COLUMBIA, Mo. — From the brawl at Brewer to Dooling’s dunk that didn’t count to the T-Rob foul never called, the Missouri-Kansas basketball rivalry — or Kansas-Missouri rivalry if you’re west of the state border — delivered its share of heart-stopping, hate-fueled moments over nearly a century. But over the last decade, moments faded into memories as the rivalry spent time in conference realignment purgatory.
When Missouri traded history and tradition for security in the Southeastern Conference, Kansas wanted a divorce, denying the Tigers’ urges to reconcile in nonconference play.
But thanks to two athletics directors who, coincidentally, have since been fired — Jeff Long at Kansas, Jim Sterk at Mizzou — the Border War lives again, returning to Allen Fieldhouse for Saturday’s 2:15 p.