Kansas basketball stunned by Missouri Tigers in Columbia. Here are three KU takeaways
If you’re a Kansas men’s basketball fan who missed the latest iteration of the Border War on Sunday, consider yourself lucky.
The only Jayhawks rewatching that game will be the coaching staff and players as they try to figure out exactly what happened in a crushing loss in Columbia.
For 30 minutes — and then some — it was all Missouri. The Jayhawks trailed by as many as 24 before a furious charge brought the margin as close as 2 in the final minutes.
But the No. 1 Jayhawks didn’t have enough to get over the hump, falling 76-67 as the Missouri Tigers won at Mizzou Arena, with the home fans storming the court afterward.
The Tigers (8-1) broke a four-game losing streak vs. the Jayhawks (7-2), including a couple of blowout results since the series resumed.
“I think it was probably a combination of them being good and us not being good. I don’t know that I could give them 100% credit,” KU coach Bill Self said after the game.
Self added the Jayhawks are still searching for their identity following back-to-back defeats.
Center Hunter Dickinson had 19 points and 14 rebounds but also seven turnovers. Columbia native Dajuan Harris added 13 points and five assists for KU.
KU’s starting lineup was Harris, Dickinson, KJ Adams, David Coit and Zeke Mayo. Coit replaced AJ Storr in that group following KU’s loss at Creighton.
Kansas guard Rylan Griffen (flu) also returned to action on Sunday.
The Jayhawks trailed 39-25 at half after shooting a dismal 2-for-9 (22%) on 3-pointers. KU went on a 15-0 run to cut the margin to single-digits (57-48) with 9:04 left in the game.
KU cut the deficit to five points with 3:21 left. Shortly after, KU would cut the lead to two points, but would not get closer.
Up Next: The Jayhawks host NC State at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday.
Until then, here are three takeaways from Sunday afternoon’s game…
Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers
It’s rare to see a Bill Self team look as shell-shocked as it did early.
The Jayhawks had 15 turnovers ... in the first half. Those miscues led to 14 Missouri points.
At one point, it felt like any time Kansas touched the ball, it would end up in a turnover. That was part of why KU’s offense struggled to gain any sense of continuity the entire first period.
Kansas shot 41.7% from the floor and just 22.2% on 3-pointers in the first half.
The Jayhawks finished with 22 turnovers for the game (Missouri committed 11) and lost the points off turnovers category 23-10.
Inconsistent KU defense
Heading into Sunday, Missouri ranked No. 1 in 2-point percentage. Essentially, the Tigers were scoring their chances inside, and the Jayhawks needed to find a solution to stop them.
They didn’t.
The Jayhawks allowed 32 points in the paint, but more importantly, Kansas couldn’t defend without fouling in the first half.
Missouri drove to the rim at will, and KU players were constantly late in their defensive rotations. The Tigers went 14-of-16 from the free-throw line in the first half. Meanwhile, Kansas only shot six free throws — making four.
KU’s defense was a bit better in the second half, but it wasn’t enough.
Missouri finished the night shooting 44.2% from the field, but that mark was just shy of 49% from 2-point range.
KU can’t contain MU’s Tamar Bates
Kansas fans won’t soon forget the name Tamar Bates.
The Missouri guard was an absolute nightmare for the Jayhawks to defend. He had 18 points on 5-for-9 shooting in the first half and finished with 29 points and five steals.
Whatever Bates wanted, he got. No matter who Kansas put on him, Bates put them in the (metaphorical) blender.
The Kansas City native seemed to take the matchup personally. KU running back Devin Neal posted on X/Twitter that Bates, Neal and Mayo played against each other as children, and it was clear Bates had a little extra juice in Sunday’s matchup.
“He’s great. Tamar was the best player in the game, hands down,” Self said. “We couldn’t guard him.”
This story was originally published December 8, 2024 at 2:38 PM.
