Mizzou v. Illinois: Braggin’ Rights

December 10, 1980: The first Braggin’ Rights basketball game.

The first Braggin’ Rights game was held in St. Louis between the Mizzou Tigers and the University of Illinois Fighting Illini. Although the teams have a rivalry dating back to 1932, things escalated a notch when the annual match-up moved to a neutral site midway between the two campuses. The games were first played at the Checkerdome, later known as the St. Louis Arena from 1983 until 1993 when it moved to the Kiel Center in 1994.

The 1980-81 Season:

In that inaugural season in St. Louis, the two teams were powerhouses. Missouri entered the game at 4-1 while Illinois came in undefeated at 2-0. The weather in St. Louis that day was brutally cold and some fans didn’t show up. But the ones that did witnessed history that has now continued for more than 20 years. Illinois was the better team that year as Mizzou was young had not quite become they powerhouse they be known for a few years later. Illinois won the inaugural Braggin Rights game 84-62. However, both teams ultimately made it to the NCAA Tournament that season.

Illini finished the season 20-7 and made it to the NCAA Tournament Regional semifinals under coach Lou Henson. They lost to Kansas State in March Madness. They were led by stars Eddie Johnson, Mark Smith, Craig Tucker, and Derek Harper.

Mizzou finished 21-8 under coach Norm Stewart. They were led by Ricky Frazier, Steve Stipanovich and Jon Sundvold and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Lamar.

The History

There have now been 53 meetings between the teams with Illinois leading 33-20. The Fighting Illini had a 9 game winning streak between 2000 and 2009 with the largest margin of victory in that stretch of 32 points in 2005.