Missouri topples No. 1 Kansas in Border War Rivalry

Cameron Brown

December 17, 2024

Missouri graduate student guard Tony Perkins celebrates with his teammates, sophomore guard Anthony Robinson II and senior guard Tamar Bates during the game against Kansas on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo. The Tigers beat the Jayhawks with a final score of 76-67.

Missouri wins its first game against a No. 1 ranked team since 1997

The 271st installment of Missouri and No. 1 ranked Kansas’s Border War Rivalry took place at Mizzou Arena on Sunday, Dec. 8 with a sold out crowd in attendance. The Tigers beat the Jayhawks for the first time since 2012, with a score of 76-67.

With two minutes left the Tigers’ lead had been cut from 24 down to only two. With the Tigers ahead 65-63, Mark Mitchell knocked down a huge corner three to extend the lead to five. The Tigers picked up a stop with Josh Gray grabbing a rebound before being fouled and making both free throws. After this, the Tigers held a seven-point lead.

A Missouri basketball player reaching for the ball. — Missouri graduate student center Josh Gray reaches for the ball during tipoff on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo. The Tigers beat the Jayhawks for the first time since 2012, and extended their winning streak to 8-1.

Tamar Bates was the lead scorer in the game with 29 points on effective shooting splits, finishing 9-15 from the field and 2-5 from three.

“He didn’t want to be the leading scorer,” head coach Dennis Gates said. “He just wanted to win, and that’s how he practiced.”

Story continues below advertisement

Missouri played an excellent first-half defense against Kansas to their lowest scoring half all year at only 25 points, finishing 2-9 from three and 10-24 from the field. Missouri forced 15 turnovers in the first half, converting those into 14 points.

Halfway through the first half the Tigers built an 11-point lead over the Jayhawks with Bates leading the way with an accumulation of 11 points through 12 minutes.

A Missouri player passing the ball to his teammate. — Missouri senior guard Tamar Bates passes the ball to his teammate in the game against Kansas on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo. Bates scored 29 points during the game, marking a season high.

Gray made his mark in the first half with seven rebounds and two assists. He had an impact defensively as he was often matched up with Kansas’ leading scorer Hunter Dickinson who finished the first half with seven points and five turnovers.

Kansas found their footing halfway through the second half with a 13-0 run. Dickinson led the way with seven of the 13 during the run. This run cut the Tiger lead from 22 to nine in five minutes of play. This scoreless run was brought to an end after Anthony Robinson II nabbed a steal in transition which led to a bucket from Tony Perkins.

The starting lineup for Missouri included guard Robinson II, guard Bates, guard Perkins, forward Mitchell and center Gray. The first substitutes for the Tigers were Aidan Shaw and Trent Pierce. This was Perkins’s first time being named a starter all year.

Missouri’s next game will be against Long Island University at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14 at Mizzou Arena where the Tigers will try to extend their winning streak to nine.