Illinois Basketball Braggin’ Rights Opponent Lose Buy Game

Illinois Basketball Braggin’ Rights Opponent Lose Buy Game

Brad Underwood has Illinois in a far better place. However, the annual Braggin’ Rights game has not been a strong suit. Since the John Groce era, Illinois Basketball has had a rough go in the Braggin’ Rights Game. Brad Underwood has only won two of these games against the Missouri Tigers. The most recent one was an absolute blowout and a gut check. Illinois got curb-stomped by first-year coach, Dennis Gates, 93-71. Missouri turned out to be a very good team. They made the NCAA tournament and looked to be on the rise after a terrible end to the Cuonzo Martin era.

However, the Missouri Tigers have gotten off to a rough start. Most recently, the Tigers lost a home game to Jackson State, 72-73. This is the second loss for the Tigers. Additionally, the Tigers had to overcome a 20 point deficit to beat the lowly Minnesota Gophers.

Most Recent Braggin’ Rights Games

The Braggin’ Rights results have been very streaky of late. After Illinois won 9 games in a row, Missouri went on to take the next four in 2009-2012. Afterward, John Groce at least did some things right for Illinois. He helped Illinois win the next four. These games included an insane buzzer-beater by Rayvonte Rice. Mizzou also started their downward spiral with a slew of poor coaches. However, the rivalry became juicy after some players with Illinois ties hopped over to Missouri. Jeremiah Tilmon, Mark Smith, and Javon Pickett were all affiliated with Illinois at one point, however went over to the Missouri Tigers.

These players added a bit of spice to this rivalry. However, Brad never seemed to get his team as hyped for this matchup as the Missouri side did. Due to this, Missouri has won 4 of the last five meetings. However, with Missouri looking like a mediocre team, Illinois must start to reassert its dominance in this rivalry.

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