Border War memories …

Former Kansas University guard Greg Gurley, a color analyst for home-game replays on Sunflower Broadband Channel 6, has vivid recollections of past Border War contests.

“The best game might have been my freshman year. Peeler had about 50, but we won,” Gurley said.

Anthony Peeler scored 43 points, not nearly enough, as KU tripped Mizzou, 97-89, on March 8, 1992, in Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks cut down the nets that day after assuring a tie for the Big Eight Conference title.

Another Gurley moment …

“I remember getting punched in the face by (MU’s) Lamont Frazier and them (refs) calling a foul on me because I flailed my arms backward. I ended up losing a molar because of it,” Gurley said.

¢Records insignificant: It’s a cliche, but one really can throw out the records when KU and MU meet in basketball.

“I don’t think they were ever ranked when we played them. It always used to be a different game, took on a different tone,” said former KU forward T.J. Pugh, who played for KU from 1995 to ’99, recording a 5-4 record versus the Tigers.

“I knew there was no way we’d breeze through that game. It doesn’t work that way, especially in Columbia (Mo.) where we only won once.”

Pugh was asked what he remembered the most about the Border War confrontations.

“I think of the Antlers usually,” he said of MU’s student cheering section. “I think of the comedy that came with some of their fans.”

He was on hand for one of the great individual plays in modern KU history. KU’s Raef LaFrentz read the flight of a Jacque Vaughn miss perfectly and, after charging the lane from the top of the key, grabbed an offensive rebound with his left hand and rammed it home versus MU on Feb. 17, 1997 at Allen.

“Physics can’t explain what he did, catching the ball in front,” Pugh said.

Missouri has had one especially memorable dunk make and one miss versus the Jayhawks in the fieldhouse.

Ricky Paulding skied over Eric Chenowith and jammed one-handed in a loss to KU on March 4, 2001 – his freshman season and Chenowith’s senior campaign. Arthur Johnson was rejected by the rim and fell on his backside on Jan. 28, 2002.

¢Boos revisited: MU ended KU’s school-record 22-game win streak to open the 1996-97 season. The Tigers topped the Jayhawks, 96-94, on Feb. 4, 1997, at Hearnes Center.

“Double overtime was winding down. There was a loose ball. Jacque (Vaughn) has it and we’re streaking the other way. It got knocked to (Corey) Tate, he shoots it at the elbow and they win with one or two seconds left,” former KU guard Ryan Robertson said.

Robertson, who was booed every time he touched the ball during KU’s one win and three losses in Columbia (the fans were miffed the St. Charles, Mo., native spurned MU for KU in recruiting) remembers the Mizzou game as the most competitive on KU’s schedule.

“It didn’t matter what kind of team they had. They played like the No. 1 team in the country against us,” Robertson said. “Being a Missouri kid, I knew they were frustrated they could play at such a high level against us and on a typical regular-season night they’d look bad.”

ESPN recently showed a replay of KU’s 74-73 loss to MU during Robertson’s junior year in Columbia.

“I had three or four threes that game,” Robertson said. “Some of my friends called me to remind me of the boos. I remember the boos.”

¢Bud’s the best: Bud Stallworth dropped in 50 points, many from long-range, in a 93-80 victory over MU on Feb. 26, 1972. Stallworth’s 19-of-38 shooting effort was witnessed by KU’s 1952 title team, which was in town for a 20th reunion.

It’s the most points scored by a player in any game in the KU-MU series and second-highest output by a KU player in school history. Wilt Chamberlain had 52 versus Northwestern in 1956.

“We all recognize Bud as a great shooter, and we all think of the 50-point game,” said Ted Owens, Stallworth’s coach at KU. “What made that performance even more amazing is, over 10 shots he hit were beyond three-point range.”

But the three-point line was not in effect in those days.

“If he did it today, he’d have over 60. It was an incredible performance by an incredible shooter,” Owens said.

¢More KU-MU memories: KU beat Missouri, 80-70, to wrap up the 100-year-anniversary weekend celebration on Feb. 8, 1998. … Danny Manning scored 27 points in a 100-66 blasting of MU on Feb. 11, 1986. It’s KU’s biggest victory over the Tigers in the fieldhouse. … Coach Dick Harp grabbed the microphone on Feb. 23, 1958, and asked KU fans to stop booing Mike Kirksey on the free-throw line. Harp was ignored, and the KU coach asked the official to call a technical foul on the fans. Kirksey made three free throws, but KU won, 85-81. … Norm Stewart scored 20 points as MU handed KU its first loss in the fieldhouse – 85-78 – on Feb. 6, 1956. … KU’s 95-92 victory on March 3, 2002 wrapped up a perfect, 16-0 conference season. … KU tamed MU, 82-77, on Feb. 27, 1988 in Columbia to snap a two-game losing streak. The win gave KU a 17-10 record, yes just a 17-10 record in what turned out to be a national title season. A loss to MU, some believe, might have sent the Jayhawks packing to the NIT.

¢Self against MU: KU coach Bill Self is 11-2 overall against Missouri, 8-2 versus MU during his five years at KU. He went 3-6 versus MU as a player at Oklahoma State.

“I remember our game against them in ’83 in the Big Eight tournament,” said Self, a former OSU guard who helped the Cowboys to a 93-92 victory in double overtime. “The end of regulation and the end of the first overtime both ended in last-second shots to force the second overtime. I know everybody fouled out. We had a young man who lives in Kansas City now, at the time was a walk-on. He wasn’t after that. Rick Anderson made some free throws to win the game for us. He was going against ‘Stipo’ (Steve Stipanovich) and winning the game, so it was a lot of fun,” Self added.