Three Takeaways From Mizzou's Upset Victory Over Kansas

Missouri basketball head coach Dennis Gates just picked up a massive signature win.

Surprisingly, the Tigers walked all over the No. 1 ranked Kansas Jayhawks, winning 76-67 at Mizzou Arena. Despite some small hiccups in the middle of the second half, the Tigers controlled every aspect of the game and did not trail once in its entirety. Though this Jayhawk squad doesn't appear to be as good as its ranking, Gates and his squad still beat one of the best teams in the country.

The win should be attributed to the Tigers' veteran leadership on both sides of the ball. Without Tamar Bates, Josh Gray, Mark Mitchell and Tony Perkins, this game might not have been competitive. All of them excelled at putting pressure on the rim, flying around on defense and getting their team out to a quick start. The energy the Tigers brought, alongside the noise and support from its fans, made for a fairytale ending at Mizzou Arena.

Here are three quick takeaways from Missouri's upset win over Kansas.

Hot Start

Shockingly enough, Kansas came out pretty flat-footed and Missouri did not. At the 13:42 mark, the Tigers led 13-4 and Kansas was struggling to find momentum on offense. Missouri earned contributions from most of its starting rotation in this early part of the game, especially Mitchell and Bates.

A hot start got even hotter when they gained its largest lead up until that point, with a bucket from Bates putting them up 34-17 with 3:12 to play in the half. In the first half, the flow of the game favored Missouri and it seemed like everything was going right. Kansas managed to narrow the lead to 39-25 by the half's end, but that was still a significantly large margin to come back from.

Kansas eventually would in the second half and there was a scary moment for the Tigers late in the game when it looked like all that work would have been for nothing but without the first-half cushion they gave themselves, it's very likely the final result would have been different.

Forced Turnovers

Missouri's defensive pressure against Kansas, primarily in the first half, made this game an ugly watch at times. The Tigers forced 22 turnovers, 15 of which came in the first half. The Jayhawks' guards made many questionable decisions and getting the ball into star center Hunter Dickinson was a massive challenge.

Dickinson struggled himself with turnovers. He committed seven in the game, most of which came on poor passes or lost balls in the paint. He still scored 19 points on an efficient shooting night, but the turnovers might negate the points. Shutting down Dickinson offensively appeared to be a priority and despite his 19-point effort, forcing that many turnovers out of a good decision-maker was impressive.

The Tigers also managed 23 points off turnovers compared to Kansas' 10. Most of these came in transition or on fast breaks after steals, which played into the pace the Tigers love to play with. Those things go hand-in-hand, as Missouri's defensive pressure allows them to play fast on the other side of the ball.

Free Throw Discrepancy

Simply put, the Tigers clearly placed an emphasis on getting to the free-throw line. The Tigers shot 31 free throws compared to Kansas' 11. The Tigers made 26 of those compared to the Jayhawks nine. Kansas finished with the higher ending percentage, but the quantity from Missouri certainly outshined the quality from its opponent.

In the second half, Missouri found itself in an offensive lull. Its two best scorers were out of the game and there was no rhythm at all. Finally, Mitchell and others took it upon themselves to continue doing what got them ahead in the first place, forcing the issue around the rim. Missouri did a great job staying in control around the rim, giving the officials no choice but to call a foul. It was probably frustrating for the Jayhawk faithful, but there weren't many complaints from any Kansas players or coaches at the time.

Getting to the free-throw line was an issue last season. Missouri didn't do it enough and didn't take advantage of it when they did. It's a completely different story now and has become a focal point of this Dennis Gates offense. Without the 26 makes at the charity stripe today, Missouri would have lost out on 34% of its offense. That would not have been enough to overcome the Jayhawks and Missouri will have to find ways to keep drawing contact in future games, especially in the SEC.

Hot Start

Forced Turnovers

Free Throw Discrepancy

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