/ SPORTS / FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2011 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
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KU TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
The last time Missouri lost a home game was in last year's regular season finale to the No. 1 Jayhawks, 364 days prior to tipoff. On the road, the Tigers have been awful. All eight of their losses have been away from the confines of Mizzou Arena, and 17 of their 22 wins have been there. The average differential in the outcomes of the Tigers' home and road games against teams from the Big 12 North — the only teams they have played in both places — is 25.3 points. That's incredible. The Tigers are 25 points better at home than on the road. For the record, the Jayhawks won by 17 in the first meeting between these two this season. If Missouri's average holds, then Kansas will have a disappointing Saturday.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Junior guard Tyshawn Taylor
It looked like Taylor had already won his starting spot back when he started the second half of the Texas A&M game. Elijah Johnson finished it, though, and Self said
Taylor
after the game that Johnson would get the nod Saturday over Taylor. Taylor's love for starting has been well documented in the
past — every time he wins his starting job back (which is often, it seems), he talks about how much he likes starting and hearing his name called in introductions. Especially with how quick Missouri plays, Taylor may be the best fit for Kansas this weekend, and he could see considerable time alongside Johnson as well. But he will want that starting job back, and sooner rather than later.
How will Elijah Johnson handle Marcus Denmon and the Tigers?
QUESTION MARK
Johnson has played stellar defense over the last three games, starting with hounding Oklahoma State's Keiton Page into a 2-of-11 night from the field, shutting out Oklahoma's Carl Blair and playing so well down the stretch Wednesday that he rendered Tyshawn Taylor to an afterthought. If he gets Denmon defensively, he'll have to take his game to another level, though. Denmon has performed at an All-Big 12 level this season. Johnson will also be experiencing Missouri's press for the first time as the primary ball handler. He has the athleticism to run with the Tigers, but he hasn't faced a pressure defense like theirs.
HEARYE, HEARYE
"It's Missouri. It's the rivalry more than anything else. We could play shirts and skins with nobody in the stands, and I think our guys would be excited to play."
— Coach Bill Self
Johnson
Jayhawks will face Tigers on Saturday
Kansas to get fur flying
KANSAS
28-2,(13-2)
STARTERS
KANSAS VS.MISSOURI 11 a.m., MIZZOU ARENA, Columbia, Mo.
Elijah Johnson, guard
Coach Bill Self said Wednesday that he's sticking with Elijah Johnson as his starting point guard, but it'll be interesting to see how Johnson handles it with Tyshawn Taylor active. Johnson is at his best when he plays with a free mind, and Taylor's reinstatement could elicit one of two reactions: Johnson could get hot, or he could feel the pressure and wilt. Whatever happens, it'll play a huge role in who starts at point in the NCAA Tournament.
Morningstar
Brady Morningstar,guard
Reed
Sixty assists. 10 turnovers. Every game morningstar plays — save Oklahoma, when he had four assists against a shameful (shameful, I tell you!) three turnovers — he seems to make his incredible conference assist-to-turnover ratio even better. Against Texas A&M, he had four assists and zero turnovers. With a guy like Morningstar playing the off-guard, the importance of point guard play is diminished.
Mc. Morris
Tyrel Reed, guard
It's pretty widely known amongst the Kansas sportswriter brigade that if you're looking for a quote about a player not liking Missouri very much, Tyrel Reed's your man. He's always happy to talk about how he grew up hating the Tigers, and he and Morningstar both said it'd be fun to end their last regular season at Missouri trying to clinch an outright title.
Marcus Morris, forward
Marcus had a rough night Wednesday against the Aggies, but a rough night for him constitutes a good night for most. He finished with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting with five rebounds. Missouri, unlike Texas A&M, doesn't play a grind-it-out game, meaning Marcus will get to run, meaning he'll get to score. Last time out against the Tigers he finished with 22 points and eight rebounds.
Mk. Morris
Markieff struggled early, starting the game shooting just 3-0f-9 from the field. After the game, Marcus said Markieff was feeling like there was a lid on the basket. The lid came off in the second half, though, and Markieff finished with 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting. He had another offnight on the boards, though, which could prove costly down the line. He's too valuable to Kansas in that regard to be inconsistent.
Markieff Morris, forward
MISSOURI
Tim Dwyer
22-8, (8-7)
STARTERS
Phil Pressey, guard
Pressey is averaging five assists over the last three games and he had six against Kansas on Feb. 7. He scored 17 against the Jayhawks, but that isn't his forte. Pressey will need to control the ball. He is sixth in the Big 12 with a 1.83 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Pressey
Kim English. guard
English came off the last time Missouri played Kansas. In that game he played 14 minutes and scored six points. Last season, English was one of the go-to-players, but now he is a third or fourth option. He is fifth in scoring, averaging 10.3 points per game.
English
★★★☆★
Dennson was named the Most Improved Player in the Big 12 as a sophomore. This season his name is being thrown around in consideration for All-Big 12 First Team. He is the leader of this team and it's his. Dennson leads the Tigers in scoring and is seventh in the Big 12 with 16.8 points per game.
Marcus Denmon, guard
Denmon
Justin Safford, forward
Safford is getting the nod because it is Senior Day. He is the only senior on this team, but he might not be the only one leaving. Depending on what happens with the NBA, Denmon could leave for the NBA. Regardless, the spotlight will
be on Safford, because it's his last time playing at Mizzou Arena. During his time at Missouri he has been a part of a transformation. From a team that went 16-16 in his freshman year to a program that has 92 wins in his four years.
Safford
Bowers
Laurence Bowers, forward
Bowers has scored in double figures in six of his last seven games including a 19-point performance against Kansas on Feb. 7. Bowers will need to play big, but can't afford to foul out like he did against Kansas. The bigs for Missouri are shallow, so any foul trouble spells trouble.
Mike Lavieri
Tyrel Reed
Photo by Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN
MU
TIPOFF
AT A GLANCE
Tomorrow is Senior Day for the Tigers and it's Justin Safford's last game as a Tiger in Columbia, Mo. Missouri has been perfect at home this season and will want to keep it that way. It will know what is at stake for Kansas and it will try to be Texas' Kansas State. It's an odd fact, but five of Kansas' last six losses have come on CBS. What network is showing the game tomorrow? CBS. It's just an interesting fact to note. Missouri scored 86 points and shot 52 percent from the floor, but came up short. Those stats anywhere else would be good enough for the Tigers to win.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Junior guard Marcus Denmon Denmon is fifth in the league in shooting percentage and steals, 51.1 percentand
1.77 per game, respectively.
He hits 46.5 percent of his threes, which is second behind Colorado's Levi Knutson, who
Denmon
makes 48.4 percent. Denmon had 11 points in the loss to Kansas on Feb.7, but he still poses problems. He can create his own shot, and he can create for others. If Denmon doesn't make the First Team he is certainly a lock for the Second Team. He will be the key for Missouri upsetting Kansas. He will need to control the team and tell his teammates to try to stay out of foul trouble. Last time against Kansas, three players fouled out.
QUESTION MARK
HEAR YE, HEAR YE
Will Missouri stay perfect at home?
"We can't think about how we just lost two games. We have a very good team in Kansas coming Saturday.We've got to turn our attention to the next game and start our peak right there."
Missouri has been abysmal on the road, especially in conference going 1-7, but it is 17-0 at home, it's last loss coming against a familiar foe: Kansas. Last year the Jayhawks defeated the Tigers 77-56, but this Tiger team is different. It plays the same style as it has in the past, but it is much more athletic and does a better job shooting the ball, 46.9 percent. There is more than just a perfect 18-0 season on the line; Missouri is going for the program's 1,500th victory. It would be the fifth Big 12 team to do so. Kansas has been excellent on the road, just one loss at Kansas State, but they are bound to have a slip up. Missouri should keep its perfect record at home and pick up win 1,500.
Junior forward Laurence Bowers after Missouri's 69-58 loss to Nebraska on Tuesday
BIG 12 SCHEDULE
Game
Sat., March 5
Iowa State at Kansas State
Texas Tech at Texas A&M
Oklahoma State at Oklahoma
Nebraska at Colorado
Texas at Baylor
Time (CT)
12:30 p.m.
12:30 p.m.
3:00 p.m.
7 p.m.
8 p.m.
THE JAYHAWKS WILL SOAR IF...
THE TIGERS WILL ROAR IF...
They return to the offensive form they've showed for most of the season. Missouri's a fun game to watch, outside of rivalry reasons, because they like to get up and down the floor. It's not necessarily a game that will prepare the Jayhawks for late March, when they'll face top tier defenses, but it will be entertaining. Enjoy this one.
Their home court advantage stands. It's amazing how much better Missouri is at home — very few teams in the country have home-road splits that are so different. It's also vital for Kansas to come out of the gate fired up. Missouri is playing for a higher seed in the NCAA Tournament. Kansas could lose and still be a No.1, and it's already won the conference crown.
SCHEDULE
Prediction:
Kansas 86, Missouri 79
Begins March 9
Date
Begins March 15
Event
Big 12 Championship
NCAA Tournament