KU and Mizzou tip off March Madness
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Photos from Mizzou and KU games. Photos: Johnnie Izquierdo and Ben Solomon/Getty Images
Kansas and Missouri open NCAA Tournament play Friday with different seeds and the same reality: trying to come back from shaky seasons.
The big picture: March Madness is single-elimination, so the same issues that showed up in February now determine who stays and who goes.
State of play: Both teams made the field, but neither enters on a firm footing.
- No. 4 University of Kansas (23-10) faces No. 13 Cal Baptist (25-8) on Friday night in San Diego.
- No. 10 University of Missouri, Mizzou (20-12), plays No. 7 Miami (25-8) in St. Louis, a short trip for fans.
Kansas' offense
The Jayhawks rank among the nation's top defenses, led by Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Flory Bidunga.
- Their offense has, so far, been less impressive, scoring fewer than 70 points in five of their last seven games, including a 69-47 loss to Houston in the Big 12 Tournament.
- Freshman Darryn Peterson, who missed time earlier in the season, has played in recent games and leads the team in scoring.
Missouri's performance
The Tigers enter the tournament after three consecutive losses.
- Mark Mitchell leads the team in scoring, with much of Mizzou's offense coming inside the arc.
- Turnovers and free-throw shooting have affected outcomes in several games.
- Mizzou opens in St. Louis, about 2 hours from campus, giving local fans a chance to rally behind their team from the start.
What they're saying: "I like where we're going, and I actually like that it's on Friday … we could use some practice time," KU coach Bill Self said after the bracket was announced.
How to watch: KU plays Cal Baptist at 8:45pm on Friday on CBS.
- Mizzou starts against Miami shortly after, at 9:10pm on TruTV.
- Both games can also be streamed on NCAA March Madness Live, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV.
What's next: If KU wins, it will face the winner of No. 5 St. John's and No. 12 Northern Iowa on Sunday, while a Mizzou win would set up a Sunday matchup with either No. 2 Purdue or No. 15 Queens.