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Multiple sources are now reporting that Kansas and Missouri will be meeting up in the Sprint Center for an exhibition matchup, with all proceeds going to charity (hurricane relief).
A report on 610 AM just after 2 PM was followed by multiple beat writers (on both sides of the border) and now 41 KSHB in Kansas City plus the Kansas City Star, all reporting the same thing. The official announcement is pending approval from the NCAA, since by rule Division 1 teams are not allowed to play exhibition games against one another.
The KSHB article makes it sound like everything is official; all of the beat writers say they have yet to hear that it is indeed official. So, an interesting dichotomy there.
Regardless, Missouri fans are unsurprisingly all-in on this, since (much like little brother) they can’t seem to get over their obsession with KU.
I know there are some KU fans out there, some even on this website, who would like to play MU again. I am not one of them. I am hoping this is some kind of cruel joke, or maybe they mean the women’s basketball teams, or maybe some alumni teams. I don’t know why Bill Self would break his stance on not playing Missouri even for a cause as noble as raising funds for charity. The risks are just too great.
What if Udoka breaks his hand? Or Devonte tears an ACL? It takes talent, coaching, depth, and injury-free luck to make a Final Four, which is the ultimate goal. Why would you risk your depth and luck in a meaningless October game? Kansas has an actual chance at making a run this year. I’m not convinced that Missouri does for reasons that I’ll not get into here so as to not deviate from the topic at hand.
Kansas would sell out Sprint Center if Appalachian State was the opponent (see what I did there?). Missouri only brings fans if they’re playing KU. There are other ways to raise money for charity.
But I guess the crux of the matter is this: I hardly think that a watered-down version of what was once (and in many ways still is) one of the greatest (in-conference) rivalries in college sports is something I want to take in.
What’s your take?