The Kansas Jayhawks are set to take on the Missouri Tigers on Saturday in the Border Showdown. For Columbia native Dajuan Harris, this game has always meant more.

This game will be the third time he has played in the rivalry. Both times before, the Jayhawks have won convincingly with scores of 102-65 and 95-67. As a Columbia native, Harris grew up around the rivalry when they were both in the Big 12 and saw more competitive games.

“These are one of the biggest games in college basketball so you know that game was very fired up but we blew them out though so I really didn't get the experience like the games usually are,” Harris said. “The last two years we played them I really haven't gotten the Mizzou and KU experience how it was back in the day so hopefully…we want to beat them by a lot this game, but you know hopefully I get that experience that it was over the years.”

Harris actually grew up a Missouri fan, and his first experience of this rivalry went the way of the Tigers.

“The one memory I remember is the game that Marcus Denmon went off at the end of the game,” Harris said. That was one of the games I remember cuz that's when I was a Mizzou fan back when I was younger so it was just different then.”

Denmon scored 29 points as Missouri won the game in Columbia. Less than a month later was the final time the two teams played as members of the Big 12 when Kansas won in a dramatic, overtime contest.

Until last year’s game, that was the most recent game played in Columbia between the two schools. The next time they played in Columbia, Harris had six points and nine assists. The game was important for him and his family, and he showed up for it.

“That game meant a lot to me because I had a lot of family that came in to watch me so I wanted to do good for them but, I had other great players around that game so I just had to make the easy play,” Harris said.

Growing up around the rivalry did not prepare Harris for how it would play out for him, but he has learned a lot about it since coming to Kansas and is glad that he chose them despite his previous fandom.

“I grew up as a Mizzou fan my whole life until I got here,” Harris said. “Everything changed when I committed here and came here and now I see how the history was back then and I didn't know it was that deep so you know I learned a lot over the years being here and I'm just thankful that I'm able to play for KU.”