Kansas Basketball: 5 Things We Learned From Monday's Win Over Missouri
Kansas kept its Big 12 conference title hopes alive Monday night with a victory over No. 19 Missouri in the Border Showdown, 103-86.
A game full of passion and rivalry was an absolute shootout, but Kansas was able to pull away in the second half and get the victory.
We learn something new about Kansas every game, but let's take a minute and reflect on some of the things we learned and things you should know going forward.
Let's go!
5. The Morris Twins Can Shoot from Any Given Spot
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Not that we didn't exactly know this already, but it still needs to be said.
Not too many teams around the country can be confident when their big men take shots from downtown. I'll admit, I still sometimes moan when one of them takes a three-pointer, but they have proved me wrong almost 40 percent of the time this season.
It does more than just add three more points on the board. It forces opposing big men to step out on Marcus or Markieff and opens up the lane.
They also have developed quite a shot on the baseline over both their left and right shoulders. A little jump hook has been seen from both twins over the past three games that we didn't see much of early in the season.
Works really well when working the baseline against a tough zone.
So far, the Morris twins are shooting almost an average of 40 percent from three-point range. On a team full of sharp shooters, the more the merrier.
Against Missouri, the twins combined for 13-of-17 shooting, including 2-of-4 from long range. That's a stat that will have NBA scouts drooling over them in March.
4. Travis Releford Is a Great Spark off the Bench
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Releford headed into Monday night's contest against Missouri coming off of an ankle injury that has plagued him since the beginning of conference play.
With Selby sidelined, Releford got a few more minutes than usual and took full advantage. He scored 10 points, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, while draining shots to keep Kansas one step ahead of Missouri.
It can't be easy competing for playing minutes with the likes of Josh Selby, Tyshawn Taylor, Brady Morningstar and Tyrel Reed in front of you, but Releford really makes the most of his minutes.
Kansas fans should be excited about what he brings off the bench and his future with the team. He's a solid dribbler, passer and shooter and should play a significant role off the bench for the Jayhawks for the remainder of the season.
Releford had played a combined total of 12 minutes in the three games leading up to Missouri. Obviously, Self knew how important his role had to be with Selby out as he played 16 minutes against MU.
Talk about stepping up to the plate. Magnificent performance from the Kansas City, Mo., native, and it showed a good sign of things to come for next season, where he will most likely get the starting nod.
3. Mario Little Can Make Significant Contributions
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Super Mario!
He already had shined in non-conference contest against UCLA where he sank a game-winning free throw with seven-tenths of a second remaining. Last night, Mario Little made his name known again in front of a national audience.
Little, who found himself in legal trouble earlier in the season and missed five games, had the best game of his career. Off the bench, Little scored 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-3 from long distance.
Those are great stats, but the stat sheet wouldn't tell you the importance of how he played.
Mario hit contested buckets, long two's and grabbed offensive rebounds to really carry Kansas while Missouri was hanging around in the first half. A great performance by a kid who most people wrote off after getting in trouble and seeing limited playing time when he returned to action.
Defensively he was tenacious, fighting for looses balls and getting big under the basket. From short range or long, Mario Little was on fire last night and looked like he had been getting 15-plus minutes all season.
Just another reason Kansas has the best bench in the country.
2. Kansas Can Win without Josh Selby
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Don't worry, I'm not getting ahead of myself.
Josh Selby is a tremendous talent and incredibly athletic, but has been sidelined with a foot injury the past two contests.
The result of losing the No. 1 recruit in the country from a year ago? A win on the road from the defense-savvy Nebraska Cornhuskers and a stomping over nationally-ranked rival Missouri in front of a national audience.
ESPN's Bob Knight and Brent Musberger had the call last night and hardly mentioned Selby.
Why? Because Kansas didn't miss a beat.
If Missouri would have stuck around in the second half, the discussion would have been about how the game would be different if Selby was playing. Not a mention after showing him on the bench with a boot on his foot in the beginning of the game.
How many teams in the nation can lose a player with the talent of Josh Selby and have a player off the bench fill his shoes?
One. Kansas.
1. Brady Morningstar Is Crucial to the Team
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At times this season, many questioned why Bill Self was giving Brady Morningstar so many minutes.
I'll admit it, I was among that group. But I am off that bias and you should be, too.
Sure, he had a couple of unproductive games in the scoring category, but his assist/turnover ratio was really never that bad. Plus, Morningstar has come alive in the past few games.
Against Texas Tech he contributed 12 points and four assists, and versus Nebraska he scored 19 points and six assists. Last night against Missouri, he put up eight points, seven assists and two steals.
The best part about his stat line?
Zero turnovers.
In fact, Morningstar has had five turnovers...in conference play. In the past three contests, he's had just one turnover and is setting a Kansas record by playing 38 straight minutes without one. The streak will continue against Iowa State this weekend.
When you have an efficient offensive output like that, you can't put him on the bench. He can feed the Morris twins down low and places the ball away from defenders with accuracy and precision.
Brady Morningstar is still a major contributor to Kansas, and if he puts up two points in a game, look at the full stat line before complaining.
For all of Kip's Big 12 coverage, follow him on Twitter @KipReiserer
