ST. LOUIS (Oct. 26, 2021) – St. Louis-based McBride Homes will serve as title sponsor of the annual Braggin’ Rights basketball series between the University of Illinois and the University of Missouri. On December 22, the men’s game returns to St. Louis, while the women’s game will be played in Champaign to cap off the Illini’s non-conference schedule.
The Enterprise Center will play host to the McBride Homes Braggin’ Rights men’s game on Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021 at 8 p.m. The highly anticipated game between the Fighting Illini of the Big Ten and the Missouri Tigers of the SEC has been a St. Louis sports staple for more than four decades. The series was played annually in St. Louis from 1980 through 2019. The 2020 matchup was held in Columbia, Missouri, because of the pandemic. The women’s matchup is scheduled to start at Noon CT that day at State Farm Center in Champaign.
“At McBride Homes we are celebrating our 75th anniversary this year and the Braggin’ Rights game is one of St. Louis’ greatest sporting traditions,” said John F. Eilermann, CEO and Chairman of McBride Homes. “It’s a big game and the atmosphere is always explosive. We’re excited that St. Louis gets to enjoy this rivalry at home once again and that we can sponsor this special event.”
The multi-year relationship with McBride Homes for Braggin’ Rights was secured by the local teams for LEARFIELD, athletics multimedia rightsholder for both universities. Champaign-based Fighting Illini Sports Properties and Columbia-based Mizzou Sports Properties represent the University of Illinois and the University of Missouri respectively.
“As Missouri’s largest home builder, McBride Homes is extremely proud to be the title sponsor of the Braggin’ Rights game,” said Eilermann. “We are a loyal supporter of these teams and their fans, and we’re excited to bring the game back home to St. Louis at the Enterprise Center.”
For the complete 2021-22 men’s basketball schedules, visit the official athletics websites for Illinois and Missouri at these respective links.
Illinois is No. 11 in the AP preseason poll and enters the 2021-22 season with a streak of 21 consecutive weeks ranked in the Top 25. Head Coach Brad Underwood's fifth Illini squad returns three starters and six of its top nine players from last year's rotation. Led by National Player of the Year candidate Kofi Cockburn, Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year nominee Andre Curbelo, and fifth-year starters Trent Frazier, Da'Monte Williams and Jacob Grandison, Illinois welcomes back 63% of its minutes, 60% of its points, and 69% of its rebounds while adding standout transfers and a top-25 ranked recruiting class to the mix.
The winningest Big Ten program over the last two seasons, Illinois is coming off a 24-7 campaign, including a 16-4 mark in conference play followed by the Big Ten Tournament championship and No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Illinois set school records with 19 victories against Big Ten competitors and six wins over top-10 teams and ended the year at No. 2 in the AP poll, the second-highest final ranking in program history.
The Fighting Illini women's basketball program enters Year 5 under the guidance of Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Fahey. Fahey, who has amassed a career record of 772-212 as a collegiate coach, joined the Illini after 31 season at Washington University in St. Louis, where she guided the Bears to an NCAA record five Division III National Championships. The 2021-22 Illini feature a mix of seven returning letter winners and seven newcomers, highlighted by the return of top scorer Jada Peebles from last season's squad.
The Illini women's program is 9-5 all-time in the series vs. Mizzou, and are looking to make it two-in-a-row when the matchup returns to State Farm Center on Dec. 22 (12 noon tipoff). The Illini captured the most recent meeting in the series, a 58-51 win in Columbia, to close out a 9-2 non-conference mark during the 2019-20 season.
ABOUT MCBRIDE HOMES:
McBride Homes has been the top builder in St. Louis and the state of Missouri for over 20 years. Having built over 35,000 homes across the metro area, McBride Homes is the #1 Union builder in the U.S. McBride also has the largest market share of any builder in a top market. With over 75 years of homebuilding experience, the company’s mission is to continue providing a wide range of homes and products, while obtaining quality craftsmanship, affordability for our customers, and the best locations in the St. Louis metro area.
The Enterprise Center will play host to the McBride Homes Braggin’ Rights men’s game on Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021 at 8 p.m. The highly anticipated game between the Fighting Illini of the Big Ten and the Missouri Tigers of the SEC has been a St. Louis sports staple for more than four decades. The series was played annually in St. Louis from 1980 through 2019. The 2020 matchup was held in Columbia, Missouri, because of the pandemic. The women’s matchup is scheduled to start at Noon CT that day at State Farm Center in Champaign.
“At McBride Homes we are celebrating our 75th anniversary this year and the Braggin’ Rights game is one of St. Louis’ greatest sporting traditions,” said John F. Eilermann, CEO and Chairman of McBride Homes. “It’s a big game and the atmosphere is always explosive. We’re excited that St. Louis gets to enjoy this rivalry at home once again and that we can sponsor this special event.”
The multi-year relationship with McBride Homes for Braggin’ Rights was secured by the local teams for LEARFIELD, athletics multimedia rightsholder for both universities. Champaign-based Fighting Illini Sports Properties and Columbia-based Mizzou Sports Properties represent the University of Illinois and the University of Missouri respectively.
“As Missouri’s largest home builder, McBride Homes is extremely proud to be the title sponsor of the Braggin’ Rights game,” said Eilermann. “We are a loyal supporter of these teams and their fans, and we’re excited to bring the game back home to St. Louis at the Enterprise Center.”
For the complete 2021-22 men’s basketball schedules, visit the official athletics websites for Illinois and Missouri at these respective links.
Illinois is No. 11 in the AP preseason poll and enters the 2021-22 season with a streak of 21 consecutive weeks ranked in the Top 25. Head Coach Brad Underwood's fifth Illini squad returns three starters and six of its top nine players from last year's rotation. Led by National Player of the Year candidate Kofi Cockburn, Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year nominee Andre Curbelo, and fifth-year starters Trent Frazier, Da'Monte Williams and Jacob Grandison, Illinois welcomes back 63% of its minutes, 60% of its points, and 69% of its rebounds while adding standout transfers and a top-25 ranked recruiting class to the mix.
The winningest Big Ten program over the last two seasons, Illinois is coming off a 24-7 campaign, including a 16-4 mark in conference play followed by the Big Ten Tournament championship and No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Illinois set school records with 19 victories against Big Ten competitors and six wins over top-10 teams and ended the year at No. 2 in the AP poll, the second-highest final ranking in program history.
The Fighting Illini women's basketball program enters Year 5 under the guidance of Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Fahey. Fahey, who has amassed a career record of 772-212 as a collegiate coach, joined the Illini after 31 season at Washington University in St. Louis, where she guided the Bears to an NCAA record five Division III National Championships. The 2021-22 Illini feature a mix of seven returning letter winners and seven newcomers, highlighted by the return of top scorer Jada Peebles from last season's squad.
The Illini women's program is 9-5 all-time in the series vs. Mizzou, and are looking to make it two-in-a-row when the matchup returns to State Farm Center on Dec. 22 (12 noon tipoff). The Illini captured the most recent meeting in the series, a 58-51 win in Columbia, to close out a 9-2 non-conference mark during the 2019-20 season.
ABOUT MCBRIDE HOMES:
McBride Homes has been the top builder in St. Louis and the state of Missouri for over 20 years. Having built over 35,000 homes across the metro area, McBride Homes is the #1 Union builder in the U.S. McBride also has the largest market share of any builder in a top market. With over 75 years of homebuilding experience, the company’s mission is to continue providing a wide range of homes and products, while obtaining quality craftsmanship, affordability for our customers, and the best locations in the St. Louis metro area.
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