LAWRENCE, Kan. — No. 21 Kansas (6-3) will take on Missouri (8-1) in the StorageMart Border Showdown, Sunday, Dec. 7. The contest will be played at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, tipping off at 12 p.m. (Central) on ESPN2.
Kansas is coming off a 61-56 loss to No. 5 UConn on Dec. 2. KU's losses this season have been against ranked foes, including two fifth-ranked opponents. Missouri is coming off a 76-71 loss at Notre Dame, marking its first loss of the 2025-26 season.
Kansas leads the all-time series with Missouri, 176-96, but the Tigers won the last meeting, 76-67, on Dec. 8, 2024, in Columbia.
Kansas is 134-24 (84.8%) following a loss in the
Bill Self era (since 2003-04), including 2-0 this season.
Through nine games, KU is averaging 74.0 points per game and has a plus-9.9 scoring margin. Kansas pulls down 38.9 rebounds per contest with a plus-5.6 rebound margin. KU averages 14.3 assists, 4.7 steals, and 6.3 blocked shots per contest. KU leads the Big 12 blocked shots (6.3), which is sixth nationally, and in 3FG Percentage Defense (24.8%), which is fifth nationally. KU is third in FG Percentage Defense (37.9%), which is 24th nationally.
Sophomore center
Flory Bidunga scores 15.2 points per game and leads KU with 8.8 rebounds per outing. Bidunga leads the Big 12 in blocked shots per game at 2.6, which is 14th nationally. Bidunga has a team best two double-doubles this season, with both coming in the past three games.
Senior guard
Tre White is scoring 13.7 points per contest and his 6.4 rebounds per game are second on the team. White has 49 rebounds in his last six games, which is an average of 8.2 per contest.
Senior
Melvin Council Jr. (10.9 ppg) leads KU with 45 assists. His 3.5 assist-to-turnover ratio is third in the Big 12 and 45th nationally.
Redshirt-freshman forward
Bryson Tiller (8.9 ppg) pulls down 6.1 rebounds per game, and he has 30 boards in his last four outings.
Redshirt-sophomore guard
Elmarko Jackson (5.0 ppg, one start) has scored 28 points in his last two games. Freshman Kohl Rasario (5.9 ppg) has started four games this season. Redshirt-sophomore guard
Jamari McDowell (3.9 ppg) has started the last three games.
UP NEXT
Kansas will travel to NC State on Saturday, Dec. 13. Tip from Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, is set for 4:30 p.m. (Central) and the game will be televised on ESPN.
Kansas leads the overall series with NC State, 13-1, including a 75-60 win on Dec. 14, 2024, in Allen Fieldhouse in the last meeting.