For the first time since 2012, the Mizzou Tigers and the Kansas Jayhawks teamed up to play an exhibition game to raise money for hurricane relief.
After multiple disastrous hurricanes hit the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, cities were left without power, shelter and clean drinking water. Missouri and Kansas revived their Border-War to raise $1.75 million, with online donations and pay-per-view streaming bringing in another $724,000. Even though this was a charity game, there was tension in the air because both teams came to win.
Kansas ended up topping Mizzou 93-87, with Jayhawk’s Devonte’ Graham scoring 25 points.
Mizzou may have lost this game, but it has left fans excited for the upcoming season. This year’s team is looking much more athletic and youthful than it has in the past, under the direction of new head coach, Cuonzo Martin. The Tigers debuted their five freshmen, with three of them in the starting lineup. Freshmen Blake Harris, Jeremiah Tilmon and Michael Porter Jr. all started the game. Porter Jr. scored 21 points, which is not bad for his first college game. Tilmon gave an impressive performance, but he fouled out of the game with about five minutes left in the second half. Some of the calls were deemed questionable by Mizzou fans, who had no problem voicing their displeasure. Regardless of the outcome, the newly improved Mizzou Tigers are looking good. They were upbeat and ready to go, though there are obviously some improvements to be made. There was a lot of sloppiness on both sides and Mizzou’s interior defense needs quite a bit of work. However, considering they have only playing together for a few weeks, they were doing well. The new team seems to have a lot of depth, which will make for a much better season
Though Mizzou and Kansas no longer play each other in the regular season, the tension is still there. Years of the Border-War rivalry led to a sold out arena, full of people who drove hours to be there. The game was a last minute addition to the teams’ schedules, but that had no affect on the attendance. In the end, a ton of money was raised for a great cause and fans had a lot of fun. The two teams may not technically be rivals anymore, but they did enjoy playing each other for the first time in a few years.
