No. 1 Kansas and Missouri are scheduled to clash later today in Columbia, Mo. With tip set for 12:00, JayhawkSlant.com caught up with Kyle McAreavy from MizzouToday.com to get his thoughts on today's game.
1) Missouri is off to a 7-1 start with seven straight wins. What’s been the biggest key to MU’s hot start?
This year's Mizzou team is definitely better than last year, but the record to this point is a product of a ridiculously easy schedule. It's hard to argue much else. The biggest improvements have definitely been rebounding and getting to the free-throw line. Those areas had really been left lacking in Dennis Gates' first two years in Columbia. The rebounding could still be better, but Mizzou has a legitimate post presence for the first time in a while and the Tigers are third in the country in free-throw attempts per game. They don't make a high percentage of them, but compared to the days last year when Gates would talk after every game about not getting to the line enough, they definitely are now.
2) Since the series resumed, Kansas has won every game on the hardwood against Missouri. The Jayhawks are coming off their first loss of the season and face another tough road test. What’s the biggest key for Missouri on Sunday?
I would say the biggest thing Mizzou needs to do is not have an offensive lull. It was a major issue all of last year and seemed like the Tigers had moved past it through the easy part of the schedule, but they had about five minutes at the end of the first half against Cal where they gave up a 17-0 run because the offense got turnover-happy and Cal was getting a lot of easy looks in transition. If Mizzou wants to be in this game, it has to keep from having any sequences where the offense goes completely dead.
3) What do you expect the atmosphere to be like and how could that impact the game?
The atmosphere is going to be crazy. I've been thinking back to the 2022 matchup when the series was revived and it was my second year on the Mizzou beat. That game is one of the craziest things I've ever seen, even as Kansas pulled away to a big win, the crowd was energized and involved throughout. Mizzou Arena has been a little dead so far this year because a lot of fans haven't regained the excitement after last year's very disappointing season, but I expect the stadium to be full and loud as soon as the doors open through to the final buzzer.
4) How do you see Sunday’s game between Kansas and Missouri playing out?
Kansas is the better team, hard to argue that and my readers won't like me saying it. But it is. It's hard for me to imagine more than one or two ways the Tigers could possibly win. One is Kansas gets turnover happy and the Tigers win similarly to how they beat Illinois in 2022, just get out on a run early thanks to turnovers and pull away using the momentum of the crowd. The other is a single-player elite performance, there are a couple of players on Mizzou's roster this year who have the potential to take over a game. But I think Kansas will win. I do expect a close game like last season, though.
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