Border War: Mizzou basketball is eager to show a year's worth of improvement vs. Kansas
The moment Missouri men's basketball fans have been talking about all season is finally almost here. On Saturday, the Tigers will play Kansas, in what will be their first home game against the Jayhawks since 2012.
MU is 9-0 entering the game and is coming off a win over Southeast Missouri State, but KU will provide a different level of competition than first-year head coach Dennis Gates and company have seen so far. It's time for the Tigers to truly show they've improved over last year's team.
"Definitely excited about the opportunity for our team to grow,” Gates said. “I have the utmost respect for coach (Bill) Self, his program and obviously the historic value that they’ve been able to produce over a long period of time.”
The Jayhawks are 8-1 on the season and come to Mizzou Arena fresh off a 91-65 blowout win against Seton Hall. They’re ranked sixth nationally and are the defending national champions.
Last season in Lawrence, the first regular-season matchup for the two rivals since Missouri left the Big 12, Kansas put the Tigers to sleep. The Jayhawks won 102-65 in a game that was all but over at halftime.
That result provided plenty of inspiration for Missouri senior Kobe Brown, one of only three returning players from last year’s team.
“I definitely feel like we owe them something,” Brown said. “So it should be fun. I can’t wait to get out there and see what we can do.”
The Jayhawks are led by Jalen Wilson, who is averaging 29.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, best on the team in both categories. Their assists leader is Dajuan Harris, a Rock Bridge product who averages 6.2 per game.
Kansas is ranked 11th in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings and 16th in the NET. Missouri currently sits 49th in KenPom and 49th in NET.
“They’re a great team, as they’ve shown the nation,” Gates said. “Top five, top 10-ranked team, defending national champions. Coach Self plays an unbelievable style of basketball and they do a great job collectively. They have great individual talent, unbelievable players, but they have a Hall of Fame coach as well.”
One advantage Missouri will have on its side will be the home crowd. The game has been sold out for some time, with resale ticket prices reaching into the thousands.
The student section is sure to be packed, and the audience will be hungry for an MU upset over the hated Jayhawks. According to Brown, the buzz for the game extends across campus.
He said he even had fellow students post encouragement on class discussion boards.
“Just the fans, the community, just seeing on social media and being out in the community, seeing how much it means to everyone, that kind of drives us to do our best,” Brown said.
Nick Honor transferred into Missouri from Clemson before this season. He had to do background research on the rivalry, which he wasn’t up to speed on as a native southerner.
Back at Clemson, the school’s main rivalry was against in-state rival South Carolina. Honor said Missouri and Kansas’ rivalry clearly has higher stakes.
“I think this one might be a little bit bigger than that one,” Honor said. “The biggest thing is just pride. Getting the bragging rights for the year, so we’re just focused on getting that win.”
Gates also requested fans be respectful, while still providing a rowdy atmosphere suited to the rivalry game.
“There’s a lot going on in this world, let’s keep it competitive and game-like,” Gates said. “Let’s be respectful of each other.”
Saturday’s game is scheduled to tip off at 4:15 p.m. at Mizzou Arena. The game will be aired on ESPN.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri basketball aims to show improvement vs. Kansas in Border War
