Published Dec 8, 2023
A baseline view from the Missouri side
Shay Wildeboor  •  JayhawkSlant
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Late on Saturday afternoon, No. 2 Kansas (7-1) plays host to Missouri (7-2). The Jayhawks have won the previous two meetings against the Tigers by a combined 65 points. With tip between Kansas and Missouri approaching, JayhawkSlant.com caught up with Drew King from PowerMizzou.com to get his thoughts on the latest edition of the Border War.

1) What's been the biggest key to Missouri opening up the season 7-2?

I’d say there are two big ones. The first is improvement on the defensive end. The Tigers finished last season ranked 180th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency rating. So far this year, they’re up to 84th. The team is top 10 in blocks and top 30 in steals, making it one of the most disruptive defenses in the country. The second is the emergence of Sean East II as a go-to scorer. One of the biggest questions coming into this season was who could step up to fill in the shoes of Kobe Brown and D’Moi Hodge. East has been the one to take on the mantle. He’s averaging 16.8 points and has reached 20 points on five different occasions. He only made 22.1% of his 3-pointers last year but is shooting a much better 61.9% from deep this season (albeit on a low-volume 2.3 attempts per game). East has always been a talented slasher but now that opponents have to respect him from distance, it’s made it even easier for him to drive into the paint.

2) Any idea what the mood around the team is with a trip to Lawrence looming on Saturday? Obviously, these two programs don't like each other at all.

With so many new faces on last year’s team, the coaching staff included, I’m not sure Mizzou completely understood what it was walking into. I think this season, the team has a better idea of what to expect. All of its returners played 20-plus minutes in last year’s game. A few of its transfers also have experience playing at Allen Fieldhouse. The Tigers will say this is just another game on the schedule for them. But I do get the sense that the loss last season left a sour taste in their mouths. It feels like they want to redeem themselves a bit.

3) What's the biggest key for Missouri on Saturday when it comes to the Border War? Are there a few things they must do in order to be successful?

If the team wants any shot at beating the Jayhawks, it has to start on defense. Two things stand out about Kansas’ lone loss to Marquette: 1) The Golden Eagles forced 18 turnovers, including 11 steals, and 2) Hunter Dickinson only got three shots off in the second half and was limited to 13 points. Mizzou’s come up with 11 steals per game during its four-game winning streak, a mark it’ll likely need to sustain against the Jayhawks. But the Tigers haven’t really gone up against a big man quite like Dickinson yet. They’ll need their posts to deny him looks like Marquette’s Oso Ighodaro did a few weeks ago.

4) Finally, how do you see this one playing out between No. 2 Kansas and Missouri?

I don’t think Mizzou has much room for error. It does feel like a spot where there’s a lot of upside and not much downside — a loss won’t tank the team’s season, but a win would be a huge deal for the program. Still, the Tigers could play their best ball of the year and it still might not be enough to come up with the victory because of how many problems the Jayhawks create. It’s tough to knock off the No. 2 team in the country, especially on the road. I think Kansas will win by double digits, but I don’t know that it’ll be the same type of blowout as the past two years.