Missouri men’s basketball will play its biggest rival Dec. 10, against the No. 6 ranked Kansas Jayhawks.
The two schools’ rivalry is no secret — the term “Border Showdown” was officially coined in 2004. The history between the two states prior to that dates back to the Civil War, where both parties had a violent relationship. This bled into the respective colleges, where the schools shared the same conference and competed for many years. In 2012, Missouri moved from the Big 12 Conference to the Southeastern Conference, which ended the rivalry in basketball for the foreseeable future, or so it appeared.
In 2019, both schools made an agreement to hold a six-year series where each college would host. The first game of the series took place in 2021 at Allen Fieldhouse. It was not a good start for the Tigers, who lost in a blow out 102-65. In just a year’s time, however, both rosters look much different.
Kansas is coming off of its fourth National Championship after defeating North Carolina in the 2022 March Madness tournament. However, Kansas saw the loss of one of its best players in program history Ochai Agbaji to the NBA Draft, whose production was replaced this season by junior forward Jalen Wilson. This season, Wilson is averaging 21.9 points per game complemented by freshman guard Gradey Dick, who has also been a huge factor in the program’s continued success. He is averaging 15.3 ppg and shooting 45.3% from the floor.
Missouri is in the midst of a new era for its program. The hire of head coach Dennis Gates followed an underwhelming 12-21 record in the 2021-22 season. Several players from last year’s squad remain — namely senior guard Kobe Brown — but new recruits from Gates’ former school Cleveland State have helped the Tigers on both sides of the game. The team’s leading scorer, senior guard D’Moi Hodge seemed very comfortable in Gates’ offense and is continuing his success for Missouri.
The highly anticipated “Border Showdown” poses the question: What can the Tigers do to beat the reigning champion Jayhawks?
The key lies in the Tigers’ ability to dominate on the offensive side of the ball. Missouri’s defense has struggled this season, which is something the team has to improve on to beat Kansas. The Tigers lead the nation in ppg, putting the team in a good position to win, as long as the offense performs well. The Kansas defense will be harder to score on compared to previous opponents, but the Jayhawks have allowed the second most ppg in their conference this season.
The Tigers, while undefeated, have received doubts of their success because of their schedule strength. Beating the no.6 ranked team would give Missouri legitimacy and a potential ranking. Missouri and Kansas fans have shown excitement for the sold-out Border Showdown, which will take place at Mizzou Arena Dec. 10 at 4:15 p.m.
Edited by Matt Guzman | mguzman@themaneater.com