Live Blog of Mizzou's Border War Showdown with No. 21 Kansas

Thoughts and insight from an important showdown in Kansas City, Missouri.

Dec 7, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson (22) drives against Missouri Tigers center Shawn Phillips Jr. (15) during the first half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Tigers lost their second game of the season on Sunday, falling 80-60 to the No. 21 Kansas Jayhawks. It was a tale of two halves for the Tigers, who were neck-and-neck with their border rival until the final few minutes of the first half. 

A loud and raucous T-Mobile Center, chock-full of Kansas fans, made a late first-half run to give the Jayhawks an eight-point lead a little more worrisome for the Tigers and far more exciting for the Jayhawks. 

All of the spotlight was on Jayhawk freshman guard Darryn Peterson and it’s safe to say he lived up to it. He finished with 17 points on 6-for-14 shooting in his first game back from injury, most of which was created all by himself. 

Missouri guard Anthony Robinson II had a really good first half, for the most part. He was a steady presence on the offensive end, controlling the tempo and making smart passing decisions. His defense got him in trouble once again, however, after he picked up three first-half fouls. He was forced to sit for the final few minutes of the opening period, allowing the Jayhawks to go on a run. 

The Jayhawks continued that momentum into the second half, quickly going up by 13. They never looked back after that, fueled by the offensive efforts of Peterson and guard Tre White. 

Despite having the lead at certain moments during the first half, the Tigers never really had any sort of momentum on offense. The half-court offense was simply bad all night, with a lack of movement and spacing highlighting the bold issues. 

They were never able to have anyone take over the game, either. Forward Mark Mitchell finished the game with 21 points, but did it by going 7-for-15 from the field. 

Missouri also showed a lack of discipline on defense. They fouled Kansas a whopping 20 times, leading the Jayhawks to shoot 26 free throws. 

The Tigers went to the line 21 times and shot 52.4% from it. That was absolutely a determining factor for Missouri, which struggled in general to get points on the board all night. 

Missouri takes the court next at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 11, to kick off a two-game home stretch against Alabama State. 

Second half

• The game has gotten out of hand and Kansas will hand Missouri its second loss of the season. Kansas wins 80-60.

• Trent Burns is getting some run tonight, checking into the game with 4:01 to play. It's his third appearance of the season.

• Missouri trails 64-49 with 5:50 to play. Something's got to change fast for the Tigers.

• Constant trips to the free-throw line are truly benefiting the Jayhawks right now. They've attempted 24 compared to Missouri's 12. The Jayhawks lead 60-45 with 8:11 to play.

• Kansas now leads by 20 after a pair of free throws from Bryson Tiller. Nothing is going well for Missouri on either side of the floor, at the moment.

• The Tigers trail 47-30 at the 15:09 mark of the second half with the chance to extend it at the free-throw line. This game is going downhill fast for Missouri.

• Robinson pikcs up his foul at the 17:02 mark of the half. Sebastian Mack will check into the game for the first time today to replace him.

• Kansas has rapidly expanded its lead to 13 points, forcing Gates to call a timeout. Things are starting to spiral inside the T-Mobile Center.

First half

• A triple from Tre White gave Kansas a 33-25 lead heading into the halftime break. The Tigers struggled during the final six minutes of the half.

• A technical foul was called on Robinson, giving him his third foul. Foul trouble has been an issue for Robinson for his entire career and it's plaguing him again today.

• Things are getting chippy here. A scrum between Melvin Council Jr. and Anthony Robinson II will likely result in some allocation of technical fouls.

• Flory Bidunga just got Kansas some revenge in the dunk department, getting a pass over the top of Luke Northweather and throwing it down on Mitchell. Kansas leads Missouri 25-23. 

• A transition dunk from Mitchell over Kansas big man Paul Mbiya just made Missouri fans go wild, giving the Tigers a 23-21 lead in the process.

• The Tigers are struggling from the free-throw line. They're currently 4-of-8.

• Mitchell was just charged with his third turnover, two of which were traveling calls. That turnover led to a triple from Peterson to give Kansas a 21-20 lead.

• Mark Mitchell will head to the free-throw line with 7:49 to play in the half to re-extend the Tiger lead to three. It took three chances to do so. Missouri's out-rebounding Kansas 16-11 after that possession

• The Tigers lead 18-15 with 9:21 to play. The Tigers have a consistent scoring distribution so far.

• Both teams are struggling to score at around the halfway mark of the first half. Both teams are playing high-intensity defense.

• Kansas leads 7-1 at the first timeout break. Peterson opened the scoring for the Jayhawks with a contested three, with Missouri's lone bucket coming from a 1-for-2 trip to the free-throw line from Shawn Phillips Jr.

Pregame

Mizzou Starters

G- Anthony Robinson II
G- Annor Boateng
F- Jevon Porter
F- Mark Mitchell
C- Shawn Phillips Jr.

Kansas Starters

G- Tre White
G- Melvin Council Jr.
G- Darryn Peterson
F- Bryson Tiller
F- Flory Bidunga

• On Friday, Missouri head coach Dennis Gates provided an njury update on forward Trent Pierce. Pierce has yet to practice and Gates is "awaiting the doctor's orders."

• On the flip side of things, Kansas star guard Darryn Peterson is expected to play for the first time since Nov. 7. Peterson has a chance to be a top pick in the 2026 NBA draft.
• Peterson is shooting around and stretching for the Jayhawks during pregame warmups. This seems to be good news for Self and the Jayhawks.