BORDER WAR IS BACK: Mizzou, Kansas to renew rivalry game nex

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By Associated Press, NewsRadio 1120 KMOX

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - The Border War is returning to college basketball.

The acrimonious rivalry between Kansas and Missouri, once the longest continually played series west of the Mississippi River, will resume next season in Kansas City. The schools have agreed to play six times, with four of those matchups taking place on their respective campuses.

"Having coached a lot of games versus Missouri in my time in Kansas, I could not be more excited to start this series up again,'' Jayhawks coach Bill Self, who had been among the biggest reasons the teams never played, said in a statement announcing the series Monday night.

The series began in 1907 with a pair of wins by Missouri in Lawrence. The schools went on to play 269 times over 105 years. The last meeting was on Feb. 25, 2012, when the No. 4 Jayhawks rallied from a 19-point second-half deficit to beat the No. 3 Tigers in overtime at Allen Fieldhouse.

The reason the series ended can be traced to Missouri's decision to depart its longtime home in the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference. During a period of chaotic conference realignment, the Tigers moved to what they considered a more lucrative league even though it made far less geographic sense and in doing so left the Big 12 scrambling for its very survival.

Future MU-KU Years & Locations:

2020-21: Dec. 12, 2020 – Sprint Center, Kansas City, Mo.
2021-22: TBD – Lawrence, Kansas
2022-23: TBD – Columbia, Missouri
2023-24: TBD – Lawrence, Kansas
2024-25: TBD – Columbia, Missouri
2025-26: Dec. 13, 2025 – Sprint Center, Kansas City, Mo.

Many coaches and administrators at Kansas not only took umbrage with their decision but held a grudge for years. Among them was Self, who was asked periodically over the years if he could envision playing the Tigers again, and was usually steadfast in his refusal to schedule them.

Tensions finally cooled enough that on Oct. 22, 2017, the schools agreed to play an exhibition game in Kansas City dubbed "The Showdown for Relief'' to raise money for hurricane relief efforts.

Kansas won 93-87 in their first meeting in five years.

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