Kansas Jayhawks coach Bill Self has experienced a Border War basketball game for most of his career. 

Before arriving at Kansas, he was at the University of Illinois. There, the Fighting Illini had a fierce rivalry with the Missouri Tigers. Now with the Jayhawks, he is once again in the middle of another one with the Tigers. 

The Jayhawks and Tigers face off Sunday but the rivalry is only under contract until the 2026 season. Self said he hopes the schedule-organizers continue to keep it going. 

"Well, you got to understand, there was a rivalry with me with Missouri before I got here, because I coached at Illinois," Self said. "So I understand it and I understand that the energy between the fanbases, which maybe at times spreads to animosity or anger, I think it’s good for the game to play against your rivals. We’ll look forward it. This would always be one of the most looked-forward to games on our schedule every year, and certainly that hasn’t changed at all."

Like the football series, it was stalled once the Tigers moved to the SEC. For years, Mizzou and KU were in the Big 12 and Big 8, so it was an annual thing. After a more than decade absence, the basketball series was renewed in the 2020-21 season. The football teams met this season for the first time in a while in Columbia.  

"You know what, I don’t know," Self said about continuing it. "And it’s not because of me - do I like the game? Yes. But I also like going to the Players Era Tournament and getting money for the guys’ NIL. I also like those types of things too, so I think everything has changed on how you approach scheduling. So we’ll approach it in a way that’s best for us moving forward, and my administration will have more to say on that than I actually will."

Regardless, both schools should try to keep this tradition alive despite being in different conferences. It is one of the greatest traditions in college sports. These type of rivalries exist across the country, so why shouldn't Mizzou and Kansas keeps theirs alive? It's definitely something both parties should consider moving forward. As Self said, the Illini versus Mizzou has never been a question mark even though they are in different leagues. 

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of JayhawksRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com