KU's Border War win up for ESPY

Kansas head coach Bill Self raises up the fieldhouse following the Jayhawks' 87-86 overtime win over Missouri on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012.

The Kansas men's basketball 87-86 overtime victory over Missouri on Feb. 25 has been nominated for "Game of the Year" in this year's ESPY awards, ESPN announced Wednesday.

Then-No. 4 KU overcame a 19-point second-half deficit to beat No. 3 MU at Allen Fieldhouse. The contest also was the final conference battle against the two schools following a 105-year league history.

The win gave the Jayhawks at least a share of their eighth-straight Big 12 regular-season title — a championship they would win outright two days later.

An ESPY nomination special will air Wednesday at 10 p.m. on ESPN2, and fans can vote for the contest on ESPN's site.

Other "Best Game" nominees are Game 6 of the World Series between the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals and the NFL Playoff game between the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints.

Delicious
Digg
Tumblr
Wordpress
Reddit
Copy and paste the link:

STLJayhawk10 10 months, 4 weeks ago

well living in STL and being a die hard cardinals fan, I hope game 6 wins and it probably will. but this game was awesome too!

jartiv 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Ditto. But on top of my STL bias, Game 6 was just ridiculously awesome for anyone watching... except Ranger fans.

jhawkrulz 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Does anyone actually watch baseball...it is a pass time.

GoHawkYourself 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Some interesting stats. For a NFL football game, there are 60 min of playing time compared to a 4 hour game, roughly 50% of the time a player is playing (offense/defense). For a college basketball game, 40 min of playing time and a starter is playing for about 32-35 minutes for a 2 hour game. In baseball, the average actual playing time for a 4 hour game is 9-10 min. Take in to account that is full playing time, I think each individual player plays for about 1 min, unless you're a pitcher or catcher. This is why baseball is so boring. Also the fact that there are 160 games and losing a game doesn't matter. College and NFL football are so popular because losing actually matters.

april28 10 months, 3 weeks ago

A friggin' world series game? You've got to be kidding.

STLJayhawk10 10 months, 3 weeks ago

did you watch that game? cardinals were down to 1 strike two times and came through. then won on a walk off home run

BoulderHawk 10 months, 3 weeks ago

And Kansas fans should favor that game over the Kansas game because...you really expect that.....please.

wissoxfan83 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Yes, I agree 110%. Not a Cards fan either, but that was great theater for sure!

JHWKDW 10 months, 3 weeks ago

That Cardinal run was something!That was one of the best World Series I seen in a while!

clevelandjayhawker 10 months, 4 weeks ago

I like the Norfolk State vs Missery game as another that should be mentioned as "Game of the Year" :)

STLJayhawk10 10 months, 4 weeks ago

its under best upset game. go vote!

BayHawkaholic 10 months, 4 weeks ago

Well, I love my 49-ers, but if I have but one vote, it will be cast for the college rivalry that flew under the radar in most parts of the country for over a century.

KU fans better get out the vote though, because typically football rules, and pro sports typically take a front seat with fans in the espy voting.

JHWKDW 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Yeah that last 49er play from Alex Smith to Vernon Davis in the playoffs was awesome!

machinegun 10 months, 4 weeks ago

Let Tyshawn accept the ESPY after his outstanding effort in OT to secure the KU victory!

STLJayhawk10 10 months, 4 weeks ago

so if we're going down the drain, where does that leave mizzou? i mean we made it to the final 4, you lost in the first round. are you already in the treatment plant?

clevelandjayhawker 10 months, 4 weeks ago

we go down the drain (NOT) and they go up the nose

kellerman411 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Ha!!

rtwngr 10 months, 4 weeks ago

Really, missouricat, really? You wish. Missouri is going to be a little fish in a big pond. Their recruiting days in Texas have come to and end because they'll be lucky if they play there once every other year in football. That's not much to entice the recruits that the Texas and Oklahoma schools don't get. As far as basketball is concerned, you stink. The rivalry was what sold your school in basketball because the also ran recruits you got always wanted a shot at beating the KU program. Leave already and good riddance.

HalsteadHawk 10 months, 4 weeks ago

Don't forget to vote for Best Upset.

lonestar_jayhawk 10 months, 4 weeks ago

Cat, thanks for your continued support of Kansas Basketball! Come back often.

omng392 10 months, 4 weeks ago

I don't really get the Doc Sadler comment, maybe you could enlighten us? Doc, has over 20 years of coach exeperience with 6 of it being as a head coach. If you look at great leaders, coaches, etc... You will find that they are not affraid to surround themselves by highly sucessfull people. Even though Doc hasn't won as many games as maybe NU would have liked, I don't lay blame squarely on his shoulders. Unlike KU or MU, the recuiting pool of local talent isn't nearly what it is in KC or even Witcha.

Let's face the facts NU is a football school. Not unlike the job that KU football has/had. Unlike NU KU went and got a top football coach to try and turn KU into a basketball and football school.

hawkinator 10 months, 4 weeks ago

I'm not sure missouricat responds to rational arguments or thoughts.

hawkinator 10 months, 4 weeks ago

by hawkinator

Down the drain... like this, you mean?

riverdrifter 10 months, 3 weeks ago

That headline is proof of God.

MoonwalkMafia66 10 months, 4 weeks ago

I say it every time. Please don't change Mizery fans. You make being a Jayhawk fan so much fun.

raprichard 10 months, 4 weeks ago

Wow, missouricat, not much material to work with, huh? If you're going to come troll on this site, at least make it something worthwhile. This is about as lame as they come.

LAJayhawk 10 months, 4 weeks ago

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the last time KU received a nomination for "Game of the Year" the 2008 title game?

BayHawkaholic 10 months, 4 weeks ago

I think perhaps we were also nominated (and may have won) upset of the year for either or both UNI or vacuum cleaner university. Ouch. Time to replace that with a quality win.

konkeyDong 10 months, 4 weeks ago

Yeah, we got the upset 2 years straight.

tolawdjk 10 months, 4 weeks ago

The important thing to recognize is that Missouri is nominated twice this year for Outstanding Achievement in Failure.

Way to go Tigers!

hawkinator 10 months, 4 weeks ago

Seriously though, I have my ticket framed from this game... it was incredible. I've never seen Self go that nuts after winning a game. In terms of what was on the line, it easily surpasses the other two nominees.

raprichard 10 months, 4 weeks ago

I loved the game too, but saying that in terms of what was on the line it easily surpasses the other nominees is a bit much. A world series win and a trip to the NFC Finals? I think it was probably more important than the Saints/49ers game, but I'm clearly biased. Even I can't say it was more important than game 6 (an elimination game) of the World Series. Still, for pure drama and excitement, I don't think it can be beat.

jhawkrulz 10 months, 3 weeks ago

A baseball game...really? Please I betcha half of "sports fans" can't even tell you who played in the world series last year.

wissoxfan83 10 months, 3 weeks ago

The media, for whatever reason, has decided that baseball isn't worth covering anymore. ESPN, Fox, Yahoo treat baseball as a minor sport. That's why during spring training this year all ESPN did was talk NFL draft which was two months away. Fox treats their postseason world series games as a commercial for their NFL games and trashy shows on their network. Yahoo when the two teams were determined to play in the Series had no sports front page coverage of the world series, none! So you're right, fans don't care anymore, but they would should the media pay attention to it.

KULA 10 months, 4 weeks ago

Just relieved not to be part of the "Biggest Upset" category this year. Of course, if we had beat Kentucky, we probably would've got some votes in that category--especially from the east coast writers, lol.

Btw, nice article about Thomas Robinson in the LA Times today. http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-nba-thomas-robinson-20120627,0,82869.story

texashawk10 10 months, 4 weeks ago

I just absolutely hate that Missouri is nominated twice this year at the ESPY's while KU is only nominated once. Oh wait, Missouri is on the losing end of both games they are nominated for, ignore the hate being nominated twice comment because I love it.

hawkcat 10 months, 4 weeks ago

Why did Self hire Sadler, the poorest coach in the big 12, got fired, can't recruit, doesn't really know the game, what a joke.

BayHawkaholic 10 months, 4 weeks ago

I guess summer school just let out.

cosmic 10 months, 3 weeks ago

good thing he isnt a coach, Director of Bball operations

jaybate 10 months, 3 weeks ago

The answer seems obvious. Self was trying to get you to betray your ignorance. :-)

HighEliteMajor 10 months, 3 weeks ago

icthawkfan316 will be very upset.

You're right, Self purposefully brought an ignoramus onto the staff. I say we start a recall petition.

741hawk 10 months, 4 weeks ago

Actually . . . Doc does know the game. That's exactly why Coach Self hired him. Think about it . . . YOU are criticizing Self about something like this? Next time, try to add a helpful comment.

OakvilleJHawk 10 months, 3 weeks ago

First of all, I do bleed Crimson and Blue but as a life-long baseball and Cardinal fan as well as a season ticket holder for over a quarter of a century, I have to side on Game Six.

As historic as the KU/MU game was, it was not a title game, it was not a playoff game, it was not even a post season game.

Game Six has been called by many the greatest World Series game in history. A World Championship was at stake on every pitch with more twists and turns that even Hollywood could come up with.

The best news of all??? Both my teams won!! What a great five months!!

HighEliteMajor 10 months, 3 weeks ago

You have lived a charmed life .. KU, Cardinals. Please tell me you're football team isn't the Steelers. It simply would not be fair.

jhawkrulz 10 months, 3 weeks ago

It was for the conference championship.

You are talking about baseball you realize...outside of St Louis and was it against Texas, if so, Texas, who even knows who was in the World Series?

BayHawkaholic 10 months, 3 weeks ago

It sounds like you were not around back in the late 70's and early 80's when Royals Stadium was frequently dressed in the red, white and blue bunting and rosettes of playoff decor. Meanwhile KU basketball was chugging through the last of the Ted Owens era including back to back losing seasons in '82 and '83.

As for the KU/MU game . . . you are talking about college basketball you realize.. .outside of Kansas and Missouri, who evens know who was fighting for the conference championship? Not many. It all comes down to perspective.

KGphoto 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Pretty much dropped baseball when my Royals became a Wal-Mart.

Niners v Saints? Pff.

The rest of the country will never really understand why that last KU v MU matchup is really the game of the year, so I don't expect it to win. To me though, It was bigger than the championship game vs. Kensucky. I was more nervous before the game, and more upset during the game. What I felt after the game, and forever, is only rivaled by the two KU basketball championships during my lifetime.

Not sure any pro sport can do for me what KU does for me.

To me it was the Game of the year. Game of the decade. Game of the century.

jaybate 10 months, 3 weeks ago

"The Miracle on Naismith Drive" would certainly win were it not for the fact that Fizzouri was an overrated, second rate bunch of chokers from a third rate school that no one outside KU and hill billy meth crackers has ever heard of.

BigAl 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Quit beatin' around the bush jaybate. You need to learn how to be more direct.

jaybate 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Now you know why I go long. :-)

Brak 10 months, 3 weeks ago

That's what she said!

drgnslayr 10 months, 3 weeks ago

There are border wars...

http://www.youtube.com/topic/Zw61ajj7h54/?feature=results_main

And there are border wars...

U.S./Mexico Border Wars by sethdrummerkid

Nothing wrong with peace now and then. Our athletic program doesn't survive because of a border war so lets enjoy the peace and quiet while we go after something really important... like ANOTHER national championship!

Alohahawk 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Numero Uno. Ichiban. Number One. No Ka Oi. What eva da kine language, the last Border War battle - KU vs MU - tops my list.

And I posted this before, when it appeared the day after the KU win, but I'll post it again: I love the photo at the top because it creates the illusion that a miniature KU cheerleader is standing on Bill Self's shoulder, resting her arm on top of his head.

drgnslayr 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Maui wowie! Now I see it!

ralster 10 months, 3 weeks ago

What is laughable is that under a story about that humiliating loss for Mizzou, some Mizzoo fan would be stupid enough to try to comment on it, at a ku website...like to step on land-mines much, FizzouriShat?

Down the drain was Missouri in the 2012 March Madness. Hey fool, how does a top 5 team lose in the f-i-r-s-t round? Gawd, thats just bad! See we (& Duke, UNC, etc) may choke occasionally, but we contend every year. Not Missouri. Lets see if you are a top10 team at "any" point next season. You know you can pencil us in as a top 10 team about every year.

Got Final Fours? (nope).

Got National Championship? (nope)

Got Ben McLemore? (nope)

Got Coach? (nope. Y'all chose Quin Snyder over Bill Self in 1999, so he went to Illinois and never forgot that snub). We ku people realize this is the most excited we have seen Self since he won the N-a-t-i-o-n-a-l C-h-a-m-p-i-o-n-s-h-i-p!! Thats no compliment to Mizzoo, as Self knows it would be shameful to lose to azz-clowns like Mizzoo. You dont think he remembers the Quin-snub??? Look at the man's face...

Got Choke? Why...yes...you...do!!!

Hey, I sympathize...please dont go get all choked up...

HighEliteMajor 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Easy on Mizzou .. they did win the Big 12 wrestling title, besting the 3 other schools that have programs. Epic.

Their dream season? The worst upset in tournament history.

Their dream season? KU to championship game.

A defining difference .. no KU fan would bother purchasing a Norfolk St. shirt. MU fans swarmed Bucknell merchandise.

You're getting me riled up here.

MoonwalkMafia66 10 months, 3 weeks ago

I saw a few Norfolk St. shirts on campus.

JayHawkFanToo 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Wrestling? Where sweaty grown men roll on the floor grunting and holding each other's behinds? That wrestling?

ralster 10 months, 3 weeks ago

HEM, you brought up another good point: If the mizzoocreatures swarmed Bucknell merchandise, just how pathetic is that? They are so desperate to have us beat, even when they cannot do it themselves. They would rather disrespect their own school by wearing some other contestant's colors, just to prove their hate.

Of course, over the last 6yrs straight, when No. Other. Div1. Program. in the Nation has won more games, not Duke, not UNC, not Kentucky...of course we can expect the little Mizzoopussycat meowing wildly, caught in the tread of one of the outer tires of our Jayhawk B-52...

STLJayhawk10 10 months, 3 weeks ago

lol have you been to their one bar in columbia? they had all of the big 12 jerseys on a wall but felt the need to add VCU, UNI, Bradley, and Bucknell. Trolls.

They also literally had the score on every fast food restaurants sign after the game in columbia. its sad really

JHWKDW 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Hey Ralster you Forgot Ol' Quin Snyder was the assistant coach to the Lakers this year the team that well you guessed it choked in the playoffs! Trust me I give my friend out in L.A. California grief over it!I told her thats what happens when you hire Missouri coaches in Basketball they choke!She cussed at me at first but looked it up and thanked me for the info LOL!

johninkc1 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Seriously. I can't believe that any Jayhawk fan would consider voting for a World Series game as the best of the year. Baseball is perhaps the second most boring sport to watch behind golf. I am sure that it was a great game. Yawn! But I will stick with the KU/misery game which signaled the collapse of games to come- think Norfolk State. ROCK CHALK and may our Hawks make us proud tomorrow on the NBA selection show.

HighEliteMajor 10 months, 3 weeks ago

No, no, my friend .. MU's win over KU at Columbia signaled what was coming. The Tigers' expectations were never greater than after that win, and that created the inevitable fall. You must know the Tigers. The higher the expectations, the more inevitable the fall.

wissoxfan83 10 months, 3 weeks ago

See my above post on what the sports media has done to baseball.

ahpersecoachingexperience 10 months, 3 weeks ago

ahpermightaswellbeontheljwstaff here to inform you that Rob Riggle from the OP and graduate of Kansas University (see as a staff writer I have to call it that) will be the host of the espys.

joshar 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Don't forget to vote on this one too: http://espn.go.com/espys/voting?vote=8085546&lang=en

by joshar

OakvilleJHawk 10 months, 3 weeks ago

HEM....in answer to your question, the universe does have a way of balancing out life's Karma....I am also a St.Louis Ram Charter Member season ticket holder so I haven't seen decent football for almost a decade!!!

Heck, we don't even have a decent place to tailgate near the stadium. No matter how bad the Chiefs may suck, there's always great pre and post game parties. In St.Louis, all we do is get stuck in traffic!!

marchphog88 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Wow, it really seems like the ESPY nomination committee stacked the deck in favor of the KU/MU game.

I'm sure the Cards/Rangers game was great. Unfortunately, there is no possible scenario in baseball that can come close the emotional charge and intensity that comes along with a barnburner college basketball rivalry game. Baseball is slow, devoid of action 90% of the time, and lasts for 162 gawd awful games, making any individual game--even one for the WS title--just a blip in the pan.

The fact that I can't even remember why the Saints/49ers game would be in the running is proof enough to me that 2011-12 was a year devoid of really great games, apparently.

PS - there is no way MU/Norfolk St. is winning the "biggest upset" category. To win that category, people have to care/notice when someone beats you. Like how KU is always a hip choice. Missuori lucked out in that the same year (day) they lost to a 2-seed in the opening round, that school everyone loves to hate (Duke) did the same exact thing.

Duke will win the "best upset" category easily, methinks.

BayHawkaholic 10 months, 3 weeks ago

yes - The Duke upset will win because they're usually very good, so they have more haters. MU is not consistently good enough to have a large audience of haters.

However, the espy voting audience has in the past been tilted towards pro sports - particularly football. If the KU/MU game wins, I actually think the vote will have beaten the odds.

justinryman 10 months, 3 weeks ago

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=7968810

jaybate 10 months, 3 weeks ago

"Somethings We Know Will Happen to MU During Its First SEC Season"

~Investigation clouds will continue to swirl around Haith.

~MU will finish fourth or lower in basketball, after its once a decade good team.

~The MU football coach will abuse a substance somewhere, sometime, don't know how, don't know when...

~MU football will finish mid pack.

~Chitlins will begin to be sold at football and basketball games.

~Alumni meth dealers from Missouri will send their sons by their mothers to open retail outlets in southern states.

~Losing margins will widen in football. Winning margins will narrow in football.

~Wrestling humans will be dropped. Wrestling alligators will be added.

~Dixie will be played at the half time of all games and confederate flags will fly in all classrooms.

~Parts of the campus will be planted to cotton.

~The columns will still stand for nothing.

(Note: all fiction. No malice.)

actorman 10 months, 3 weeks ago

"The contest also was the final conference battle against the two schools ..."

Why would the conference battle against both schools. I can understand the entire conference wanting to battle against Misuse, given that they got the whole realignment mess started, but I can't understand why they would want to battle against both schools ...

Seriously, that's an incredibly stupid thing to be posted by so-called professional writers. Jeez, guys, doesn't anyone actually edit these things?

JHWKDW 10 months, 3 weeks ago

Let us remember the second to last game Missouri had as a representative of the Big XII!A 15-3 drubbing by the eventual Baseball College World Series Champion University of Arizona Wildcats 15-3!

lighthawk 10 months, 3 weeks ago

I did vote for Norfolk as best upset, hope it gets plenty of play on the ESPY show. We don't have enough leverage to win this award, yet we should get some nice promotion in our segment. Sorry to say, Coach Cal and Unibrow and their pal Lebron may pick up some hardware that night, not best outcome for us.

Commenting has been disabled for this item.

Men's Basketball