Missouri vs. Kansas, Picks and Prediction for Sunday, December 7, 2025
Use Code WWWC It’s the latest edition of the Border War on the hardwood, and it brings a non-conference tilt between the SEC and the Big 12 as the Missouri Tigers take on the #21 Kansas Jayhawks Sunday afternoon in the Sunflower State and we have you covered with our Missouri vs. Kansas prediction. Missouri comes in off a 76-71 road loss to Notre Dame Tuesday night in their previous contest, failing to cover the line as a one-point underdog. Kansas fell 61-56 to #5 UConn at home Tuesday, failing to cover the line as a 2.5-point underdog. In the all-time series between the teams, the Jayhawks own a 175-96 advantage, but the Tigers earned a 76-67 home win in the most recent matchup on December 8, 2024. Read more about this Missouri vs. Kansas prediction! Struggling with handicapping? Try our NCAAB Predictions!
Missouri Looking to Pick Up Big Road Win
Missouri had won eight straight games to start the season, but ended up falling short on the road against Notre Dame Tuesday night in their previous contest. The Tigers dropped to 8-1 overall and look to get back in the win column on the road here. Against Notre Dame, Missouri trailed by as many as six in the opening half and led by as many as 12 before seeing their lead trimmed to seven at intermission. The Tigers gave up a 20-6 run to start the second half to trail 53-46 with 12:04 remaining, scored 11 straight to go up 57-53 with 8:28 remaining, and the score was tied at 69 in the final minute. Missouri gave up the go-ahead three-point bucket with 17 seconds to play and didn’t get closer than that the rest of the way. The Tigers shot 44.4% from the field, including six of 21 from three-point range, but went just 17 of 25 at the free throw line in the contest. Mark Mitchell paced Missouri with 26 points and five rebounds in the loss.
The Tigers are 22nd in the nation in scoring offense with 90.4 points per game on the year. Missouri is 68th in rebounding by collecting 40.3 boards a night, while the team dishes out 16.2 assists (104th) per contest. The Tigers are 97th in the nation in scoring defense by allowing 69 points per game. Jacob Crews is one of four players averaging in double figures for the Tigers with an average of 14.2 points per game on the year. Mark Mitchell (18.1 points, 6.1 boards, 3.2 assists), Jayden Stone (13.3 points) and Anthony Robinson II (10.1 points) are solid secondary scoring options. Sebastian Mack, Shawn Phillips Jr., Jevon Porter, Annor Boateng, T.O. Barrett, Luke Northweather and Nicholas Randall are all important pieces for Missouri. The Tigers are shooting 54.4% from the field as a team this season, which is 2nd in the nation. Missouri knocks down an average of 8.2 triples a night while shooting 37.9% from beyond the arc, putting them 37th in the country. The Tigers are below average at the charity stripe, cashing in 69.6% of their attempts this season, which is 242nd in Division I.
Key Injury Report for Missouri:
- Guard Jayden Stone (hand) is out.
Jayhawks Seeking to Rebound at Home
Kansas dropped to 1-3 against ranked teams this season as they wilted in the second half at home against #5 UConn Tuesday night. The Wildcats fell to 6-3 overall on the year and try to bounce back here at home. Against UConn, Kansas led by as many as eight in the first half and by four at intermission before fading in crunch time. The Jayhawks led by seven with 15 minutes to go but saw UConn take the lead for good at 45-44 with 10:47 remaining and couldn’t regroup. Kansas was limited to 35.3% shooting from the field, including five of 18 from beyond the arc, and lost the battle of the boards by a 38-32 margin. Melvin Council Jr. led the Jayhawks with 12 points in the loss.
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The Jayhawks are averaging 74 points per game this season, putting them 264th in the nation in scoring offense. Kansas collects 38.9 rebounds per contest and dishes out 14.3 assists a night, which is 192nd in the nation. The Jayhawks are 18th in scoring defense as they allow 64.1 points per contest this season. Darryn Peterson is leading the team with 21.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game this season. He's missed seven straight games due to a hamstring injury, but is expected to return for this game.
Flory Bidunga (15.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.6 blocks) and Tre White (13.7 points, 6.4 rebounds) are capable secondary scoring options. Melvin Council Jr. (10.9 points, five assists), Bryson Tiller, Kohl Rosario, Elmarko Jackson, Nginyu Ngala, Jamari McDowell and Jayden Dawson all have to contribute on the offensive end of the floor. The Jayhawks shoot 46.1% from the field as a team this season, putting them 152nd in the country. Kansas knocks down 6.9 three-pointers a night while sinking 33% from beyond the arc, putting them 217th in the country. The Jayhawks are above average at the free-throw line as they convert at a 75.9% rate so far this season, putting them 55th in Division I.
Key Injury Report for Kansas:
- No Key Injuries
Missouri vs. Kansas Pick
Missouri vs. Kansas Spread Pick
- Kansas -5.5 (4 units)
Missouri has the prettier record heading into this contest, but the ledger makes one pause before anointing them the better team. The Tigers have five wins over teams ranked 300th or worse in the KenPom rankings compared to zero wins over teams ranked in the top 100. Their best win was an 83-60 win at home over a Minnesota team ranked 110th in the KenPom rankings. Kansas has three losses, but they came to teams currently ranked sixth (UConn), fourth (Duke,) and 27th (North Carolina) in the KenPom rankings. The Jayhawks own three wins over teams in the top 65 of the rankings. Kansas gets a big boost here as Peterson is expected to return to the lineup after missing the last six games. That boost helps the Jayhawks come up with the victory here.
Missouri vs. Kansas Over/Under Pick
- Under 149.5 (4 units)
Missouri has gone over the total in five of their nine games this season. The Tigers are 25th in offensive efficiency, 5th in effective field goal percentage (61.4%), 259th in turnover percentage (19%), and 8th in two-point shooting (63.9%) on the year. Missouri is a team that likes a faster pace, as they are 146th in adjusted tempo according to KenPom with 69.4 possessions a night. Kansas has stayed under the number in seven of their nine games that had a posted total heading into this game. The Jayhawks enter this game 59th in the nation in offensive efficiency, 134th in effective field goal percentage (52.3%), 161st in two-point shooting (54%), and they stand 115th in the nation by assisting on 55.8% of their field goals this season. Kansas is 10th in defensive efficiency, 11th in effective field goal percentage defense (43.3%) and 112th in two-point field goal percentage defense (48%) on the season. The Jayhawks are 236th in the nation in tempo as they average 67.5 possessions per game according to KenPom. Kansas’ defense slows down Missouri’s offense enough to keep this game under the total.
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