Larry Brown has had better basketball teams, but he’s seldom had a basketball team play better.
“I’ve never seen a team play up to its potential like this one has the last six games,” the Kansas coach said Thursday. “I have to believe there’s justice, that we’re gonna get a break and win one of these (remaining games).”
After back-to-back losses to Top Ten denizens Duke and Oklahoma, Kansas must face Missouri, a Second Ten team, on Saturday.
Tipoff is 1:10 p.m. at the Hearnes Building in Columbia. It’ll be telecast live on channels 27 and 41 as part of the Big Eight package.
If someone had told Brown before the season that the Jayhawks would be tied with Missouri in conference standings with only three games remaining, he might have smiled for a week.
Kansas and Missouri ARE deadlocked, but they’re both 6-5 and share third place. Missouri has been particularly disappointing because the Tigers are defending league champs and have every starter back except injured guard Lynn Hardy.
“I’m shocked Missouri would have five losses in the conference,” Brown said. “I think they have the potential to be a Final Four team. And just because Colorado beat ’em I’m not gonna change my mind.”
Colorado snapped a six-game losing streak against the Tigers by posting an 87-78 victory in Boulder on Wednesday night. Inability to win on the road – they’re 4-7 away from home – has cost Mizzou dearly.
At the same time, Missouri s 13-0 at home this season and currently owns the league’s longest homecourt win streak at 21. That’s also the fourth longest skein in the country.
If you have good memory, you probably remember the first meeting between Kansas and Missouri this season. It was on Jan. 9 – 49 days ago – and the Jayhawks won, 78-74, in Allen Fieldhouse as Danny Manning scored 28 points and Milt Newton, starting for only the third time since replacing the injured Archie Marshall, added 21.
It’s also noteworthy that Marvin Branch had eight points and grabbed seven rebounds to share the team lead with Manning. Branch was declared ineligible a few days later and hasn’t suited up since.
“We’re not the same team…we don’t have Marvin now,” Brown pointed out. Kansas was 11-1 with the 6-10 Branch; the Jayhawks are 6-7 without him.
The Jayhawks still have Manning, though, and Brown believes “…the last two weeks have been his best two weeks since I’ve been here.”
Every point Manning scores the rest of the way adds to the Big Eight career scoring record he eclipsed during Wednesday night’s 95-87 loss at Oklahoma.
Manning wound up with 30 points against the Sooners.
“I thought he played a great game,” Brown reflected. “he takes 24 shots and he’s fouled once. I think he’s so good he’s invisible. At least that’s what the guys in the striped shirts think about him.”
Starting guard Jeff Gueldner did not play in the OU game after suffering a sprained ankle during Tuesday night’s practice session in Noble Arena. HE’s probably for Missouri.
“I assume with a couple of days rest he’ll be all right,” Brown said about the 6-5 sophomore. “I hope so.”
After Saturday, Kansas has one more road game – at Colorado on Wednesday night – before the home finale a week from Saturday night against Oklahoma State.
