BORDER WAR (PART TWO)

 

KANSAS @ MISSOURI PREVIEW    

    

    With a chance to sweep the Border War, the Kansas Jayhawks will march into Columbia Saturday, strutting their stuff like banty roosters and feeling mighty fine about a #1 NCAA seed.

    But the Missouri Tigers again have a chance to send the 2^nd-ranked visitors retreating back to Larryville missing some tail feathers and clutching only half the Big XII regular season trophy.

    Mizzou hasn't beaten KU in a home finale since March 6, 2005 when a Quin Snyder team led by Jimmy McKinney, Thomas Gardner and Linas Kleiza handed #7 KU a 68-72 loss that dropped the Beakers to a 12-4 conference record and into a tie with Oklahoma. When unranked, Missouri is 11-14 all-time at home against ranked KU teams. This year Mizzou (on a two-game slide and 5-5 in its last ten games) limps into the game clinging to 22^nd in the AP poll.

    For the Tigers (17-0 at Mizzou Arena this year) to compete with the bigger, deeper, more talented Jayhawks, they must play their best game of the year. With some less than stellar efforts down the stretch, Mizzou needs a signature win to bolster its confidence going into tournament play. A bad loss Saturday and a first round exit from the Big XII tournament (see last year) could even cost MU an NCAA invitation.

    Mike Anderson's "fastest 40 minutes" style isn't going to phase KU's guards, who are quick enough and heady enough not to be rattled by Missouri's less than effective press. In the first Border War battle in Larryville, Jayhawk snipers riddled the Tiger defense with open looks from the corners; and when they missed, Bill Self's front line mauled Mizzou on the boards. Despite a decent effort in the first half, Missouri couldn't keep pace with Self's deep bench and lost 86-103, Kansas' highest scoring game of the season.

    To win Missouri must (1) be awake before the 11 a.m. tipoff; (2) play sound, fundamental defense; (3) stay out of foul trouble; (4) shoot well from 3-point range; (5) play "big" on the boards against the Morris thugs; and (6) get some help from a crowd that tends to straggle into early games.

    A Missouri victory will guarantee a decent (6 to 9) seed in the Big Dance and give the team a much-needed ego boost. A competitive loss won't affect dramatically MU's NCAA standing; but a blowout loss could demoralize completely a Tiger team (and fan base) with an already fragile psyche.

    Anderson's previous teams seemed to grow stronger and more cohesive as March rolled around; but this edition of the Tigers still seems to be searching for a spark to ignite the inner fire that burns for teams with aspirations to go deep in postseason play.