Mizzou basketball players enjoy first Kansas rivalry experience despite blowout defeat
Missouri men’s basketball suffered a 102-65 defeat at No. 8 Kansas on Saturday, marking the third-worst loss for the program in the 269th meeting between the two rivals. By all accounts, it was a horrific display for the Tigers as they were run off the court in the first contest between the former Big 12 Conference foes since 2012.
But as bad as the loss was, Mizzou’s players enjoyed experiencing the storied rivalry for the first time in an electric atmosphere filled with 16,300 screaming Jayhawks fans.
“It was fun playing in front of a crowd like this,” Brown said. “Hadn’t had many games in front of a crowd that big — maybe Braggin’ Rights two years ago.”
Brown grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, so he didn’t know much about the Missouri-Kansas rivalry or how much it meant to fans on both sides. He said it was “real interesting” learning more about the storied history between the teams over the past week.
Guard Javon Pickett, who led the Tigers with 19 points, said he used to watch Mizzou and Kansas games on TV growing up in Belleville, Illinois, but “never really understood” the meaning of the rivalry.
“I knew it was a big game, but to me it was just another game when I was younger,” Pickett said. “But after talking to a few people about what it meant, just, I don’t know, it was a great atmosphere though. It was super loud, you know, you wouldn’t want to play anywhere else.”
The Allen Fieldhouse crowd reached upwards of 115 decibels before the game but likely grew even louder at points throughout the 37-point blowout. The largely KU crowd celebrated getting the best of the Tigers, who moved to the SEC nearly a decade ago.
The noise was so deafening at times that it was hard for Mizzou’s players to understand what the team was trying to run on offense.
“It was extremely loud at points, the crowd was getting into it,” Pickett said. “You really try to hear what the point guard or whoever echoing the play, it was tough.”
Asked whether the crowd noise hindered his ability to communicate with his players, Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin said he was still able to get his message across.
“I’ve been in loud venues. It’s a basketball game,” Martin said. “They did a great job, had great fan energy.”
Missouri’s players and coaches didn’t talk much about how they got run off the court, allowing one of the program’s worst losses to Kansas. After experiencing the rivalry for the first time, they’e eager to come back next season with a better result.
And next year, the game will be in front of their fans in Columbia, Missouri.
“Extremely, extremely motivated,” Brown said of facing the Jayhawks next season. “Game was a lot of fun, even though the outcome wasn’t great at all, but it was a good experience playing in front of a crowd like that. So looking forward to the next one.”
This story was originally published December 11, 2021 at 7:17 PM.
