Perhaps against any other opponent, Kansas guard Melvin Council would’ve taken the loose ball in the waning seconds and simply dribbled out the clock, opting to not add insult to injury in a blowout win. But – the opponent was Mizzou, KU’s bitter rival dating back to the Civil War, and Council, seemingly well-educated on the rivalry despite his short time donning the crimson & blue, understood the assignment.
Council’s breakaway dunk was the cherry on top of a gorgeous 80-60 final score in favor of the Jayhawks on Sunday afternoon in Kansas City. Kansas’ victory moved the already-lopsided all-time series in favor of KU to 177-96. The Border War (the only appropriate title of the rivalry) was renewed in 2021, a six-year agreement, and unsurprisingly Kansas picked up where they left off – dominating Mizzou in winning four of the first five, all four in blowout fashion.
Fans at the T-Mobile Center were gifted the chance to see the return of KU’s star freshman guard, Darryn Peterson, who showed glimpses of his generational talent in pouring in 17 points in just 23 minutes. Guard Tre White’s impressive double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds led the way statistically for KU, and his buzzer-beating three at the end of the first half set the tone for a dominant second-half performance for the Jayhawks.
The game was ugly in the early stages as Kansas offensively was deferring to Peterson too much, leading to some choppy possessions. The Jayhawks were down 19-15 at one point, but at 23-21 Mizzou, Kansas rolled off a 23-3 run which spanned both halves. White, who hit three first-half threes, had a pair of timely ones on the wing before his transition three gave KU an eight-point lead – and proved to be the biggest play of the +20 run.
Kansas, who has been spectacular defensively all season, held a Mizzou team that was averaging 90.9 points per game to a lowly 60. The Tigers shot just 34% from the field and 26% from three point range. KU, who is up to 8th in KenPom Defensive Efficiency as of Monday morning, has yet to allow any opponent to shoot better than 30% from three.
In addition to Peterson and White, the Jayhawks got solid contributions from Council, who filled the stat sheet as usual with nine points, eight rebounds and five assists, as well as big men Flory Bidunga (10 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks) and Bryson Tiller (13 points, five rebounds and five blocks). Tiller was fantastic playing near the basket on the offensive end in the second half.
Another test awaits Kansas in their next tilt on Saturday, a 4:30 p.m. tip in Raleigh against a Top-25 caliber NC State team. Following the battle with the Wolfpack, whose leading scorer is Texas Tech transfer Darrion Williams, Kansas will close out the non-conference season with a pair of games at Allen Fieldhouse, taking on Towson and Davidson. If Kansas can pick up a marquee road win on Saturday, you’d feel great about the prospects of the ‘hawks going 10-3 against a bear of non-con slate.
For now though, all Jayhawks fans should do what Council did before the final buzzer on Sunday – and enjoy every second of blasting our rivals. Kansas beating Mizzou – a tale as old as time and elation that never dissipates. Rock Chalk!
Sean Kellerman