March Madness Sets the Stage for Possible Border War Championship Game

Selection Sunday has come and gone, and now, finally, the Madness ensues.

Instead of focusing on what teams got snubbed from a tournament bid and complaining about the No. 1 seeds, let's focus on a possible outcome. An outcome that could have one of the best story lines in college basketball history: Mizzou vs. Kansas in the national championship.

This historic and heated rivalry is arguably one of the best in college sports, and is rooted in legitimate hatred, violence and disagreement. Unfortunately, this rivalry is in jeopardy of ending its long run because of Missouri's conference realignment, and while I'm not talking about that in this article in particular, I have to say that it would be an absolute travesty to end the Border War over a switch to a BETTER conference. 

Anyways, back to the topic...

As No. 2 seeds, Mizzou and Kansas may have the easiest routes to the final four. Michigan State and North Carolina are very beatable, and have shown to be so multiple times this season. There are a few stumbling blocks that could happen along the way: Florida, Marquette, Georgetown and Temple—but if both teams can make it to the Elite Eight, I like their chances of advancing. Clearly, the two biggest obstacles for this scenario are Kentucky and Syracuse. 

However, Mizzou has had success against Calipari's teams before, and Syracuse would definitely not be insurmountable for Kansas. So, if these two teams do collide in the national championship, can you imagine the story lines? These two teams already hate each other; add in the national championship implications, along with the fact that Mizzou is leaving the Big 12, and the possibility of this being the last installment of the Border War. A sports writer's dream...