Place Your Bets: Kansas at Missouri (Feb. 9)

No. 21 Kansas (19-4, 8-0) at Missouri (20-4, 7-2)

Mon. Feb. 9 at 9:00 P.M. EST

Spread: Missouri -4

Backcourt Advantage: Kansas

Sherron Collins (18.0 PPG) is the fearless leader of a Jayhawks team that is surpassing all expectations that this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the defending national champions. Collins is the lone returning contributor to last year's title run and, behind his leadership, Kansas is off to an 8-0 start in the Big 12 and looking to move back into a first place tie with Oklahoma.

Collins has been getting significant help from fellow junior Mario Little, who has been on fire lately. Little is scoring eight points per game while shooting 69 percent from the floor in their eight conference games. The junior college transfer missed the Jayhawks' first 12 games of the season after breaking his hand in practice on Dec. 16, just two weeks after he returned from a stress fracture in his leg.

Collins and the Jayhawks hope Little can continue his hot play as they head into Mizzou Arena, which will be the young Jayhawks' toughest road test of the season so far. Missouri juniors Zaire Taylor (5.7 PPG) and J.T. Tiller (7.7 PPG) will be faced with the challenge of either keeping up with them or slowing them down.

Frontcourt Advantage: Missouri

Senior forwards DeMarre Carroll (17.3 PPG) and Leo Lyons (14.6 PPG) will look to out-hustle and outscore the Jayhawks inside. Carroll is the leading scorer for a Missouri offense that ranks fourth in the nation in scoring with 84.2 points per game.

Behind Carroll and Lyons, the Tigers are one of the most efficient teams in the nation, both on offense and defense. On offense Missouri ranks 10th in the nation in scoring 1.14 points per possession, while holding its opponents to just 0.9 points per possession, a stat that ranks them 13th in the nation.

Other than all-conference center Cole Aldrich (14.6 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 2.5 BPG), Kansas has been getting very inconsistent play inside from its three freshmen forwards, Quintrell Thomas and Marcus and Markieff Morris. Expect that inconsistency to continue on the road in a hostile environment. Aldrich, who has 13 double-doubles this season, will need to be dominant inside for the Jayhawks to stay in this game and take the pressure off of Sherron Collins.

Momentum: Even

Kansas comes in winners of eight straight, while Missouri has won seven of its last eight. The Jayhawks have won their last five against the Tigers, including the last two in Columbia. However, this is perhaps the most inexperienced Jayhawks team that Bill Self is taking into Mizzou Arena, while Missouri has their most talented team in years.

Look for the Tigers and their raucous crowd to overwhelm the Jayhawks, who will drop their first conference game of the season. This should be a good learning experience for Self's young team, who will have the opportunity to get revenge in Lawrence, KS on March 1.

Shaun's Pick: Missouri -4

This article and more of Shaun's articles can be read at CBBplace.com