A win over Illinois would make this year’s Mizzou team unprecedented in modern program history.

Since the 21st century began on January 1, 2001, there have been 7,305 days. In those 7,305 days, Mizzou Basketball has played in 25 full seasons of basketball — that’s 24 full seasons, plus the half season they’ve played this year, plus the half season they played at the beginning of 2001, for those counting.

During most of those 25 seasons, Missouri has played its two biggest rivals, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of kansas. Can you tell me in how many of those seasons Missouri has beat both the Fighting Illini and the Jayhawks?

I’ll give you a second.

I’ll give you another second.

This line has been inserted to make sure you’re not cheating without giving it a real think.

OK, here’s the number…

Once.

That’s it! Only once this century has Mizzou Hoops triumphed over both Illinois and kansas. You probably don’t have to think too hard to conjure up the team that did it. Yes, Frank Haith’s high-flying Tigers of 2011 and 2012 beat both of their biggest rivals in what I’m sure many of us consider to be one of the high points of Mizzou Hoops, at least in the modern era. In many other years, 12 to be specific, the Tigers have boasted victories over one of the two… but not both.

Today? Mizzou has a chance to double down on rivalry wins for only the second time in 25 years.

The truth of the matter is this: Even if Mizzou does win today, that fact — beating both the Illini and the Jayhawks — could merely be a fun factoid by the end of the season. Sure, getting two wins over good teams suggests that the Tigers might be more than just a good, chippy squad. But two wins does not a season make. There’s a lot of basketball to be played, and the SEC is, if you haven’t figured this out yet, quite good!

But I hope it doesn’t get lost on the team the monumental feather that could be in their cap. There have been a lot of good Tiger teams to play in the modern era, some before some of the guys on this roster were born. Most of them didn’t get to brag about beating Illinois and kansas. The only one that did? They were one of the best teams to ever walk the halls of Mizzou Arena, anomaly in the NCAA Tournament notwithstanding.

That’s something you can rally around in the locker room. That’s something you can point to when the going gets tough. That’s not just a hallmark of talent, but of persistence and character as well. Rivalry games are difficult to play in, and winning them is more strenuous when compared to another run-of-the-mill game. To be able to say they did something that only one other team this century has done? That’s meaningful, temporarily and (potentially) further down the road.

So, yes, Mizzou should win today’s Braggin’ Rights contest because it’s fun to beat Illinois and see Brad Underwood get mad. But they should also win because there’s a spot in the history books waiting to be filled. It could be theirs.