Columbia, Mo. ? Nicollette Smith remembers Kansas University’s last basketball trip to Missouri and hopes the memory serves as incentive.

“We were flat,” said Smith, a KU sophomore forward. “It’s the Border Showdown, and we didn’t have that intensity last year.”

The Jayhawks displayed plenty of intensity three weeks ago when they thumped the Tigers, 73-58, in Allen Fieldhouse, but not so much in last year’s 62-59 loss in Columbia.

“We’ve got to come to play,” said Danielle McCray, KU’s leading scorer at 19.6 points a game. “We’ve got to play good the whole game.”

Tipoff will be at 1 p.m. today in the Mizzou Arena. Fox Sports Kansas City (Sunflower Broadband channel 36) will carry a live telecast.

Missouri, struggling with a 10-11 overall record, is placing heavy emphasis on today’s meeting with its natural geographic rival by offering a Pack the Zou promotion and selling all tickets for just $1 apiece.

Both teams are coming off strong showings.

Wednesday, when the Jayhawks clipped Colorado, 59-50, in Allen Fieldhouse, the Tigers came close to stunning Kansas State in Manhattan, bowing 58-54, after leading by one point with just 19 seconds remaining.

Missouri wasn’t nearly that competitive three weeks ago in Lawrence. KU shot 58 percent from the floor and made 24 of 29 free throws in that 73-58 victory.

“We’ve just got to play the same way we did here at their place,” KU junior Sade Morris said.

In that first meeting, Morris tied her career high with 20 points, including going 8-for-8 at the free-throw line.

Today begins a rugged four-game stretch for the Jayhawks (13-7), with three on the road and a home game against Oklahoma, the No. 2-ranked team in the country.