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ESPN announces change to Illinois-Missouri Braggin’ Rights rivalry game

Mark Schipper

By Mark Schipper

Published:

Illinois’ matchup vs. Missouri on Friday night is getting a slight alteration. 

What they call “Braggin Rights” is the rivalry game between the University of Illinois and the University of Missouri, which has been rescheduled to air on ESPNU tomorrow night at 8 pm ET. 

It was previously set to air on the SEC Network’s alternate channel.

The two border state universities often flip the rivalry between home venues. This year it will entail a 270 mile drive sou-by-sou-west from Champaign, Illinois to Columbia, Missouri for the Fighting Illini.

A matchup first staged in 1932 has now stretched itself over 50 contests, with the Fighting Illini leading the series 32-18 over the Tigers.

This year Illinois will arrive with the nation’s sixth-ranked team and a 4-1 record, with the only loss an 82-69 road defeat to the might Baylor Bears, a squad currently ranked second in the country. The Tigers bring a 4-0 record of their own into the rivalry.  

Mark Schipper

Mark Schipper is a reporter, sportswriter, and aspiring novelist living in Chicago, Illinois.