What about a KU-MU encore? Self, Martin discuss the Border War after Sunday’s game

Kansas coach Bill Self wasn’t promising any Kansas-Missouri encores after the Jayhawks’ highly competitive 93-87 exhibition victory over the Tigers played before 18,951 emotionally involved fans on Sunday at the Sprint Center.

“We’re going to do what’s best for us. We’re not interested in doing what’s best for Missouri or what’s best for Missouri fans,” Self, Kansas’ 15th-year coach said after the game when asked about the possibility of the two teams playing again.

“If it’s best for us to play them, we will. It’s not a complicated deal. I figured we’d talk about the game or raising a lot of money. I didn’t think that would be the second question out of the chute,” added Self, at least a tad irritated talk of the Border War series was indeed the second question Sunday after an exhibition basketball game for hurricane relief.

“I’m not going to say never. I don’t think there’s been any change in our position as far as the university goes. I’m the spokesman, I guess, on this, but trust me I’m not the only one who feels that way. There was a very large contingent of KU people that wasn’t happy we were doing it (playing exhibition) initially until they realized it was for a good cause. What happens a few years from now certainly is not what we’re talking or thinking about right now.”

KU and Missouri played uninterrupted from 1907 to 2012, the series coming to a halt after MU left the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference.

“I thought you were going to let me out of here without that one,” MU coach Cuonzo Martin said, interrupting a questioner with a smile.

He was asked if he’d want to play KU if it was just up to him.

“Of course you want to play the game,” Martin said. “This (KU) is a great program. Bill’s done a tremendous job. Of course we’d love to play. But … both sides have to agree on something like that. You saw the energy behind it. We’ll see. I think we did enough, our fans, both sides. I thought it was great across the board.”

This story was originally published October 22, 2017 at 8:20 PM with the headline "What about a KU-MU encore? Self, Martin discuss the Border War after Sunday’s game."