What could be, perhaps, the final Columbia, Missouri meeting between bitter rivals Kansas and Missouri will take place tonight at the Mizzou Arena. The Jayhawks and Tigers, both ranked in the top 10, will battle for the top spot in the Big 12 standings when they tip things off tonight in the middle of the Show Me State. This evening’s must see conference clash is scheduled to get underway at 9:00pm ET on ESPN. NCAA Basketball Point Spreads have Missouri listed as a -2.5 against the spread favorite; the game total is set at 147 points.
Kansas suffered its first league setback last Saturday in Ames, Iowa, but it wasted no time rebounding from that loss and setting up a battle with Missouri for first place in the Big 12. The Jayhawks improved to 8-1 in conference play and preserved a half game lead over the Tigers on Wednesday night by smashing the Oklahoma Sooners 84-62 at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence.
Kansas led by just three points at the break against OU after a sloppy, turnover laden first-half, but they reduced their mistakes in the second half while turning up the defensive pressure on the Sooners. Four Jayhawks went on to finish with double figures in scoring, including Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor, who both topped the 20 point mark.
Kansas, which shot 55.4 percent for the game, held Oklahoma to 41.4 percent from the field, helping maintain its reputation as one of the top defensive teams in the nation. Bill Self’s squad will need that same sort of intensity tonight in order to upset the well-balanced Tigers in Columbia.
Missouri, No. 4 in the latest AP Poll, bounced back from a road loss at Oklahoma State last Wednesday with a 63-50 home win over Texas Tech on Saturday and a 67-66 Big Monday triumph over the Longhorns in Austin.
The Tigers, which are 20-2 overall and 7-2 in Big 12 action, got a huge effort from bench guard Michael Dixon in the win over Texas. Dixon dropped in a game high 21 points on 9-of-10 field goal shooting and he hit what proved to the game winning layup with 31 seconds left in regulation.
Kansas owns a big historical edge in this rivalry series, but it has been particularly dominant of late, winning nine of its last 10 against Missouri, including four of the last five in Columbia. It has been a while since the two teams were on such equal footing, though, as the Tigers are an experienced, senior laden squad with as much or more talent than the Jayhawks.
Still, with Kansas recent run against Missouri, it has to feel as though it can overcome the Tigers at Mizzou Arena or anywhere else. For that reason the dog looks like the best play in this fight.
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Kansas vs Missouri 2012 NCAA Basketball Point Spreads: Provided by SBG Global
Kansas Jayhawks +2.5 (-110), Over 147 (-110), +125 (Moneyline)
Missouri Tigers -2.5 (-110), Under 147 (-110), -145 (Moneyline)
