LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball will face Missouri on Sunday in Columbia in the latest matchup between the rivals.
This will be the fourth-straight season the teams will have played each other. The No. 1 Jayhawks (7-1) have won the last three meetings. Kansas is coming in off of a loss at Creighton, while the Tigers (7-1) are coming off a win at home against California.
Here are a few things to think about, and a prediction, before the noon tip-off.
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It’s an opportunity for Dajuan Harris Jr. to win 1 more time in Columbia, Missouri
Kansas graduate guard Dajuan Harris Jr. is readying for what will be his last game in Columbia, and as someone who’s from there that means a great deal to him.
He won there during the 2022-23 season, and by a significant margin. He actually noted he was hoping for more of a back-and-forth game Sunday, both because it’s his last opportunity and because he didn’t get to sense what the rivalry game would be like due to the Jayhawks winning 95-67.
Harris is coming off of a game against Creighton in which he took a lot of shots, because of Creighton’s defensive game plan, and too often they didn’t fall. But he doesn’t consider those shots to be bad ideas and said coach Bill Self didn’t think so either. If Missouri tries to defend the same way Creighton did, and those shots are there for him, he’ll take them again in a matchup he considers to be one of the biggest rivalries in college basketball.
This is what stands out about Missouri basketball
Harris said since Dennis Gates has taken over as Missouri’s coach, he’s seen a team that looks to play fast and defend. It’ll shoot 3s. However, that was prior to him and his teammates really diving into their scout of the Tigers.
Self said Missouri is a better team this year, with some individual players like senior guard Tamar Bates getting off to great starts this season. The Tigers also have junior guard/forward Mark Mitchell, who the Jayhawks had recruited hard in the past. While Missouri features a lot of new faces, Self said the Tigers have the talent to play at the speed they want, in addition to having strength and size inside, as they look to reach the NCAA tournament and compete in the challenging SEC.
Bill Self updates status of Rylan Griffen
Kansas junior guard Rylan Griffen was unavailable for the first time this season on Wednesday, when the Jayhawks lost at Creighton. Considering the issues Kansas experienced shooting the ball, he would have been a valuable player to put on the court. But Self said he didn’t see any reason Griffen can’t be close to 100% when the Jayhawks play Missouri this weekend.
Griffen has both started and come off of the bench so far this season. Regardless of that status, he’s a significant part of Kansas’ rotation. His ability to play only enhances the Jayhawks’ ability to win the game.
Kansas basketball vs Missouri prediction
Kansas has shown it can go into a hostile environment like Missouri’s and win, and is prepared to do so again. This one won’t come by as wide of a margin as it did last time, but it’ll still be a victory for the Jayhawks. This time, Kansas wins 85-74.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas basketball vs Missouri scouting report, prediction for rivalry
