It was a game that had everything advertised. The crowd in Columbia was at a fever pitch and the game came down to the last shot. Unfortunately for Kansas, the last shot was theirs trying to tie the game and it fell short.
The Big 12 now has a log jam at the top. Baylor, Missouri and Kansas are all tied at 8-2 for the conference lead.
Travis Releford sank further into scoring obscurity, Thomas Robinson came to life in the second half, Tyshawn Taylor brought his "A" game and Jeff Withey was nowhere to be found. The bench contributed only 9 points, but Withey was nowhere to be found on the stat sheet. He scored zero points on 1 shot. No Kansas team is going to win in the last game in Columbia for a long time when their entrusted big man can't score a point.
Pair that with a lack of free throw shooting at the end by Kansas, and you have a disappointing loss for the KU nation. Marcus Denmon came to life after a shooting slump of late to score 29 points and hit the go ahead 3-pointer in the closing minute of the game. Taylor and Robinson each had chances at the free throw line to tie or take the lead, but each missed key attempts, allowing Missouri to keep the lead.
Missouri and Kansas traded the lead and tied the game several times throughout the night. Missouri would not be denied by going on an 11-0 run to end the game and win by 3.
The onus is now on Kansas to win games to close out the Big 12 in order to win the conference. Robinson found his offensive game and Taylor continued his team leading performances, but with this loss with a win so close at hand, Kansas has made winning the conference 10 times more difficult.
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