Missouri visits rival Kansas after upset win over Wildcats

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Mike Anderson has zero interest in a game of connect the dots.

Missouri's coach knows better than to try to concoct a positive scenario for tonight's game at Kansas based on events of the last few days. Missouri's 77-74 upset of No. 22 Kansas State on Saturday with three players still under disciplinary suspension, Anderson said, has no relation to the Wildcats' once-in-a-generation victory over the Jayhawks three days earlier.

Kansas State was the hottest team in the Big 12 after ending its 24-game homecourt losing streak against Kansas. Then, somehow, a Missouri team seemingly in crisis mode shrugged off a 15-point deficit, building momentum for the school that Kansas State just handled.

"What it means Monday?" Anderson asked with a smile. "It just tells you that on any given night anything can take place in our league."

What it means for Kansas State?

"I don't know," freshman forward Bill Walker said. "Maybe 15-point leads aren't enough."

Missouri (13-9, 3-4 Big 12) earned a moral victory of sorts in Wednesday's four-point loss to Nebraska, even though it gave the Huskers their first conference victory after an 0-4 start, because of its eight-man roster. Anderson suspended three starters and two top reserves after Stefhon Hannah had his jaw broken in a late-night altercation at a downtown nightclub hours after Missouri's first road victory of the year at Colorado last Saturday.

Kansas State (15-5, 5-1) promised a much stiffer test. The last unbeaten team in the conference to fall entered on a six-game winning streak, with two victories over ranked opponents.

Now comes the rematch against Kansas (21-1, 6-1), which shook off a sluggish start and perhaps a lingering hangover from the Kansas State game in a 72-59 victory at Colorado on Saturday. The Jayhawks won 76-70 at Missouri on Jan. 19 despite going without a basket in the final 7 1/2 minutes. They have won four in a row in the series.

Missouri will likely be without Hannah, Horton and Butterfield. Hannah is in Chicago recovering from his injury, Horton was arrested Friday for third-degree misdemeanor assault and this is Butterfield's second disciplinary suspension, so Anderson is not going to be so lenient this time around.

"Every day it's just moving forward," Missouri forward DeMarre Carroll said. "If you're with us, you're with us, and if you're not, you're not. Like coach said, 'The train is going to keep going.' At first we had eight and now we've got 10."

Before Saturday's shocker, Missouri had lost four of five and was leaning heavily on little-used backups, although Anderson reinstated Leo Lyons and Marshall Brown in time for Saturday's game. Kansas State appeared overpowering in the first half. The rest of the way, Missouri shot 64 percent and forced 10 of the Wildcats' 16 turnovers to turn the tide.

Hannah, who led the team in scoring, assists and steals, has not been missed as much as originally feared due to the emergence of sophomore J.T. Tiller.

Tiller had 14 points against Nebraska, although his late turnover led to the clinching points. Perhaps that drove him on Saturday, when he scored a career-high 20 points, gave Missouri its first lead on a three-point play with 2:05 to go for a 75-72 lead, and then hit two key free throws with six seconds left.