It’s in July, it’s in Wichita and the players are just a bit older, to put it generously. Ultimately, it’s still Kansas vs. Missouri.
The top-seeded Mass Street and No. 4 Show Me Squad alumni teams, after surviving scares Wednesday night against lower-seeded foes (a much larger scare in Mass Street’s case), will meet in the second round of The Basketball Tournament in Wichita Saturday afternoon in a rather unconventional re-creation of the Border Showdown.
Mass Street needed to rally from several 12-point deficits to beat a squad composed of Division III players, 70-67; Show Me led by a whopping 20 points in the fourth quarter against Vegas Rebellion but saw the margin shrink as low as 2 in the Elam Ending before Erick Neal closed out the game on a pull-up free-throw-line jumper for a 96-90 victory.
The sheer offensive firepower of Show Me, which had Neal, recent MU product and fellow guard Isiaih Mosley, and center Jontay Porter all over 20 points, will be tough for Mass Street to contend with. The KU alumni gave up plenty of open looks beyond the perimeter to D3 Wednesday night, particularly in transition, and will now face a team that just went 15-for-33 from beyond the arc.
Show Me Squad’s Erick Neal fires from long range during a game at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita on July 19, 2023.
Show Me Squad’s Jontay Porter takes a shot inside against Vegas Rebellion during a game at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita on July 19, 2023.
Porter’s presence in the paint might be even more of a concern. He and Thomas Robinson each put up 21-point, 15-rebound double-doubles Wednesday, but part of why Robinson was able to thrive — particularly as he scored Mass Street’s three final baskets in close during the Elam Ending — was D3’s lack of height and physicality inside. Now the 6-foot-9 Robinson will face off against the 6-foot-11 Porter, a recent NBA G League player and the younger brother of Michael Porter Jr.
The key for Mass Street might be to get its guards more involved early, in order to establish an offensive rhythm that could persist throughout the game. The guard group headlined by Keith Langford, Lagerald Vick and La Salle alumnus Rodney Green combined for 6 points in the first half, as Mass Street racked up more than twice as many turnovers, before, of course, Langford changed his shoes at halftime and eventually got things going.
Mass Street’s Keith Langford fires over We Are D3’s Marcus Azor during a game at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita on July 19, 2023.
Mass Street’s Keith Langford fights for space between a pair of We Are D3 defenders during the game against We Are D3 at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita on July 19, 2023.
The potential return of Tyshawn Taylor could smooth things out somewhat. Taylor, a multi-year, multi-squad TBT veteran who helped organize and recruit players for this year’s team, was questionable for Wednesday night’s game and ultimately sat out. Head coach Marcus Morris suggested he might have a chance to return Saturday with a few days’ recovery — with those extra days also providing more time in practice for the team to sharpen its offensive sets, which were at times quite dull Wednesday.
Mass Street isn’t exactly brimming with shooters, but with Taylor (or Mario Chalmers, who is also on the roster but did not play Wednesday) at the point, it could generate more frequent and higher-quality opportunities for someone like Vick, who went just 1-for-6 in 31 minutes against D3. Whatever the case, Mass Street needs to shoot better and more frequently from beyond the arc to keep up with Show Me. Show Me made more 3-pointers than Mass Street even attempted Wednesday.
Mass Street’s Lagerald Vick looks to connect from the corner during a game at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita on July 19, 2023.
One pleasant surprise for Mass Street was the strong, multifaceted offensive play of Mario Little, a guard by trade and a peripheral player most of his KU career, who started at small forward Wednesday. Showing off the skills developed during a 13-year overseas career, he finished just behind Robinson with 17 points. Show Me may key on him a bit more than they would have otherwise.
Mass Street should know exactly whom to focus on when it comes to Show Me’s roster, because Show Me gave just five cumulative minutes to players below its top six. (Mass Street, by contrast, had eight players on the court for at least 13 minutes each.) Mass Street did show an ability to draw contact and fouls in the paint — even if it didn’t get quite as many foul calls as it would have liked — and getting someone like Porter or 6-foot-10 Tony Criswell into foul trouble could throw off the MU alumni’s rhythm, disrupt their strategy and clear space for Robinson again.
Mass Street will be back at Koch Arena Saturday; in the meantime, the team is holding a meet and greet at Chicken N Pickle in Wichita Saturday night.
Mass Street head coach Marcus Morris looks on during a game at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita on July 19, 2023.
Mass Street’s Thomas Robinson backs down We Are D3’s Adam Fravert during a game at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita on July 19, 2023.
Mass Street’s Kevin Young looks for space during the game against We Are D3 at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita on July 19, 2023.
The full Mass Street squad poses for a photo at Charles Koch Arena on July 19, 2023.