Busting Brackets
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Illinois vs. Missouri: Best Braggin’ Rights games of the last 10 Years

By Joey Loose

ST. LOUIS, MO - DECEMBER 20: Rayvonte Rice #24 of the Illinois Fighting Illini is mobbed by his teammates after making the game-winning shot as Keith Shamburger #14 of the Missouri Tigers leaves the court during the 34th Annual Bud Light Braggin' Rights game at the Scottrade Center on December 20, 2014 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO - DECEMBER 20: Rayvonte Rice #24 of the Illinois Fighting Illini is mobbed by his teammates after making the game-winning shot as Keith Shamburger #14 of the Missouri Tigers leaves the court during the 34th Annual Bud Light Braggin' Rights game at the Scottrade Center on December 20, 2014 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /
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AUSTIN, TX – MARCH 24: Tracy Abrams #13 of the Illinois Fighting Illini goes up against Rion Brown #15 of the Miami Hurricanes in the second half to tie the score at 52 during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at The Frank Erwin Center on March 24, 2013 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX – MARCH 24: Tracy Abrams #13 of the Illinois Fighting Illini goes up against Rion Brown #15 of the Miami Hurricanes in the second half to tie the score at 52 during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at The Frank Erwin Center on March 24, 2013 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /

2. Illinois 65, #23 Missouri 64 (December 21, 2013)

In Frank Haith’s third and final season with the Tigers (which was eventually vacated due to violations), the Tigers were off to another hot start, entering the Braggin’ Rights at 10-0 amidst a Top 25 ranking. Their highlight win was against #18 UCLA. On the other side, Illinois’ second year under John Groce had started solidly, 9-2 and coming off a close loss against #15 Oregon, though none of those nine wins really stood out to this point. That chance for a signature win would happen in St. Louis.

Missouri started the game hot, building a 9-point lead, but Illinois battled back and held a 31-27 advantage at the half. Missouri built another lead, but the second half was very competitive, with neither team up by more than one possession in the final eight minutes. A 3-pointer by Jon Ekey gave the Illini a lead with under a minute, while a 3-pointer by Jabari Brown put the Tigers on top with less than 20 seconds remaining. The win came on a pair of free throws made by Tracy Abrams with 5 seconds left, giving Illinois a hard-fought 1-point win.

Jordan Clarkson led all scorers with 25 points and added 8 assists, but it wasn’t enough for the Tigers, who made 47% of their 3’s but needed just a little bit more in the end. The Illini made just 61% of their free throws, but Abrams (who led Illinois with 22 points) made them when they counted most.

As previously mentioned, this season was the end of the line for Haith, who moved onto Tulsa when it became clear that allegations of violations were coming. The Tigers’ season ended in the second round of the NIT after a mediocre effort in their second year in the SEC. Illinois suffered a similar fate, struggling again in Big Ten play, though this team did knock off a pair of ranked Big Ten foes on the road at Iowa and Michigan State in early March. They too fell in the second round of the NIT, though their win did snap a four-year winning streak for Missouri.

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