Kansas Basketball: The revival of the Border War will have to wait another season
The “Border War” between Kansas basketball and Missouri was set to return this year, but the Jayhawks and Tigers will have to wait until 2021 to meet each other on the hardwood.
“Never heard of nice things from Missouri coming west”, these are the words of Grandma Sarah in “The Outlaw Josey Wales” and also words that many Kansas basketball fans would typically relate to. However, this year the long-awaited return of the Border War will not be seen at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
The decision was made in part by both universities in response to the COVID-19, I can only imagine this decision was made in part to recognizing that full attendance was not going to be possible heading into the December 12th.
The rivalry will be set to return in the 2021-22 season, beginning at Kansas basketball’s Allen Fieldhouse. There hasn’t been a definitive date set yet, as common with how fluid college basketball schedules tend to be.
This season was set to be the initial return of the rivalry since 2012 when Missouri exited the Big 12 conference and transitioned to the SEC. The Jayhawks and Tigers are scheduled for six meetings between the two programs, now running through the 2026-27 seasons with this delay. The rivalry is set to return to the gridiron as well, with both schools set to meet in 2025 and 2026 as well as 2031 and 2032.
It’s obvious both schools are ready to bring the annual meetings back. It’s approaching a full decade since Missouri left the Big 12, and at the time it didn’t leave many teams in the conference upset. Missouri has changed since it’s arrival to the SEC, the Tigers have improved their recruiting for football and have begun to pick up the pace a little bit in their basketball program.
It may feel like a drag right now as we await the return of the Border War, but once it arrives we should be in for quite a rivalry over the next few years. With any luck, both schools can reach an agreement down the road to make these annual meetings, which hopefully is the end goal in their arrangements.
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These are extremely popular events that have proven they can bring in large dollars for both schools. It’s a genuine experience for students and fans of both Kansas and Missouri. It definitely helps generate more engagement from their fanbases, driving their annual attendance. Kansas and Missouri are scheduled to re-launch the rivalry in 2021-22, and there should be more opportunity then for larger attendance to what is sure to be a highly anticipated matchup.