The Kansas Jayhawks basketball team had already secured at least a share of the Big 12 title last week. On Saturday against the Missouri Tigers, they confirmed it -- the conference title is all their. Kansas beat Missouri, 70-66, in Columbia on Saturday ruining Mizzou's undefeated home record.
Kansas jumped out to an early lead before Mizzou came back and kept things close until Kansas started to pull away midway through the second half. The last time these two played Mizzou shot lights out en route to a...17-point loss. Which should tell you how well KU shot that day (60-plus percent).
This time the shots weren't falling as easily. Missouri shot just 29 percent from the field while KU shot 43 percent, both well below their season averages.
The game went as many KU games did with the Morris twins stepping up with some huge numbers. They combined for 31 points on 11-of-21 shooting and 18 boards. The Tigers just didn't have anyone who could control them. It was a physical game down low and you could tell with the foul numbers -- the Morris twins each had four while Ricardo Ratliffe had five and Laurence Bowers had three.
Bowers had a solid game shooting an efficient 8-of-13 from the field scoring 22 points and adding 10 boards. Mizzou needed Ratliffe to have a similar type of effort but he walked away with three points and four boards. Halfway through the game I remember wondering where he was. There just wasn't an impact from him (partly due to foul trouble).
Once again, Kansas was just too deep and too good. The Tigers will make life miserable for some teams in the Big 12 tournament next week but I do not want to face Kansas in that tournament.