Throw the records out the window.Īs the introduction strongly focused on, Braggin’ Rights is a unique environment in college athletics. Illinois enters 9-2 with recent wins against Rutgers and a suddenly quality Florida Atlantic program. The Tigers enter the contest 7-4 having lost their last two contests to Kansas and Seton Hall. Mizzou faces a stiff test this year, as is routine. Even if the temperatures are solidly below zero! While some outings are more enjoyable than others, it’s never a bad time. Friday will mark my 18th consecutive in attendance in St. Braggin’ Rights has evolved into one of the more truly unique events in collegiate sports. Holiday cheer (and angst) brimming with every single possession. The joint is perpetually jumpin’ no matter who is running. A near-even split down the center court line. Tiger faithful sporting a smattering of black and gold. Illini partisans decked out in garish hunter orange. Without regard to the quality of the teams this is an event that’s circled on the sports calendar. From a Tigers’ perspective, the affair was pockmarked in the 2000s, with Mizzou losing 9 straight from 2000-2008.

The series stands at 33-20 in the Illini’s favor, 26-15 in St. Mizzou has fared quite well in recent years, having won four of five contests with their foes from Champaign. This history of this rivalry is rooted in neutral territory. They had met only 11 times on their respective campuses prior to the inception of the series. Louis Arena or the current Enterprise Center, these two teams will face off in the Gateway City for the 42nd time. Louis - an unfortunate exception being in 2020 due to Covid. In all but one of those years the game has taken place in St. Since December of 1983, the Tigers and Fightin’ Illini have squared off every season at the equidistant outpost. But if there is one game that is made for a demilitarized zone, it’s Mizzou and Illinois hoops. The reasons are extensive and won’t be shared here. Now THIS is a neutral site game I can get behind.įor those who follow my musings across multiple platforms you’ll be unsurprised to know I’m generally opposed to college basketball’s obsession with playing games outside of home arenas. Note: Pre-Game keys are in standard font. Film has been graciously provided by Matt Harris. Credits for statistics to Ken Pomeroy, Synergy, Pivot Analysis and Matt Watkins. After the results are in, we’ll return to those keys and analyze the performance with data and film.

Prior to each game receiving the full treatment, we’re going to release a series of pre-game keys to watch for in each matchup. You may have become acquainted with these pieces in the past, and in efforts to improve them, we’ve made a few changes.

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