Kansas basketball continued its dominance over Missouri as the Jayhawks defeated the Tigers 73-64 in the Border Showdown.
It’s well-known that Kansas basketball owned Mizzou when they were in the Big 12. Not much has changed since they departed for the SEC. Bill Self and the Jayhawks have now defeated the Tigers in nine of their last ten meetings with last night’s win.
Kansas came out of the gates playing poorly, trailing 15-6 after seven minutes of play. It didn’t take long for them to get back onto their feet, ending the first half on a 20-2 run that started with an Elmarko Jackson 4-point play and ended with three free throws for Kevin McCullar.
They led by 12 points into the break. Mizzou cut the deficit to eight points but didn’t get any closer than that. The final score was 73 Kansas and 64 Missouri.
KJ Adams was nothing short of magnificent in the victory. Aside from his five turnovers, the junior forward scored 17 points and assisted five baskets. His highlight reel block was one of the best Kansas basketball fans have seen in recent history.
🤯 @KUVolleyball would be proud of this one ❗️❕
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) December 10, 2023
KJ Adams with the thunderous block on the chase down.#Big12MBB | @KUHoops pic.twitter.com/9yRunuohMe
Kevin McCullar tied Adams in the scoring column, though he connected on just four of his 15 shot attempts. Hunter Dickinson had a quiet game for his standards but still dropped in 13 points and 16 rebounds. The bench accounted for just 23 minutes of floor time, so it was once again a starter-dominated contest.
The team gets a deserved rest week before traveling to Bloomington, Indiana to play Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers. That will be the first road game of the season for Kansas, which should provide them with some experience prior to conference play. While they didn’t blow the Tigers out like they had in their two previous meetings, it is yet another Jayhawk victory over their most-hated rival.