 (1991–94, 2009–12)
* Illinois' largest winning margin: 32 points (2005)
* Missouri's largest winning margin: 22 points (2022)
* Closest margin: 1 point, four times in regulation (1992, 2003, 2007, 2013) and once in triple overtime (1993)

See also

* Illinois–Missouri football rivalry

References

{{NCAA men's college basketball showcases navbox

College basketball rivalries in the United States
Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball
Missouri Tigers men's basketball
Recurring sporting events established in 1980
Sports in St. Louis
1980 establishments in Missouri