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It has been a long wait to see Missouri and Kansas share the same floor in a regular season basketball game, and despite the disparity in talent level, the Border War is receiving as much attention as ever. Cuonzo Martin, Kobe Brown and DaJuan Gordon sat down with the media to discuss what is to come on Saturday.
Martin made it a point to emphasize how he hopes this game and environment are “wild”.
“It’s a game that should be played,” Martin explained. “From a fan perspective, I hope the crowd is loud and we get a great atmosphere.”
Martin also delved into his history with this rivalry. Growing up a major Danny Manning fan, Cuonzo says he was introduced to the Border War through watching Manning play for the Jayhawks from 1984-88. The college and NBA great went 8-3 against the Tigers during that time.
The Phog tends to control games with the noise and momentum boosts the crowd gives. Handling that will be key for the Tigers on Saturday.
“We have to embrace everything that comes with this game,” Martin said. “Take every possession as a premium, don’t focus on the scoreboard too much. The possessions will add up.”
DaJuan Gordon is very familiar with the Jayhawks, having played for Kansas State in the Sunflower Showdown many-a-time.
“I just made it a point to tell all the guys that this will be one of the loudest places that they have ever played in,” Gordon said.
The Tigers will face off with their bitter rivals Saturday at 2:15 CST on ESPN.