Story Links The Border War returns to Mizzou Arena as the University of Missouri men’s basketball team hosts their rival, No. 1 Kansas, this Sunday afternoon. The game is scheduled to start at noon on ESPN2. PROMOTIONS• The KC Disc Dogs will entertain at halftime.• Complimentary “Beat KU” rally towels will be placed in seats […]
Story Links
The Border War returns to Mizzou Arena as the University of Missouri men’s basketball team hosts their rival, No. 1 Kansas, this Sunday afternoon. The game is scheduled to start at noon on ESPN2.
PROMOTIONS• The KC Disc Dogs will entertain at halftime.• Complimentary “Beat KU” rally towels will be placed in seats at Mizzou Arena.• The Tigers are striping Mizzou Arena this Sunday, encouraging all fans to don black or gold according to their respective sections.
ABOUT THE TIGERS
• Missouri holds a 7-1 record through their first eight games of the 2024-25 season – having won their last seven matches.
• The Tigers mounted a strong second-half comeback on Tuesday to overcome a 16-point halftime deficit, clinching a 98-93 victory over California.
• Caleb Grill leads the team with an average of 13.6 points and 21 three-pointers, though he missed the last game due to injury.
• Three other Tigers are contributing in double figures – Tamar Bates (12.3), Mark Mitchell (12.0), and Anthony Robinson II (12.0).
• Robinson tops Mizzou’s stats with 4.3 assists and 1.6 steals, while Josh Gray leads the team in rebounding with an average of 5.3 per game.
• MU ranks third in the nation for scoring offense with 91.1 points, 84th for scoring defense at 66.8, and seventh with a scoring margin of +24.4.
ABOUT THE JAYHAWKS
• Kansas is currently the top-ranked team in the nation according to both the AP and USA Today Coaches Poll.
• The Jayhawks secured victories in their first seven games before suffering a loss to Creighton on Wednesday, 76-63.
• Hunter Dickinson leads Kansas with averages of 14.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.
• Two additional Jayhawks contribute in double digits – Zeke Mayo (11.8) and Dajuan Harris Jr. (10.4).
• Harris also boasts a team-high of 6.0 assists per game.
• The Jayhawks are averaging 80.3 points per game this season.
SERIES HISTORY
• Missouri and Kansas have clashed 270 times on the basketball court, making this series the 12th most frequently contested in NCAA history.
• Historically, Kansas holds a 175-95 edge over the Tigers since their initial meeting in 1907.
• The rivalry resumed in 2021, with Kansas winning the last three encounters.
• The last time the Tigers triumphed over Kansas was in 2012, securing a 74-71 win at Mizzou Arena.
TIGERS VERSUS BIG 12
• As a former member of the Big 12 Conference, MU has a historical record of 161-147 against the league.
• During their time in the Big 12, the Tigers recorded a 157-134 record from 1996 to 2012 (139-119 in regular season and 18-15 in postseason).
• Since their arrival in the SEC, Mizzou has a 4-13 record against Big 12 opponents, with their last victory over a league opponent coming in 2023 against No. 12 Iowa State, 78-61.
MIZZOU VERSUS NO. 1
• The Tigers have an all-time record of 4-20 against teams ranked No. 1 in the nation, with a 3-5 record in Columbia.
• Mizzou has lost their last 10 encounters with the top-ranked team, most recently losing to Auburn, 55-54, in 2022.
• The Tigers’ last win over a No. 1 ranked team was in 1997, when they handed Kansas its only loss of the regular season with a 96-94 double overtime victory.
• Overall, Mizzou has won three times against Kansas when it was ranked No. 1 (in nine encounters), including two victories in 1990.
OFFENSIVE LEADERS
• In the season’s opening month, MU is establishing itself as one of the top offensive teams in the country.
• The Tigers are one of six teams averaging at least 90 points per game, currently ranking third overall with a scoring offense of 91.1.
• MU scored 98 points in their win over California on Tuesday, marking their highest regulation score against a power-conference team since a 98-79 win over Ole Miss in 2013.
TARGET PRACTICE
• The key factor in MU’s early-season offensive success has been their efficient shooting.
• The Tigers head into the weekend ranked first nationally with a field goal percentage of 52.6 percent.
• Mizzou has connected on at least 45.0 percent of their field goals in all eight games this season – their longest streak since a 10-game run in 2007-08.
DOMINANT SECOND-HALF SHOOTING
• The most notable demonstration of the team’s strong performance surfaced on Tuesday in the second half against California.
• Mizzou answered a 16-point halftime deficit by scoring 63 points and hitting an impressive 84.6 percent (22-of-26) from the field after the break.
• The 63 points scored are the highest by MU since they netted 64 against Grambling in the second half in 2001.
• Overall, Mizzou shot 66.0 percent in their 98-93 victory on Tuesday – their top percentage since shooting 68.1 percent against Wagner in 2017.
50 PERCENT OR BETTER
• Mizzou has achieved a shooting percentage of 50 percent or better from the field in 5 of 8 games this season.
• The Tigers have already exceeded the number of times they shot above 50 percent last season when the mark was reached in only 4 of 32 games.
• Mizzou achieving 50 percent shooting is almost synonymous with a victory, as they have a record of 23-1 under Coach Gates when reaching that benchmark.
