On Monday, Missouri and Kansas announced they will resume basketball hostilities in 2020. Out of spite more than logic, KU coach Bill Self had resisted a reboot of the Border War for seven years after Missouri left the Big 12. He passed up six or seven victories over a rival that was going through an extended awkward phase that included only two NCAA Tournament appearances.
It’s everyone’s gain that the rivalry will resume.
Even though SEC basketball is now loaded with good coaches and solid teams, it’s just not the same for Missouri as when the Tigers were mixing it up with the old Big Eight teams. The move to the SEC wasn’t the downfall of Missouri basketball — it just coincided with the downfall of Missouri basketball. Illinois, I guess, has become Missouri’s biggest basketball rival, but even that game lost much of its juice as both programs sank into national irrelevancy. An annual date with Kansas will be the biggest game of the year every season.
Kansas doesn’t need to play Missouri in basketball, but it should want to play Missouri, just as Missouri wants to play Kansas in football. Why? Because it’s fun to play against an opponent that raises your pulse, and it’s even more fun if you win.
As a token of my appreciation to Self, I have done a little research and come up with some early leads on halftime entertainment for the 2020 game at the Sprint Center. Knowing that Self doesn’t mind a little third-party assistance when he’s recruiting talent, I scoured the Yelp reviews of Kansas City gentleman’s clubs. I want to ensure the dancers at an event this special meet the standard established at Late Night at the Phog.
Here’s what I found:
