— BORDER WAR QUIZ: Test your knowledge of Border Wars past and enter to win a $25 Visa gift card.
The day hundreds of KU fans and nearly every Missouri fan has been waiting years for is now just a few days out, when the Border War returns, for one day only, in the form of a basketball scrimmage Sunday at Sprint Center.
While the reasons for the game have been well documented and are almost entirely focused on raising money for hurricane victims and little else, there’s still plenty to like about the idea of these two bitter, old rivals getting back together for what promises to be an intriguing match-up at the very least.
Before we go any further, let’s get one thing clear up front: Kansas is and should be a heavy favorite in this game, with the fictional point spread hitting somewhere around 10-12 points in KU’s favor.
The experience, the talent, the familiarity within the system and the coaching advantage all favor Kansas. And if both teams were to line up and play a winner-take-all type of game, the Jayhawks would probably win by double digits.
The fact that it’s an exhibition game that means nothing and figures to feature every player on both rosters getting at least a few minutes of court time changes things a little because we just don’t know how hard either side will compete — or coach — to win this game.
Sure, it’s important. Neither side wants to lose it. But in the grand scheme of things, it’s not worth wearing down your guys or risking injuries just to win a game that does not count. So you have to factor that into the equation when thinking about just how competitive this one will be.
The guess here is that it will be more fun than ferocious. Remember, none of the players on either side have ever experienced a true Border War game. They might know the history and even know a couple of players who competed in the good old days, but that still keeps them at a bit of a distance from the teeth of the rivalry and one random Sunday exhibition won’t change that.
With that said, here’s a quick look at five things I’m most looking forward to about Sunday’s Border War Showdown for Relief:
1 – The crowd split
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This one feels a little like an NCAA Tournament game or neutral site clash in that one of the big questions surrounding it will be which team’s fans show up in greater numbers.
Remember wondering that during the Big 12 tournament for a couple of those KU-Iowa State clashes? Or how about up in Omaha, during the NCAA Tournament, when KU and Wichita State finally faced off? Each university in this scenario was given exactly half of the tickets available for the Border War revival. But does that mean Sprint Center will be 50 percent crimson and blue and 50 percent black and gold? I doubt it.
One side will have more fans there and one side will be louder. Will those two be the same?
2 – Michael Porter Jr.
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I won’t lie. I want to see how good this kid is. Every recruiting guru out there has raved about him for the past couple of years and the most recent ESPN.com 2018 NBA mock draft by Jonathan Givony (formerly of draftexpress.com) has him listed as the No. 2 overall pick.
That’s serious praise for some serious talent, something KU fans know a thing or two about. It’ll be interesting to see if it jumps off the court in this one or if Porter, at this stage in the season, looks like just another guy.
3 – Udoka Azubuike vs. real talent
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It’s been a while since we’ve seen the KU big man play against real talent. And, no, those camp scrimmages in the summer do not count because nobody is actually trying to stop him because nobody wants to (a) get hurt or (b) hurt him. And this summer, in Italy, where Azubuike played just two games, the Italian teams he faced offered little resistance in the way of size or skill, which led to a dunk fest for two games for the KU big man.
The Tigers’ roster features three players who have the kind of measurements that might allow them to match up with KU’s 7-foot, 280-pound monster. One is Porter’s brother Jontay, a 6-11, 240-pound forward who reclassified to join the team. Another is prized freshman Jeremiah Tilmon, who stands 6-10, 252, and was actually recruited by KU for a little bit. And the other is 6-10, 252-pound sophomore Reed Nikko, who played in 28 games a year ago. None of these three are as big and imposing as Azubuike, but, as a trio, they should be able to challenge him a little.
4 – What lineup will Kansas go with?
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I’m not talking about just a starting lineup here — although that will be interesting — I’m talking about the way the Jayhawks play throughout the course of the scrimmage.
Last week, a media day, KU coach Bill Self said he wanted to play with two big men at least 50 percent of the time, down a little from the 70 percent goal he had stated after Late Night. While drawing too many conclusions from what happens in a meaningless exhibition game would be foolish, it would also be foolish to not at least take note of how Self works his rotation and what kinds of lineups he puts on the floor against a real, live, breathing, potentially Top 25 Division I team.
5 – How much money can they raise?
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Let’s not forget the whole point of this deal, and, with ticket prices expected to bring it at least a quarter of a million dollars on their own, it will be interesting to see just how much money they can get for this high-profile fundraiser.
Self said last week that the hope was to exceed $1 million and, with concessions and other opportunities to donate all over the arena being prevalent, it certainly seems possible.
KU officials said on Tuesday that they had sold out of their allotment of tickets and Missouri announced the same thing earlier in the week, meaning the secondary ticket market is the only remaining place to purchase tickets for Sunday’s 3 p.m. game.
One thing I’ve seen a ton of people complain about is how the game won’t be televised and how they’re missing out on a great opportunity to get even more money from television viewers. But that’s a bad excuse for not donating. If you’re complaining about it because you would’ve donated had the game been on television, bust out your credit card and donate to the American Red Cross now and follow along with our coverage and/or on the radio broadcast on game day.
One KU official told me that KU and MU could have televised the game but elected not to because their priority was to fill the building.
