What Went Wrong for Kansas Against Mizzou?

The Missouri Tigers notched one of its biggest wins in program history over No. 1 seed Kansas.
Dec 8, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Aidan Shaw slams down a dunk during a game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Mizzou Arena
Dec 8, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Aidan Shaw slams down a dunk during a game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Mizzou Arena / Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI
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For the first time since 2012, the Missouri Tigers took down the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks in a roaring 76-67 win.

From tip-off to the final buzzer that unleashed a rush of Tiger fans onto the court, Missouri was in the driver's seat. It had no answer for Tamar Bates, who recorded 29 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field.

Defensively, the Tigers hounded the Jayhawks throughout the contest. They gained 23 points off 22 forced turnovers, creating a plentiful amount of fastbreak opportunities in big moments. Kansas severely struggled to keep the ball in their hands going up against the likes of Bates and Anthony Robinson II on the perimeter.

"I don't think we had them ready to play," coach Bill Self said. "Their pressure, their length was the key element in the game. The first 25 minutes ... we didn't do a good job of understanding that or playing to that."

The Jayhawks shot just 25-of-63 from the field as a collective unit, and only got to the free-throw line a limited number of times — shooting 9-of-11. On the other side, Missouri made that its gameplan.

The Tigers finished 26-of-31 from the free-throw line, continuously attacking the paint in an effort to draw fouls. Even when the offense started to halt, the free throws remained as an easy option to keep the lead mounting.

On the glass, Josh Gray more than upheld his own against one of the best big men in the country — Hunter Dickinson. Gray finished with five points and 10 rebounds. playing with intensity to match the physicality of Dickinson.

Dickinson still had the counting numbers with 19 points and 12 rebounds on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, but the rest of the Kansas lineup couldn't provide any offensive boost. AJ Storr scored two points on just a 1-of-7 clip, while Dajuan Harris Jr. underperformed with 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting.

Reeling off a loss to Creighton, the Jayhawks entered a hostile Mizzou Arena environment not at full confidence. With two losses in a row, it'll likely bring them down far in the next AP top 25 poll.

Missouri on the other hand? Its stock is sure to rise.


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Chase Gemes
CHASE GEMES

Chase Gemes is a journalism student at the University of Missouri, and serves as sports editor for its student newspaper, The Maneater. He's covered Missouri football, men's basketball and baseball, along with the Oklahoma City Thunder for FanNation. He's contributed to MizzouCentral since 2023.