Braggin' Rights
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Established in 1980, Braggin' Rights (known for sponsorship reasons as Busch Braggin' Rights) has been the annual college basketball contest between the University of Illinois Fighting Illini of the Big Ten Conference and the University of Missouri Tigers of the Big 12 Conference.
The game takes place in St. Louis, Missouri during the month of December. From 1980 to 1993, it was played at the St. Louis Arena (which was called The Checkerdome between 1977 and 1983), and since 1994, it has been played at Scottrade Center (which was previously known as Kiel Center and Savvis Center). St. Louis is chosen because it is roughly equidistant between the two schools' home cities of Columbia, Missouri and Champaign, Illinois; many students at both schools come from the area; both schools have a large alumni base in greater St. Louis; and the Scottrade Center has a larger capacity than either school's home arena (Assembly Hall for Illinois and Mizzou Arena for Missouri). It is traditionally held over Christmas break and nationally televised on ESPN, ensuring that a large amount of current and former students can watch the game either live or at home.
One of the most closely contested games in the series was the final Braggin' Rights game held at the St. Louis Arena on December 22, 1993. Missouri defeated Illinois 108-107 in a game that lasted three overtimes.
The game was not played in 1982, but has been played every year since 1983. Through the 2006-07 season, Illinois holds a 18-8 edge over its Big 12 neighbors in the Braggin' Rights series. The victors receive their name engraved on a large trophy, but unlike other college rivalry trophies, they do not take it home for a year. Instead, it stays in a glass case in the Scottrade Center lobby, where it occupies either a blue-and-orange 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.
[edit] Results
| Date | Winner | Score | Illinois Rank | Missouri Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 10, 1980 | Illinois | 84-62 | unranked | 14 |
| Dec. 8, 1981 | Missouri | 78-68 (Overtime) | unranked | 13 |
| Dec. 28, 1983 | Illinois | 66-60 | 20 | unranked |
| Dec. 6, 1984 | Illinois | 65-50 | 7 | unranked |
| Dec. 21, 1985 | Illinois | 67-55 | 15 | unranked |
| Dec. 23, 1986 | Illinois | 92-74 | 9 | unranked |
| Dec. 22, 1987 | Illinois | 75-63 | unranked | 17 |
| Dec. 19, 1988 | Illinois | 87-84 | 5 | 10 |
| Dec. 20, 1989 | Illinois | 101-93 | 5 | 4 |
| Dec. 19, 1990 | Illinois | 84-81 | unranked | unranked |
| Dec. 23, 1991 | Missouri | 61-44 | unranked | 16 |
| Dec. 23, 1992 | Missouri | 66-65 | unranked | unranked |
| Dec. 22, 1993 | Missouri | 108-107 (3 Overtimes) | 19 | unranked |
| Dec. 22, 1994 | Missouri | 76-58 | 23 | unranked |
| Dec. 20, 1995 | Illinois | 96-85 (Overtime) | 14 | 15 |
| Dec. 28, 1996 | Illinois | 85-69 | unranked | unranked |
| Dec. 23, 1997 | Missouri | 75-69 | unranked | unranked |
| Dec. 22, 1998 | Missouri | 67-62 | unranked | 15 |
| Dec. 21, 1999 | Missouri | 78-72 | 15 | unranked |
| Dec. 21, 2000 | Illinois | 86-81 (Overtime) | 5 | unranked |
| Dec. 22, 2001 | Illinois | 72-61 | 9 | 8 |
| Dec. 21, 2002 | Illinois | 85-70 | 12 | 11 |
| Dec. 23, 2003 | Illinois | 71-70 | 21 | 11 |
| Dec. 22, 2004 | Illinois | 70-64 | 1 | unranked |
| Dec. 21, 2005 | Illinois | 82-50 | 6 | unranked |
| Dec. 19, 2006 | Illinois | 73-70 | unranked | unranked |
Note: The ranks listed above were the AP poll rankings at the time of the contest.
[edit] Series statistics
- Series Record: Illinois leads 18-8
- Current Streak: Illinois, 7 wins
- Illinois when ranked: 13-3
- Missouri when ranked: 3-8
- When both teams are ranked: Illinois leads 6-0
- Illinois when unranked: 5-5
- Missouri when unranked: 5-10
- When both teams are unranked: Illinois leads 3-2
- In overtime games: Tied 2-2
- At the St. Louis Arena: Illinois led 9-4
- At Scottrade Center: Illinois leads 9-4
- Illinois' longest winning streak: 8 (1983-90)
- Missouri's longest winning streak: 4 (1991-94)
- Illinois' largest winning margin: 32 points (2005)
- Missouri's largest winning margin: 18 points (1994)
- Closest margin: 1 point, three times (1992, 1993, 2003)
