The Border Showdown from a Kansas Jayhawk’s Perspective

A rivalry that started in 1891 has been rekindled, and the Kansas Jayhawks will take on the Missouri Tigers Saturday, December 11th starting, at 2:15 P.M. The game will be played in Lawrence, Kansas inside the mecca of basketball Allen Fieldhouse.

The first meeting between these two basketball programs took place on March 11th, 1907. Kansas leads the basketball series 173-94. Both Kansas and Missouri were in the same conference from 1907 to 2012. On July 1st, 2012, Missouri joined the SEC. The rivalry was named the Border War, and in 2004 it was changed to Border Showdown.

The Kansas Jayhawks Play the Missouri Tigers for Charity

The two basketball teams would clash for charity on October 22nd, 2017, inside the Sprint Center located in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The proceeds of this exhibition game were donated to charities helping with Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Maria. The Jayhawks would win a close game 93-87. In 2019 Kansas and Missouri decided to play six basketball games starting in 2020. The first game would be postponed a season due to the pandemic.

The Battles between the Jayhawks and the Tigers

Some of the most memorable basketball games were played between these two schools. In 2004 the Hearnes Center would see its last basketball game as the Jayhawks would win 84-82. Freshman center David Padgett would score a basket with 2 seconds remaining on the clock. The two teams would meet up five days later in the Big 12 Championship in Dallas, Texas. Kansas would win 94-69 eliminating the Tigers.

In 2006 Kansas would be upset in Columbia, Missouri on two missed free throws from senior Christian Moody. KU would avenge their loss when Mizzou would come to Lawrence, Kansas. The Jayhawks would win 79-46. From that moment, the Jayhawks would win the next 10-out-of-12 matchups.

Life as a Jayhawk on the Missouri Side

As a Kansas Jayhawk fan who grew up in Missouri, the Border War was everything. I would go to school bragging to all my friends about how superior the Jayhawks were, or I would be sulking because Mizzou fans were letting me have it all day. I remember preparing for school, laying out each piece of Kansas apparel knowing, I would be going into the opponent’s war zone donning the crimson and blue. When the rivalry faded in 2012, I would often find myself reminiscing on the days when the two teams would meet.

This rivalry is coming back to life, and it will be exciting for fans. A week’s worth of banter and trash-talking on which team is better. The historical statistician will talk about the one time when his team defeated the other. The Missouri fanbase will resort to football as Kansas fans resort to basketball. Sports are always a spark for conversation, and there is no one better than the age-old rivalry between Kansas and Missouri.