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If this is the last time, Dennis Gates is making it clear that he hasn’t been standing in the way of a renewal.
As it stands, one game remains in Missouri basketball’s contractually agreed series with Kansas. The two teams will meet Dec. 6 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City for the sixth time since the Border War foes reignited their bitter beef in 2021.
The contract ends after this season.
Speaking on CBS Sports college basketball reporter Jon Rothstein’s Inside College Basketball Now podcast on Thursday, Gates — Mizzou’s fifth-year head coach — said that he wants the rivalry to continue.
“I hope we can get to a place where we can keep that game on the schedule,” Gates told Rothstein. “We're in our last season on the contract of that game, so hopefully that speaks to the volumes of how important it is to renew. It won't be me holding it up, I know that. I would sign a contract right now, but sometimes there's other things that play a part (in) it that I'm not a part of.”
That’s not the first time Gates has made remarks like that. In the leadup to a 80-60 loss last year in Kansas City, the Mizzou head coach went on the record with a similar sentiment.
“It's an unbelievable rivalry, a great contest that I hope can last and we can renew that contract for the next 50 years,” Gates said in December. “Because it means something to both fanbases.”
The holdup, based on recent remarks, may lie on the other side of the state line.
Before facing Mizzou last season, Kansas head coach Bill Self gave a far more ambiguous answer about the future of Border War on the basketball court.
“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,” Self said last December. “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.”
For the second straight year, Kansas will play in the Player’s Era Festival this upcoming season — an NIL-incentivized event that offers a name, image and likeness payment for participation and more for winning the event.
The average payout for the 2026 event, which will be held in November, is expected to be just north of $1 million per team on average, per CBS Sports.
This year’s Border War will be the 274th game in the series, which dates back to 1907. Mizzou and Kansas did not play for more than nine years after the Tigers left the Big 12 in 2012, with the series resuming in 2021.
More: Mizzou basketball star Mark Mitchell signs Exhibit-10 deal with Nuggets
More: How Mizzou athletes benefit from NCAA’s eligibility rule change
The contract agreement, obtained by the Tribune through an open records request, was signed in February 2020 by then-MU athletic director Jim Sterk and former Kansas AD Jeff Long. It guaranteed six games.
The sixth and final game on that agreement is coming this year. Gates hopes it doesn’t stay that way.
“We have to try to get our ADs, our presidents to make sure we preserve that game,” Gates said, “because it's such a good game for both fanbases and the history of the Big 12, the history of our competition, but also the legendary coaches. When you look at, whether it was Roy Williams (or) Norm Stewart, regardless of who was on those sidelines, I believe, historically, it has added memories for both institutions.
“It's something I want to always stay on the schedule, and I won't be the reason why it doesn't exist.”
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Dennis Gates wants to renew Border War contract vs KU. Will series extend?
Continue reading...
As it stands, one game remains in Missouri basketball’s contractually agreed series with Kansas. The two teams will meet Dec. 6 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City for the sixth time since the Border War foes reignited their bitter beef in 2021.
The contract ends after this season.
Speaking on CBS Sports college basketball reporter Jon Rothstein’s Inside College Basketball Now podcast on Thursday, Gates — Mizzou’s fifth-year head coach — said that he wants the rivalry to continue.
“I hope we can get to a place where we can keep that game on the schedule,” Gates told Rothstein. “We're in our last season on the contract of that game, so hopefully that speaks to the volumes of how important it is to renew. It won't be me holding it up, I know that. I would sign a contract right now, but sometimes there's other things that play a part (in) it that I'm not a part of.”
That’s not the first time Gates has made remarks like that. In the leadup to a 80-60 loss last year in Kansas City, the Mizzou head coach went on the record with a similar sentiment.
“It's an unbelievable rivalry, a great contest that I hope can last and we can renew that contract for the next 50 years,” Gates said in December. “Because it means something to both fanbases.”
The holdup, based on recent remarks, may lie on the other side of the state line.
Before facing Mizzou last season, Kansas head coach Bill Self gave a far more ambiguous answer about the future of Border War on the basketball court.
“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,” Self said last December. “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.”
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For the second straight year, Kansas will play in the Player’s Era Festival this upcoming season — an NIL-incentivized event that offers a name, image and likeness payment for participation and more for winning the event.
The average payout for the 2026 event, which will be held in November, is expected to be just north of $1 million per team on average, per CBS Sports.
This year’s Border War will be the 274th game in the series, which dates back to 1907. Mizzou and Kansas did not play for more than nine years after the Tigers left the Big 12 in 2012, with the series resuming in 2021.
More: Mizzou basketball star Mark Mitchell signs Exhibit-10 deal with Nuggets
More: How Mizzou athletes benefit from NCAA’s eligibility rule change
The contract agreement, obtained by the Tribune through an open records request, was signed in February 2020 by then-MU athletic director Jim Sterk and former Kansas AD Jeff Long. It guaranteed six games.
The sixth and final game on that agreement is coming this year. Gates hopes it doesn’t stay that way.
“We have to try to get our ADs, our presidents to make sure we preserve that game,” Gates said, “because it's such a good game for both fanbases and the history of the Big 12, the history of our competition, but also the legendary coaches. When you look at, whether it was Roy Williams (or) Norm Stewart, regardless of who was on those sidelines, I believe, historically, it has added memories for both institutions.
“It's something I want to always stay on the schedule, and I won't be the reason why it doesn't exist.”
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Dennis Gates wants to renew Border War contract vs KU. Will series extend?
Continue reading...
