When happy chaos consumed Columbia

Dec 9, 2024 | Uncategorized

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Missouri guard Anthony Robinson II (0) celebrates a three during the first half of the Border War game against Kansas on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, at Mizzou Arena. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)

Mizzou took down top-ranked kansas, its first victory over the Jayhawks on the hardwood since 2012. The performance didn’t just add another win in the win column, however; the Tigers gave many a memory that will last lifetimes.

Since before the 20th century, conflicts between Kansas and Missouri have almost never been normal.

Bleeding Kansas started the animosity well before anyone in the present world was born. In 1961, there was actual blood spilled between Mizzou and Kansas on the hardwood. Other tales of hatred actualized, such as legendary MU coach Norm Stewart refusing to spend money in Kansas, have been well-documented.

Heading into the 271st edition of the rivalry on the basketball court, the Tigers knew that the game wasn’t like any other on its schedule, nor has it ever been. Tamar Bates, a Kansas City, Kansas native, made that clear on Friday.

“I’d be a fool to sit here and act like it’s just a regular game,” Bates said.

What took place at Mizzou Arena on Sunday was definitely not a normal game, mostly because there were civilians littered all over the court by game’s end.

For the first time since Feb. 4, 2012, the Tigers won the Border War, taking down the Jayhawks 76-67 in front of a home crowd that threatened the roof’s stability multiple times. It marked their first win over the AP Poll’s top team since 1997 (also kU), but it also added a golden chapter to the program’s history that spans several generations.

The day started early for many — the line of eager students for the noon tip-off outside of Mizzou Arena began well before the sun rose. When some Jayhawk fans arrived in the same area, their existence angered some in black and gold, who hurled expletives in their direction. Soon after, a stampede of students formed, one bound for a student section that’d ultimately roar for almost all 60 minutes of game action.

When the final buzzer sounded, Norm Stewart Court was flooded with happy feet despite the PA announcer’s call to not do so, much to the ire of head coach Dennis Gates.

“I got upset at the (scorer’s) table for (the PA announcer) making an announcement to tell our fans not to rush the court. You’ve got to be kidding me,” Gates said. “I was about to, in-game, take the mic and say ‘rush the damn court’.”


Missouri guard T.O. Barrett (5) celebrates defeating Kansas with students in the Border War game against Kansas on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, at Mizzou Arena. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)

In any rivalry that’s filled with history and hostility, moments become magnified. Three points can feel like six, while victories and defeats can feel like two in one. The people that create the memories that last forever are immortalized alongside them. For Mizzou, Marcus Denmon, Zaire Taylor, Corey Tate and Lee Coward (twice) are all enshrined in Columbia for their heroics against the Jayhawks. Fellow KC (KS) product Mark Mitchell said that he remembers watching Thomas Robinson play for Kansas, who came up with arguably the best block in the history of the series when he denied a Phil Pressey layup to send an epic edition of the Border War to overtime, one that saw the Jayhawks ultimately prevail.

Similarly to Bates, head coach Dennis Gates knew how important this game was. He’d acknowledged the program’s history many times in previous press conferences, and his words on Friday were no different.

“When you look at former coaches, former players, former students, former employees, their memories of Mizzou basketball revolves around this game,” Gates said on Friday. “Our guys understand it from a historical perspective.”

While there were no shots that turned losses to wins in the final moments this time around, the ones who stepped up for the Tigers on Sunday will, in some way, forever be engrained in the memories of those who bore witness to Sunday’s upset.

One will be Tamar Bates, who scored 29 points, 18 of which came in the first half. On the opening possession, Bates got beat on a backdoor cut by Zeke Mayo, who finished an easy layup. But Bates eventually settled in, knocking down a three-pointer less than two minutes later that kickstarted an elite offensive outing. Bates slashed and dashed through the Jayhawks all night, oozing with confidence that was present well before the game tipped off.

Two hours before the game, Bates skipped and fist-pumped on his way back into Mizzou’s tunnel for warm-ups. The energy translated into production, and after the game, he embraced Caleb Grill, who’d been sidelined since he injured his neck against Lindenwood on Nov. 27. Bates grabbed the fallen soldier and shouted, “I did that for you! I did that for you, boy!”


Missouri guard Tamar Bates (2) celebrates defeating Kansas in the Border War game against Kansas on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, at Mizzou Arena. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)

Another hero? Josh Gray, who fortified the interior on both ends of the floor. Gray had 10 rebounds, six of which came before the first media timeout. Against the vaunted Hunter Dickinson down low, Gray held his own, providing the Tigers something that they didn’t have last season: a big, bruising center who could compete physically with almost anyone in the nation. After the game, Gray grabbed his beloved horse mask before the court-storm and wore it on the way out through the tunnel, becoming the most victorious horse since the SMU Mustangs, who made the College Football Playoff earlier in the day.

On the perimeter, Anthony Robinson II represented a team-wide area of growth from the last time the Border War was held in Columbia. Two years ago, in the first Border War played at Mizzou Arena since 2012, the magnitude of the moment seemed too big for the Tigers; this time, they seized it, with Robinson leading the charge in a masterful defensive performance.

The Jayhawks looked like nervous birds for most of the night. as their 22 turnovers tied for the most in a game since the start of the 2020-21 season. Robinson had five of Mizzou’s 14 steals on the night, tying a career-high for swipes in a single game. He also provided stability on offense as a ball-handler, especially when Kansas sent a full-court press late in the game.

Elsewhere on offense, the Tigers were relentless, attacking the basket frequently without much, if any fear of Dickinson or anyone else defending the Kansas basket. One of those attackers was Mitchell, who scored eight of his 17 points at the charity stripe. He also canned a clutch corner triple with just over 2:03 left in regulation, avenging three prior misses from beyond the arc to put the Tigers ahead by five.

“Mark made a big-time play,” Gates said. “He believed in himself.”


Missouri forward Mark Mitchell (25) celebrates defeating Kansas in the Border War game against Kansas on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, at Mizzou Arena. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)

As the Tiger faithful rang out arguably the loudest “f**k KU!” chants of their lives, the ripple effects were equally as loud. At 8-1, Mizzou will likely be ranked in this week’s AP Top 25 for the first time since the end of the 2022-23 season. On a larger scale, Sunday was a statement regarding basketball talent in Missouri. It culminated in a moment that Bates said he shared with Mitchell and fellow Kansas City-area native Aidan Shaw amidst a sea of people.

“After the game, we was telling each other ‘this is what we came here for’,” Bates said. “For kids in the next generation that’s coming to college next year, we just trying to show them that you don’t got to go far to play big-time basketball and win big-time games. You can come play for this guy (coach Gates).”

There’s still a lot of season left, but one thing will remain true throughout: Mizzou gave a lot of people an unforgettable memory, especially students. Three graduating classes at MU — 2025, 2026 and 2027 — have been in school for a field-storm in football (Kansas State 2023) and a court-storm in basketball (Kansas on Sunday). Both events haven’t happened too often at Mizzou, let alone in less than a year and a half.

Over the course of a few hours, a group of men in black and gold made a town proud. They put a team honoring its history (crunch-time buckets against Kansas donning uniforms with the Block M on it) back on a national stage. Like 1990, 1994 and 2012, Mizzou won a war that will be talked about fondly throughout town for years to come.

“20 years from now,” Gates said, “I want these dudes to remember what they accomplished.”


Missouri players celebrate a Kansas timeout after a Missouri score during the second half of the Border War game against Kansas on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, at Mizzou Arena. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)

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