Missouri basketball vs. Kansas final score and recap: MU falls in Lawrence

Missouri basketball is back in Lawrence, Kansas. The Jayhawks await.

Stick with us here for live updates from the Tigers’ visit to Allen Fieldhouse, where No. 2-ranked Kansas is looming.

FINAL: Kansas 73, Missouri 64

Second half

Under 4: It’s do or die for Missouri

This was an eight-point game with six minutes to go. Kansas is just unyielding.

Missouri has 3:33 to stage a comeback down 10, 64-54.

Under 8: Vanover helps cut the Kansas lead

What was an 18-point lead is down to 11. That’s thanks to Connor Vanover, who helped key a 6-0 MU run.

Missouri trails 57-46, but Noah Carter is down on the floor after suffering an injury to his right leg.

Under 12: Kansas just has full control.

Whatever momentum Missouri had to start the game has vanished. The Tigers are struggling to make plays on both ends, but it doesn’t help that Kansas is very, very good at this sport.

A steal by Ant Robinson led to a breakaway, but KU’s KJ Adams rejected Robinson’s dunk attempt emphatically. Kansas’ three-point play on the other end capped the five-point swing.

Kansas leads 52-36.

Under 16: MU searches for a way back into the game

The Tigers are still down double digits as they look for an opening. Kansas leads 47-34, but the good news is Missouri has attempted its first free throws of the game.

Halftime: Kansas 41, Missouri 29

First Half

It was about as bad of an ending to the first half as Missouri could have had.

The Tigers went absolutely cold as Honor, Vanover and Carter airballed 3-point shots. Kansas found ways to get the ball through the basket and used a 14-0 run to take a commanding lead into the break.

Under 4: Kansas grabs the lead

Kansas has clawed back and taken the lead on a 3-pointer by Elmarko Jackson, and Jackson will have a free throw coming out of the timeout.

Jayhawks lead 30-29.

Under 8: Back and forth we go, but MU leads

Kansas has cut the Missouri lead to three. Tigers still lead 20-17

We’ve gone back and forth. Both teams are trading baskets. The energy is coursing on both sides, and Missouri is not fazed by The Phog.

But, MU’s defense has remained a stellar part of this game.

Under 12: Tigers still lead

Missouri leads 15-6 still, but Kansas hasn’t scored in 2:53 of game time.

Missouri has five team fouls, which is not optimal. The Tigers need to do everything they can to avoid putting the Jayhawks on the line.

TIMEOUT, KANSAS

The Tigers now lead 15-6 and forced a Kansas timeout. Wow.

Defense, which has held KU to 1 of its last 7, has led to offense. Tamar Bates’ 3-pointer forced the 30-second timeout.

Under 16: Missouri leads early on

Missouri has certainly started much better than the last two times it last played Kansas.

A deep three from Honor started the scoring, but the most impressive part is how Missouri’s defense looked tough with its lineup that featured Carter and Shaw defending two taller players.

The Tigers lead 7-4.

Missouri basketball availability: Caleb Grill to miss time

Missouri was already missing depth with Kaleb Brown out for the season with an injury. Now, add guard Caleb Grill to that mix.

Grill will be out indefinitely, per a news release.

“Unfortunately, Caleb suffered an injury to his wrist on his non-shooting hand Sunday after a hard fall,” MU coach Dennis Gates said in a news release. “I’m happy to report that he had a successful surgery earlier this week and is on track for a five-to-seven-week recovery with a chance of returning sooner. As a key piece of our team this season, Caleb will certainly be missed but we look forward to him making a full recovery and contributing to our success during the second half of the season.”

Missouri-Kansas tale of the tape

The Tigers are heading into Allen Fieldhouse with a chance to dismantle their archrival.

It won’t be easy. Kansas barely loses at home.

The No. 2 Jayhawks are undefeated at home this season and are 31-2 at home in the last two seasons combined.

This season, Missouri will need to find a way to cool off KJ Adams and Hunter Dickinson, while making sure DaJuan Harris can’t create offensively.

Match up to watch: Dajuan Harris vs. Nick Honor/Sean East

The Tigers need their most experienced player to step up to the moment.

Honor, who has played in places like Cameron Indoor against Duke and on stages like the NCAA Tournament, has to be that player.

If Harris is allowed to shoot, he can make the open shots. If he’s allowed to distribute, he’ll find the open man. Honor has to stay centered in a hostile environment, and there are plenty of reasons to believe he can.