Feels Like We’ve Been Waiting… NINE Years for This.

I’m back, y’all, and TRIPLE Moderna’d. Big thanks to Sammy for covering for me on the Weds links… I’ve been busy with Etsy shop holiday madness and needed a breather from RMN to… do other work, like make custom Schitt’s Creek magnets. But you guys don’t care about that! Let’s get to the good stuff!

So yeah, it’s feels like it’s been almost a decade since the Border War, because…well… it has been. The last time these two schools faced one another in a real game — the Oct 22, 2017 one was just for charity (I was there, and it was magnificent)— was February 25, 2012. Thanks, Bill Self. And yes, I blame you solely for the lack of this game happening, you cheating jerk face. Want more sentiments on how much we hate kansas and that coach of theirs? Sam re-upped his non con piece from back in October for the site and the twitterverse today. It’s a GEM, y’all. My favorite line:

Sam Snelling | The Greatest Preview Ever

Because it’s Border War Reincarnation Week, everyone has gotten involved in posting. It must be said… we are SO LUCKY to have these local writers, y’all. Their work on this stuff has just been *chef’s kiss* perfection.

HERE. WE. GO.

Here’s everyone’s favorite former Tiger, one Laurence Bowers, sharing his thoughts on this joyous event:

Next, I love BenFred. In a wonderfully wonderful piece for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, he wrote about how the Mizzou-Kansas (kansas**) rivalry was always bigger than the Big 12, and now new chapters await for one of the best rivalries in college sports.

There’s still beef,” Jayhawks senior guard Ochai Agbaji said.

Enough to fill both states’ sale barns.

Mizzou gets to get back to boasting about its upper hand in football when the basketball losses are lopsided, back to reminding Jayhawks that they should have found a way out of the Big 12, back to not capitalizing the K in Kansas, back to pointing to the NCAA black cloud still hanging over Self’s head, back to pretending picking Quin Snyder over Bill Self wasn’t a big mistake, back to swearing to not spend a dime in Kansas, like Norm Stewart taught.

Kansas gets to get back to throwing alley oops over the heads of Tigers, back to going bonkers about its rich basketball history while mostly ignoring the existence of its football team, back to insisting it doesn’t get home cooking from the officials thanks to one of the best home-court atmospheres in the sport, back to hollering that a team with national championship aspirations doesn’t really care much about this non-conference game.

Bring it on, all of it.

JUST BEAUTIFUL.

And in perhaps one of the cooler articles I’ve come across in quite some time, the KC Star’s Lila Bromberg tracked down a referee, Gerry Pollard, from the last time MU played kU to explain some of the more “suspect” calls. If you read nothing else today, read THIS one (along with BenFred’s). Here’s a snippet:

Mizzou guard Phil Pressey worked his way from the Jayhawk logo past Kansas’ Elijah Johnson on the left side and drove into the paint. That’s when Robinson came over for help defense. As Pressey rose up, switched hands and soared towards the basket with the game clock winding down, Robinson leaped with him and swatted the ball away. Pressey went crashing to the floor in the process.

There was no whistle, the play ruled a clean block on the spot. The building erupted. Overtime would decide the 267th meeting between the two programs.

Matt Pressey (MU guard): “I mean, when you see the pictures or you see the frames and the videos, it’s like, I mean, come on. If you line 100 people up, you’re gonna get I feel 75-80% (in Missouri’s favor).”

Barry Hinson (KU assistant): “That’s one we refer to as an Allen Fieldhouse block.”

Jarrett Sutton (MU guard): “To me, it’s a foul. It will always be a foul. I’ll go to my grave with that.”

But really… there’s so much more to it. Read it. READ IT NOW. I’m not kidding.

And if this all wasn’t enough to get you amped up for the game, how’s this for ya? Hellllllo, Marcus Denmon.

Or this? WE AGREE, JARRETT SUTTON.

Or this? Listen to Jon Sunvold on the Inside Mizzou Tigers Podcast.

I’ve also linked to a TON of other content below. SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM.

On to the Links! Go TIGERS! Beat the BEARS and FAKE BIRDS.

ALSO… Best wishes to Rock M’s own Brandon Kiley on his nuptials on Saturday. Plans wedding for Border War game? Is he a True Son? Who’s to say? Definitely kidding…

Orlin Wagner | AP Photo

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Yesterday at Rock M

• In a new BTBS Podcast, Nate the Great is joined by Parker Gilliam, where they talk about Mizzou’s upcoming bowl game. Thanks for filling in for BK, Parker.
• Kortay, in a basketball feature, went in-depth on how the basketball season is about to get real.
• IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Aaron looked at Army’s triple option, and how Mizzou can stop it. Sam and Matt want you to listen to their newest Dive Cuts.
• COMING UP: Matt has something cookin about Amari Davis. Josh is previewing the kansas game. Nate looks at the SEC’s most intriguing postseason matchups.

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More Links:

Football

• Tyler Badie was robbed, I tell you. R-O-B-B-E-D… The St Louis Post-Dispatch’s Dave Matter wrote about the “oversight”, as did PowerMizzou’s Mitchell Forde, who looked at how Badie measured up against the others ahead of the ceremony. To be honest, I didn’t think he’d actually win, but man… did I hope for a miracle. #DISRESPECT

• If Badie can’t be winning awards like the one above, here’s hoping he ends up a consensus All-American. That would be so so so so (infinite x so) cool. Fingers crossed.

• Aside from the Badie news, I found this to be the coolest football news of the day. Mizzou fan and excellent Twitter follow, Maggie Johnson, added in her two-cents, haha.

• HUGE congrats to freshman big man and StL native, Mekhi Wingo, who was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. According to MUTigers.com, he played in 11 games with three starts (vs. North Texas, vs. Texas A&M, at Vanderbilt) this season. He totaled 21 tackles, two tackles for loss of eight yards, one sack, one interception and two quarterback hurries.

• USA Today via Columbia Tribune: Former Mizzou beat writer Blake Toppmeyer shared his rankings of the SEC bowl games, from the Texas Bowl to mayonnaise to the Cotton Bowl.
• Have a looksie at the awesome pics of the football season in this MizzouPix photo essay.
• Best of luck to Mizzou corner, Akayleb Evans, who has declared for the NFL draft.

• As part of National Signing Day, Mizzou Football has brought back NSD events, to be held in each of Missouri’s three major crootin cities— CoMo, St Louis and Kansas City. Here’s the Columbia one:

• If you recall, back when Ennis Rakestraw had his knee surgery, a class at Parkade Elementary sent him some get well cards, which he loved, obviously. Now on the mend, Rakestraw visited the class, taught by my longtime friend, Mr ChadBass, and brought them some gifts, courtesy of HornsDown Shop, who he’s working with through NIL. This is just heartwarming as hell, right? I particularly enjoyed the polite student saying, “Please come whenever you’d like.”

Hoops

• Though I hate to visit the unsavory world of kU Hoops, the KC Star’s Gary Bedore went to “that side” and wrote about the Jayhawks’ Ochai Agbaji, who can tell his coach is ‘amped’ about Missouri Tigers game.
• The Star’s Gary Bedore also wrote about how the former athletic directors of both kansas and Mizzou helped to bring back this historic rivalry.
• Lila Bromberg of the KC Star (The Star is really coming thru with the rivalry content, huh?), wrote about ‘The Marcus miracle run’: How Denmon took over Mizzou Tigers’ 2012 win over KU (kU*).
• The Missourian’s Anthony Kristensen gathered some thoughts of fans, who reflected on the Border War resuming, and in “The Dancing Man, the Fake Coach and a Wild Night at the Last Columbia Border War,” he talked with a group of fans who were there for the Tigers’ win on Feb 4, 2012, the penultimate matchup before the almost decade-long rivalry went into hibernation.
• Some words from Bill Self:

• In the new Mizzou Sports Podcast, Eric Blum and Chris Kwiecinski chat about MU-kU and the bowl game.

• Robin Pingeton’s Tigers (8-1) face a worthy regional adversary tonight as they talk on cross-state rival, Missouri State (6-2), in Springfield. Tip time is 7pm and the game will be on ESPN+… because they really don’t want anyone to ever be able to watch the Tigers, apparently. With the Border War restarting, our Tigers aren’t really getting the props they deserve, and the only preview of sorts I could find was at MUTigers.com, sadly.

UPDATE: Big thanks to Oscar for providing some links I missed!
The Missourian’s Shannon Mia Belt did a comparison of Mizzou and MO State, while Nate Marcus set up the preview with some scouting.

Other Mizzou Sports, Incoming Mizzou Athletes, Etc.

• In “I didn’t read it so we’ll file it under this category” posts, Dave Matter held his weekly chat at STL Today. Do check it out, as I will at some point.
• Okay, Aidan. Sure you can’t enroll early and play… now?

• Decision Day is here for hoops target, Mark Mitchell. Does anyone think he’ll pick the Tigers? No, but it’s cool to be in the top three with some powerhouses, right? Tune in to watch him pick some other school this afternoon!

Mizzou in the Pros

• JORDAN CLARKSON had an off night on Thursday, thought the Jazz still pulled out a 118-96 win over the Sixers. His stats the past two nights:

THUR: 28 min, 11 points on 4-12 shooting (3-10 from three), 4 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1 PF

WED: 24 min, 18 points on 6-14 shooting (6-13 from three), 3 REB, 1 AST, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 1 PF

• DRUUUUUUUUUUUUUU Smith has had a productive G-League season thus far with the Sioux Falls Sky Force. In his two most recent games starting, he had the following stats:

WEDS: 27 min, 15 points on 6-10 shooting (3-4 from three), 2 REB, 2 STL, 2 TO

TUES: 38 min, 5 points on 2-12 shooting (0-6 from three), 5 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 2PF

Next up for Dru?

• TILLY was back in action on Thursday evening with the Lakeland Magic. In his last two games starting(!!!!), he had the following stats:

THUR: 24 min, 9 points on 4-7 shooting, 3 REB, 1 AST, 3 PF

SUN: 20 min, 6 points on 1-3 shooting, 8 REB, 1 AST, 3 TO, 5 PF

Next up for Jeremiah? Saturday, they take on the Squadron at 7:30pm. You can likely watch the game on ESPN+.

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