When conference realignment occurred before the 2012-2013 college basketball season, Missouri men’s basketball jumped to the SEC, searching for a bigger and brighter future. The move brought in more revenue and allowed the football team to compete in one of the nation’s best college football conferences. However, it also lost the annual Border War basketball game.
The last time Missouri and Kansas played came in the 2011-2012 season, which involved two classic Border War finishes. The first game of that season, at Mizzou Arena, saw the Tigers rally behind then senior guard Marcus Denmon’s, who turned an eight-point deficit, with just over two minutes remaining, into a 74-71 victory.
Exactly three weeks later, the last Border War game before this upcoming Saturday, the Jayhawks made up for the earlier defeat by beating Missouri 87-86.
Each of those games featured Missouri and Kansas as top 10 teams in the country. This year, things are a little different. While Kansas remains one of college basketball’s blue bloods, Missouri has fallen off in the last decade.
In the 2012-2013 season, Missouri’s first year in the SEC, the Tigers finished 23-11 before Colorado State defeated them in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Missouri didn’t return to the big dance until current head coach Cuonzo Martin led a 20-12 squad to a first round exit in 2017-2018.
The old rivals meet again on Saturday in 66 year old Allen Fieldhouse. Here’s what to expect from each program ahead of Saturday’s game:
Kansas:
Kansas enters Saturday ranked No. 8 in the country and boasts a 7-1 record.
The team features a trio of veteran guards led by senior Ochai Agbaji, who is currently averaging 22.6 points per game. Agbaji, a Kansas City kid, is currently shooting 45.8% from the 3-point line and 57.4% overall from the field.
The other two guards in the Jayhawks’ three headed monster are junior Christian Braun and super senior Remy Martin. Braun, from Kansas City, has taken on a larger role in his third year in Lawrence, Kansas. Braun averages 16.8 points per game, and his 7.1 rebounds per game leads the Jayhawks.
Martin, who transferred from Arizona State to play his last season of eligibility under head coach Bill Self, hasn’t been as dominant as many expected, but has still been an important piece to the Kansas puzzle. Martin averages 10.5 points per game, shooting 37.5% from three and 51.7% from the field.
As a team, Kansas averages 84.5 points per game and shoots 35.2% from deep. Its only loss of the year came at the hands of the Dayton Flyers, which hit a game winning jumper at the buzzer for the 74-73 upset victory.
Kansas comes into the Border War ranked No. 4 in the KenPom rankings and No. 7 in the NET rankings.
The renewal of the Border War has sparked plenty of interest among both sides.
“[Kansas players] are excited for Saturday, I’m sure Mizzou is as well,” Self said. “It’s the best game on our schedule.”
Missouri:
The Tigers have had their fair share of struggles this year. With new faces and few returning players, fans expected regression, but not to this degree.
Missouri currently sits at 5-4 on the year, with its biggest win coming in the Jacksonville Classic against SMU.
The primary struggle for the Tigers this year has been scoring. Missouri averages 66.6 points per game, even though many of their non-conference games come against mid-major teams.
As a team, Missouri is shooting 24.6% from 3-point range and 41.1% from the field.
The leader of the Tiger attack has been junior forward Kobe Brown, who has been the biggest silver lining in a somewhat-disappointing nonconference slate. Brown leads the team with both 14.8 points per game and 9.8 rebounds a game.
Other key contributors for Missouri include junior guard Amari Davis, who averages 11.8 points per game, and sophomore forward Ronnie DeGray III, who averages 9.1 points per game.
With these offensive struggles, Missouri has been forced to rely on its defense to win this year. In three of the Tigers five wins, they held their opponent to 59 points or fewer.
Missouri enters the game on Saturday ranked No. 139 in the Kenpom rankings and No. 253 in the NET rankings.
“It will be a tremendous atmosphere,” Cuonzo Martin said. “I have to make sure I take care of what’s on the floor. My job is to prepare our guys to win a basketball game.”
What to expect
Missouri will be big underdogs. Kansas simply has more playmakers and more experience.
Both teams couldn’t be any more different. The Jayhawks’ identity is as an explosive and dynamic offensive team, while the Tigers are a slower paced and more physical defensive team.
This game should shape out to be entertaining, as both sides are ecstatic about the rebirth of a great rivalry. Kansas should dominate this one but in a rivalry game, especially in basketball, anything can happen.
Prediction
Missouri 49, Kansas 67
Edited by Kyle Pinnell | kpinnell@themaneater.com
