60 Second Rant: Mizzou/KU Match-Up Missing From "Big Monday"

New Mizzou coach Frank Haith and his Tigers will appear
 on Big Monday twice next season.  But a game against rival
KU is not one of the contests selected. - Photo courtesy of
 Getty Images

Earlier this week the Big 12 Conference announced this year's match-up of Big Monday games scheduled to appear during prime time on ESPN.

The Missouri Tigers and Kansas Jayhawks have perennially made an appearance in the showcase on an annual basis as ESPN regularly identifies marquee conference match-ups and does its best to pick-out the best rivalries.

Unfortunately this season neither a game in Columbia or in Lawrence between the Tigers and Jayhawks will be aired during the prime time event.

Mizzou will appear on Big Monday twice next season.  The Tigers will play host to Texas A&M on January 16 and travel to Texas to play the Longhorns on January 30.

Appearing on Big Monday is a big deal for new coach Frank Haith as he tries to bring Mizzou back to basketball prominence in first season.  Big Monday is a showcase and an opportunity to play on national television in front of the nation's best recruits.

But why are the Tigers and Jayhawks not squaring off in the battle?  Is it not one of ESPN's main goals to attract the best rivalries in college basketball?  Can anybody count on one hand the number of college basketball rivalries bigger than Mizzou/KU.

I understand that the Jayhawks have dominated the Tigers the past couple of seasons.  But the rivalry between the two schools is bigger than the past four or five years.

Surely ESPN is attracted to certain ACC rivalries and will do its best to feature all 75 Big East teams as much as possible.  Its the cliche thing to do.  But leaving Mizzou/KU off of the Big Monday schedule is a huge oversight by the network considering the tradition, atmosphere, and intensity displayed between the two schools each and every time they take the court.

Leaving the Tigers and Jayhawks off of the Big Monday schedule is a disgrace even if the rivalry has been lop-sided lately.  Hopefully another major network picks up the games.  The opportunity to see a classic is worth the risk of watching another Kansas over Missouri blowout.

Sources:

• Big 12 schedule for ESPN's Big Monday in 2011-2012

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