K-State isn’t Missouri, we’re rivals, but it’s still Kansas. Kansas is competing for a National Championship virtually every season, we know that the more tough teams and big games you play during the regular season, the better prepared you are come tournament time.

Oh and by the way, I will give props to KSU, they are a good team, but for Dana O’Neil to say the Big 12 title runs through Manhattan is absurd, until someone takes it from us it runs through Lawrence.

I completely agree with you. Most Kansas fans see a relevant Kansas State and even a relevant Missouri for that matter as a positive. Does it mean we’ll have to swallow our pride a couple times each year potentially? Yes it does, but it’s better for our program, it’s better for the Big 12 and it’s obviously better for both those schools as well.

From a Kansas perspective, we’ve cruised through a weak Big 12 North conference too many times and end up in the tourney without being truly battle tested. There is no substitute for going on the road and having to play in Bramlage or Mizzou Arena against very good teams and very good fans that are that fired up. These are tests you can’t find anywhere no matter who you schedule. In years past those games obviously didn’t have the same impact. In the end it hopefully means a tougher, more battle tested team come tourney time.

Plus as you say…it’s the return of a rivalry. One that as someone growing up on Kansas in the 90’s…didn’t exist for me. Now it does, it’s fun…in fact my brother is a Wildcat, he’s never been a big sports fan…but this has definitely fueled a little bit of a common bond(I guess that’s what you’d call it) for us in the sports world.