COLUMBIA - The last time Missouri and Illinois faced off on the hardwood west of St. Louis, the Hearnes Center was still brand new.
Thanks to a coin flip Thursday evening, the annual Braggin' Rights rivalry game will be played Dec. 12 at Mizzou Arena this year, the first time in the last 40 iterations of the game it will not be played in St. Louis.
The coronavirus pandemic has thrown a wrench into even the best-laid plans of athletic departments around the country, and it became clear a neutral site would not be the ideal venue if the Tigers and Illini wanted to keep the streak going.
"I think you have to give all the credit to both administrations to make this happen, because we both could have shied away from it just because there's so much going on," Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said in an interview with Andy Katz during a 30-minute livestream leading up to the coin flip.
"We felt like this was a game that had to happen. This is a game that has to take place."
Illinois reeled off a nine-game win streak from 2001-08, the modern peak of the program, then Missouri responded with a four-game winning streak during the recent high-water mark for the Tigers.
Both programs foundered in the mid-2010s while the Illini won five straight, but the rivalry gained some juice the same year Brad Underwood and Martin were hired: Martin's first recruiting class included Michael and Jontay Porter and flipped East St. Louis standout center Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. from Illinois, as well as Javon Pickett, and shooting guard Mark Smith, who considered playing baseball for the Tigers at one point, transferred after his freshman season in Champaign to join in.
The Illini won that year, with Porter Jr, injured, but the Tigers have one the last two, thanks in part to explosive combo guard Xavier Pinson, a Chicago native who was never offered by Illinois.
"Very," Underwood said when asked how important it was for the game to be scheduled. "It's been played since '79, it's a game that is very regional, it's easy for both teams from a travel standpoint, and, again, you're getting a great, great quality game and non-league games. This was one that never wavered for us, and we thought it just made sense from location, from proximity, from not getting on an airplane, it made a lot of sense every way, and it gets to keep this great rivalry going and no delays."
Underwood continued his strong recruiting despite the losses of Tilmon, Smith and Pickett, and returns a highly-skilled roster for this season, including point guard Ayo Dosunmu and 7-foot center Kofi Cockburn. The Illini were ranked No. 8 in the preseason AP Poll this week.
Both teams have designs on an NCAA Tournament berth this year, which will be harder due to the pandemic: the NCAA announced earlier this year all tournament brackets would be filled at 75 percent, which means the 64-team March Madness field will be cut to 48 spots.
Before flipping the coin, Katz asked Missouri athletic director Jim Sterk and Illinois AD Josh Whitman how much the result of the flip had on the network that would televise the game.
"That's a great question," Sterk said with a laugh, as Whitman added, "It goes to the home school, so you gotta get it right, Andy."
A time has not yet been announced, but the game will likely be televised on SEC Network or one of the ESPN network channels.
No fans would have been allowed at either venue, in the spirit of keeping the game a neutral site affair. Family members of players on both teams will be allowed to attend.
The ceremonial coin, which was 3D printed by Missouri engineering students, bore the block "I" in blue and orange on one side and the Tiger logo in black on the other. Katz flipped the coin on his Zoom feed, caught it with both hands, then turned it onto the outside of his left wrist before angling the coin toward his camera while parting his fingers to reveal the tiger head.
"We'll see you in Columbia, Jim," Whitman said.
Mizzou Arena is expecting to allow about 3,000 fans, or 25 percent of capacity, for all other home games this fall. The Tigers open the season Nov. 25 against Oral Roberts.