Kansas Jayhawks, Missouri Tigers have played some memorable games through the years

Any list of memorable Border War men’s basketball games certainly has to include the two contests played in February of 2012.

At the time, those two games — one won by Missouri in Columbia and one claimed by Kansas in Lawrence — were billed as the last regular-season games to be played between the rivals with Missouri headed to the SEC starting in 2012-13.

There indeed would be a nine-year hiatus in the series, the two schools ultimately agreeing on a six-game series over six years starting in 2021-22.

So let’s take a look at those two games as well as eight other unforgettable Border War showdowns.

KU leads the series 176-95 according to the KU record book. Missouri’s record book has KU leading the series 175-95.

Kansas 87, Missouri 86 (OT), Feb. 25, 2012, Lawrence: KU power forward Thomas Robinson, who scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, blocked Phil Pressey’s driving layup with two ticks left to assure overtime.

The No. 4-ranked Jayhawks were thrilled to force a five-minute extra session against the No. 3 Tigers, considering the Jayhawks trailed 58-39 with 16 minutes 20 seconds left in the game.

Robinson who will have his jersey hung in the Allen Fieldhouse rafters at halftime of Saturday’s 4:15 p.m. battle against Mizzou, was involved in several key plays. He accepted a pass in the post and backed down guard Michael Dixon, getting his leaner to fall as he was undercut for a foul. Robinson’s free throw with 16.1 seconds left tied the game at 75-75.

Robinson on the other end blocked Pressey’s layup — MU cleared out for him — with two seconds left.

KU guard Tyshawn Taylor scored nine of KU’s 12 points in overtime. With 8.6 seconds left Taylor hit two free throws that gave KU an 87-86 lead.

MU had a final possession to win. Guard Dixon dribbled slowly down court, then after heading left near the top of the key, dished to guard Marcus Denmon (28 points), who was unable to launch a long-range shot before the final horn. Dixon was boxed in by Robinson as he tried to get to the basket.

Denmon could not release a final shot before the orn but did connect on an attempt that fell through the net a second late.

“For it to end like this is pretty cool for us, especially the way we lost the first game (squandering late eight-point lead in 74-71 loss that season at MU),” KU coach Bill Self said.

“It’s a great rivalry. It’s two schools that fiercely don’t like each other hooking up and going at it. We saw the best they have to offer in Columbia. They saw the best we have to offer,” Self added.

Taylor finished with 24 points and five assists. KU guard Conner Teahan was 4 of 4 on 3-pointers and scored 12 points. Guard Elijah Johnson had eight points, eight assists and no turnovers. For MU, Denmon hit six 3s en route to his 28 points. Forward Ricardo Ratliffe had 22 points, Dixon 17, guard Kim English 11 and Pressey eight.

“I think I just remember how happy all our fans were after that game, just thinking back to when Thomas blocked that shot and the place went crazy and when they didn’t get the shot off when guarded … the clock went off,” KU assistant coach Kurtis Townsend said. “Players were running on the floor. It was a big win for us.”

Missouri 74, Kansas 71, Feb. 4, 2012, Columbia: It looked for a while the Jayhawks would win the final regular-season game played at Mizzou Arena. KU led by eight points following a baseline dunk by Taylor with 3:21 remaining. Missouri scored the game’s final 11 points to storm to victory.

Denmon scored 29 points for the Tigers. The senior guard hit 10 of 16 shots, including 6 of 9 3s. He also had nine rebounds in 39 minutes. Denmon converted a conventional 3-point play and hit two 3-point baskets in the final 2:05, the last for the go-ahead points. English scored 18 points.

MU’s go-ahead 3 came with 56 seconds remaining for a one-point lead. Dixon added a pair of free throws with 9.8 seconds left after an offensive foul on Taylor. Kansas’ Johnson missed a shot to tie it at the buzzer.

“The most important thing I remember hearing was Kimmie (English) saying, ‘We’re going to win this game,’” Denmon said.”I understood how much it meant to him to say that.:

KU’s Robinson scored 25 points off 11-of-17 shooting. He had 19 points the second half.

Kansas 93, Missouri 80, Feb. 26, 1972, Lawrence: Isaac “Bud” Stallworth, a 6-5 senior from Hartselle, Alabama, scored 50 points in KU’s 13-point victory at Allen Fieldhouse. Stallworth hit 19 of 38 shots and 12 of 13 free throws.

His performance came before a packed house that included his mother, who had traveled from Alabama to watch her son play in the fieldhouse for the first time. Members of KU’s 1952 title team were in town for a 20th-reunion celebration.

Stallworth’s 50-point outing trails only Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 52 points against Northwestern on Dec. 3, 1956 on KU’s all-time single-game scoring charts. It remains the most points a Jayhawk has scored in a conference game.

Missouri 81, Kansas 74, Feb. 20, 1994, Lawrence: The Tigers trailed KU for most of the game at Allen Fieldhouse, but MU point guard Melvin Booker wouldn’t let them lose. Booker, who finished with 32 points, had 24 points in the second half and 17 in the final 8 1/2 minutes.

His 3 with 2:10 left snapped a 69-69 tie and gave MU the lead for good. In that game KU hit 9 of 22 free throws to Mizzou’s 24 of 30.

“It seems like every time we play Missouri, they have somebody who goes crazy against us. This time we weren’t able to beat them like a couple times in the past,” KU coach Roy Williams said.

He was referring to MU’s Mark Atkins scoring 30 points in KU’s 86-69 win in Allen Fieldhouse in 1993. In 1992, Anthony Peeler scored 43 points, but the Jayhawks prevailed, 97-89.

The Tigers went on to finish the 1993-94 Big Eight season 14-0.

Missouri 96, Kansas 94, 2OT, Feb. 4, 1997, Columbia: KU came to the Hearnes Center with a 22-0 record and No. 1 national ranking. MU took the Jayhawks to double overtime. MU’s Corey Tate made a 16-foot jumper with 5.6 seconds left to pull off the shocking upset.

KU’s Jacque Vaughn had 19 points and 10 assists and played good defense on Dibi Ray (three points, two assists, 48 minutes). Raef LaFrentz had 26 points and 16 rebounds. MU’s Kelly Thames had 24 points and 11 boards, while Derek Grimm hit four 3s. Paul Pierce had four points in 17 foul-plagued minutes.

Jason Sutherland of MU answered a Billy Thomas 3 to give MU an 89-86 lead to open the second overtime.

Kansas 83, Missouri 82, March 5, 2000, Lawrence: KU freshmen Drew Gooden and Kirk Hinrich made two free throws each over the final 12 seconds at Allen Fieldhouse.

Gooden was intentionally fouled by Jeff Hafer as Gooden stormed in for what would have been a layup. The free throws turned an 80-79 deficit into an 81-80 lead for the Jayhawks. KU kept possession off the intentional foul and scored two more on a pair of Hinrich free throws that gave Kansas an 83-80 lead with 7.6 seconds left, MU’s Clarence Gilbert tipped in a Keyon Dooling miss with one-tenth of a second left.

“I was under a lot of pressure. It was like a dream,” said Gooden. He scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. “I’ve never been in that position before in my whole life.”

Because Hafer was charged with an intentional foul, the Jayhawks retained possession. Hafer’s foul was not called intentional on Hinrich. But the freshman guard calmly canned both shots and brought a roar from the sellout throng.

Missouri had erased a 14-point second-half deficit to take a one-point lead on T.J. Soyoye’s free throw at the 1:40 mark.

Kareem Rush scored 20 points for MU, which battled back from a 14-point deficit and led by one point with 1:40 remaining.

That was the game in which Dooling flushed a highlight reel dunk over Ashante Johnson. Dooling was called for an offensive foul on what’s been referred to as one of the greatest dunks in the fieldhouse.

“We saw him fly … all of us,” Roy Williams said of the slam.

Kansas 95, Missouri 92, March 3, 2002, Columbia: The Jayhawks clinched a 16-0 Big 12 record with a win over the Tigers in the Hearnes Center. Nick Collison scored 28 points and grabbed seven rebounds and Hinrich added 25 points and nine boards for the No. 1-ranked Jayhawks.

That 2002 Kansas squad is the lone team in Big 12 history to run the table in the conference.

Missouri trailed by as many as 11 points in the second half but twice rallied to tie and briefly lead after Arthur Johnson’s 3-point play made it 92-91 with 1:57 to go.

Collison hit a jumper with 1:36 to go and Gooden’s tip rolled in with 26 seconds to play for a three-point lead.

Kareem Rush missed a turnaround jumper with 1:14 left and a chance to take the lead, then his errant pass was intercepted by Jeff Boschee with 15 seconds left and KU up three. Rickey Paulding blocked Boschee’s layup with about 9 seconds left and MU called a timeout with 6.2 seconds remaining to set up a final chance. But Clarence Gilbert, who had 27 points, hit the backboard but not the rim on a 3-point attempt with about 2 seconds left.

“It’s a happy locker room,” KU coach Williams said after the game. ”The kids, they never had a goal to be 16-0, but as it came closer down the stretch they were asked about it so often. It never became a goal of mine until after the Kansas State game, but it feels good to do it now.”

Kansas 79, Missouri 74, March 10, 2003, Lawrence: Aaron Miles hit a 23-foot three-pointer and Hinrich followed with an even deeper three from 25 feet to turn a three-point deficit into a late three-point lead. The victory wrapped up the undisputed Big 12 title. MU’s Paulding missed 15 of 20 shots on the day, but was 11 of 11 from the line.

Kansas 84, Missouri 82, March 7, 2004, Columbia: David Padgett played only one season for the Jayhawks, but he made one of the most memorable shots in the KU-MU rivalry. In the last game contested at the Hearnes Center, power forward Padgett, who transferred to Louisville after the season, made a baseline jumper with 2 seconds left that went down as one of the most impactful field goals in the 32 year-history of the building.

Wayne Simien scored 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds. MU’s Johnson had 37 points and eight boards.

Padgett, who entered with a 6.7 scoring average as a freshman, was alone on the baseline after accepting a pass from Keith Langford. Padgett swished a 10-footer and finished with six points.

“Keith was supposed to take the shot, I’m sure they knew that, and I just happened to be open so he passed it to me,” Padgett said. “I didn’t think there was enough time left so I was just trying to get it up there and maybe get a tip or something, but things just went my way.” KU’s Miles stole the ensuing inbounds pass from Jimmy McKinney just beyond midcourt and hung on to the ball until the buzzer.

Missouri 89, Kansas 86, OT: Jan. 16, 2006, Columbia: Kansas led 77-74 with 14 seconds left, but Missouri’s Thomas Gardner hit a three-pointer to tie the game. KU forward Christian Moody was fouled while shooting with 0.4 seconds left. He had to make one free throw for a KU win, but missed both.

MU won the game in overtime, and Thomas Gardner finished with a career-high 40 points including two free throws with 1:01 left in OT. The lead changed six times in OT.

The Tigers actually trailed by seven points before outscoring Kansas 10-3 over the final 30 seconds of regulation. Gardner’s 3-pointer with 5.6 seconds left tied the game.

Mario Chalmers led Kansas with 22, while Brandon Rush had 14, Moody 13 and Russell Robinson 12.

Some other notable moments in the series. …

KU 75, MU 65, Dec. 29, 1951, Kansas City: KU’s Clyde Lovellette scored on MU’s Win Wilfong with three minutes left in the finals of the Big 7 holiday tournament in KC, then was ejected for stomping on Wilfong’s stomach. MU coach Wilbur “Sparky” Stalcup quieted the crowd’s booing by stating into the Municipal Auditorium’s microphone: “The University of Missouri enjoys this rivalry with the University of Kansas. Doc Allen is a great coach.” Both teams then shook hands and Lovellette and Wilfong hugged.

KU 71, MU 69 (OT), March 9, 1971, Columbia: Senior forward Dave Robisch hit three free throws and grabbed two rebounds in the final minute of overtime. It was the final game ever played at MU’s Brewer Fieldhouse.

MU led by nine at halftime, but thanks to Roger Brown’s six points KU tied the game just three minutes into the final half. Robisch had 15 points on 5-of-19 shooting. Aubrey Nash had 16 points.

MU 67, KU 65, March 9, 1987, Kansas City: A 15-foot jumper by Missouri guard Lee Coward with four seconds remaining gave MU a victory in the Big Eight postseason tourney title game. Danny Manning totaled 31 points and 12 rebounds to outduel Mizzou’s Derrick Chievous. Two of Chievous’ 26 points came on a 14-foot jumper that tied the game at 65-65 with 59 seconds left.

Buckets by Manning gave Kansas the lead three times during the final 3 1/2 minutes, but Missouri answered each time.

Kevin Pritchard missed a 5-footer in the lane with 11 seconds left with the score tied, and Chris Piper was called for a foul on Mike Sandbothe.

Sandbothe missed the front end of the one-and-one situation, but the rebound was tipped to Coward, who was wide open at the foul line. His 15-footer swished with 4 seconds showing.

After a timeout, Chievous intercepted an in-bounds baseball throw from Keith Harris intended for Pritchard.

MU 91, KU 66, Feb. 1, 1989, Lawrence: Missouri registered the largest victory by a visitor in Allen Fieldhouse, winning by 25 points in a game played in Williams’ first season at KU. Texas would later match Missouri’s record during the 2020-21 season with a 25-point win over their own over Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse.

MU 95, KU 87, Jan. 20, 1990, Columbia: KU held the No. 1 ranking in the country while Missouri was No. 4. The Tigers prevailed in a high-scoring game. Peeler had 24 points to lead the Tigers.

MU 77, KU 71, Feb. 13, 1990, Lawrence: This time ranked No. 2 in the country, MU again knocked off the No. 1 Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse. Peeler scored a game-high 22 points, while Nathan Buntin had 16 and Doug Smith 11. John McIntyre, a 6-5 senior, scored 15 points and burned Kansas with nine points from 3-point range.

“This victory was a lot more important than the first one,’‘ Smith said. ‘‘We really don’t lose that much at home, but going on the road, playing a team like Kansas in a place like this was a real challenge.’‘