Kansas vs Missouri: Previewing the Tigers Ahead of Border Showdown

No. 21 Kansas and Missouri are set to face off on the hardwood this weekend in the Border Showdown. Both teams are coming off a loss and will play at a neutral site in the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.

The Tigers sport an impressive 8-1 record and should certainly give the Jayhawks a fight. Let's preview the Tigers ahead of Sunday's matchup.

How Missouri Has Performed This Season

Mizzou won its first eight games of the campaign, with nearly all of the victories coming in comfortable fashion. However, there weren't many formidable opponents on the schedule.

The best team they beat was Minnesota, which ranks No. 108 nationally in KenPom rankings. The second-best school they faced after that was Southeast Missouri State, which they only beat by five points, so there are some caveats if you're just looking at the Tigers' record.

The strongest opponent they have faced so far was Notre Dame, who they are coming off their first loss to. Notre Dame was unable to defeat Kansas when the two schools met in the Players Era Festival, and the Jayhawks will likely have Darryn Peterson back tomorrow, which doesn't bode well for the Tigers' chances.

Key Missouri Players to Watch

Mark Mitchell: Mitchell has taken a massive jump in his senior year. The former Duke forward is averaging a team-high 18.1 points, along with 6.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists on 61.1% field goal shooting. He is getting to the free-throw line an astounding 8.1 times per game and has established himself as one of the best players in the SEC. Historically, Mitchell is an awful shooter from beyond the arc, hitting threes at a 23.3% clip since arriving at Mizzou. But as fans know, some percentages should be taken with a grain of salt, considering he hit the eventual dagger 3-pointer to seal the Tigers' win during last year's meeting in Columbia.

Jacob Crews: Crews is Missouri's sixth man, but he is a serious scoring threat off the bench. His 14.1 points per game are second-best on the team, and he is shooting the 3-ball at an insanely efficient clip. He has connected on 25-of-51 attempts, good for 49.0% and 2.8 makes per game. Crews is one of the best outside snipers in the country and could put points on the board in a hurry if the Jayhawks don't guard him correctly.

Jevon Porter: With Jayden Stone out for the Tigers for the foreseeable future, Porter will take on a bigger role. He has started in all nine games this season and is averaging 7.1 points and 5.0 rebounds after transferring over from Loyola Marymount. The brother of former Missouri forward Michael Porter Jr. has serious potential, but he will be an X-factor for the Tigers as he has averaged just 5.0 points across his past three contests on 33.3% shooting.

Missouri's Strengths and Weaknesses

Through the first nine games, Missouri has shown a lot of positive signs. It boasts one of the best offenses in the nation, with the 25th-best offensive rating, compared to Kansas' 58th-best.

It shoots the long ball at a high clip at 37.9%, 40th-best in the nation. It also averages 8.9 steals per game, headlined by Anthony Robinson II's 2.4 per contest, and the Tigers have a lot of long and lengthy defenders.

However, the Tigers do not have the best overall defense. Their defense ranks 69th in the country, and they have struggled to stop the better opponents on their schedule.

They surrendered 84 points to SEMO earlier in the season, a fairly concerning number for a lower mid-major team. Once the schedule ramps up for them, the defense could continue to be a problem.

The Tigers can undoubtedly score points, but if Peterson is on the court, MU might be out of luck trying to guard him.