
The last time the jayhawks trotted into Columbia, they handed Dennis Gates his first loss as Mizzou Coach. How has he grown since then?
Predict the Trifecta: Who will be Mizzou’s top three performers tonight?
It’s time. The game every Mizzou fan likely has circled on the schedule. The Border-War. 7-1 Mizzou vs No. 1 kansas. The jayhawks are coming into this game following a loss for the first time since 2005-06 and they will need to respond with a loss of their top ranking imminent. The last time these two teams jousted in Columbia, the jayhawks were able to pull out a dominant victory thanks to Grady Dick. That team went on to win a national championship while Mizzou went on to the Round of 32 in that year’s tournament.
While these two teams sit at the same record, their national standing lies very different. The Tigers come in with seven straight wins after losing a season opener to now No. 16 Memphis Tigers. The jayhawks started the season 7-0 with multiple marquee wins after dropping a road game to a very feisty Creighton team. The jayhawks will look to play around star center Hunter Dickinson, while the Tigers will look to build off of hot play from Anthony Robinson, Tamar Bates, and Mark Mitchell with the absence of Caleb Grill looming large.
The Starters
Mizzou (7-1)
G: Anthony Robinson II (SO, 12.0 PPG)
G: Tamar Bates (SR, 12.3 PPG)
G: Annor Boateng (FR, 3.6 PPG)
F: Mark Mitchell (JR, 12.3 PPG)
C: Josh Gray (SR, 3.0 PPG)
Notable Sixth Man: Peyton Marshall (FR, 1.9 PPG)
kansas (7-1)
G: AJ Storr (JR, 9.3 PPG)
G: Zeke Mayo (SR, 11.8 PPG)
G: Dajuan Harris Jr. (SR, 10.4 PPG)
F: KJ Adams Jr. (SR, 9.6 PPG)
C: Hunter Dickinson (SR, 14.5 PPG)
Notable Sixth Man: David Coit (SR, 5.9 PPG)
Note: These starting lineups are projected.
Get to know kansas: The Big 12’s Postseason Bell Cow
Bill Self and kansas have been dominating the Big 12 since Self signed to be kU’s new head coach prior to the 2003-04 season. Nine Big 12 championships, four Final Fours, and two national championships. The resume speaks for itself, and the school has one of the more illustrious ones in all of college basketball.
The jayhawks are looking to continue a streak of 37 straight NCAA tournament appearances, dating back to the first year of the Roy Williams era in Lawrence. With 2,415 wins, the jayhawks sit comfortably at second all-time in wins amongst any program. They lead their series against Mizzou 176-95, with the longest Mizzou winning streak sitting at nine and the longest kansas streak being 14.
The list of pro talent produced in kU is immense; Wilt Chamberlain, Danny Manning, Paul Pierce, Mario Chalmers, and Drew Gooden are just some names on a list that could go on forever. The credentials, the history, the rivalry is all there and it sets the stage for a classic to occur on Sunday.
3 Keys to the Game
Get off to a fast start
The psychological advantage in a game as gargantuan as this is humongous. With a lively crowd expected, the Tigers absolutely must get this crowd involved in the game. Creighton was able to fluster kansas by hitting some quick buckets and routinely keeping their crowd loud with splash plays. Missouri needs to replicate this formula as the last time this game was played in Missouri, it was the Jayhawks that silenced the crowd early.
Get Dickinson into foul trouble
Hunter Dickinson is an essential driver of everything the jayhawks want to do offensively, so making sure he is having to work tough for his rebounds is going to be huge. Josh Gray and Mark Mitchell cannot afford to get into foul trouble themselves, but both need to be willing to absorb contact coming from Dickinson and get him out of the game. Dickinson played less minutes than the starting five in both the Creighton and Duke games, and both games were his worst performances of the season thus far.
Get to the line
The Bluejays did one thing very well against kansas and that was getting to the charity stripe. With players like Robinson and Bates who are controlled and strong through contact, the Tigers will need to utilize them in this game. If the Tigers can find themselves in the bonus early in either or both halves, they can capitalize on the physicality of the game and use it to pick up free points.
Game Prediction
My prediction: Mizzou 62, kansas 73
I love to be an optimist but this is just realistic from me. The loss of three-point shooting from Caleb Grill is going to really hurt in this game, as a splash player of his caliber being missing shows in games like this. I think Dickinson will likely have his way in the paint, and I doubt kansas comes in sluggish after a pretty big road loss against Creighton. Turnovers might become the difference maker in a tilt like this, but realistically speaking the crowd is going to have a huge effect on both teams in this one.
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