Missouri guard Phil (Flip) Pressey (1) puts up a shot under pressure from Kansas State center Jordan Henriquez (21) during the first half Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012, in Manhattan, Kan.

Jesse Newell: Welcome back to the GameDay Cram Session, as Kansas is taking on Missouri on Saturday night in Columbia, Mo.

Tom, how many different Missouri players could you make an argument for as the Tigers’ MVP?

Tom Keegan: Four:

1. Ultra-quick Phil Pressey is great at getting to the paint to set up teammates for open shots and you have to respect his ability to score.

Missouri guard Phil (Flip) Pressey (1) puts up a shot under pressure from Kansas State center Jordan Henriquez (21) during the first half Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012, in Manhattan, Kan.

He can pull up for mid-range jumpers and is averaging 9.9 points per game. He leads the Big 12 in assists and steals. His ability to force turnovers that create numbers advantages and his ability to penetrate combine to make him the biggest factor in the Tigers leading the Big 12 with a .498 shooting percentage, even though he has the lowest shooting percentage (.394) of anyone in the seven-man rotation.

2. Kim English, a 6-foot-6 senior forward, plays out of position at power forward and in so doing creates defensive mismatches for the opposition more often than he is on the wrong end of a mismatch at the other end of the floor. Opposing power forwards have trouble following him out to the three-point line, where he has a .495 accuracy rate. He’s averaging 14.1 points a game.

3. Ricardo Ratliffe, the 6-foot-8, 240-pound center, averages 14.7 points and 6.3 rebounds. He catches what’s sent his way and doesn’t miss easy shots, leading the conference with a .751 field-goal percentage.

4. Marcus Denmon is in a major shooting slump but remains a hard guard and leads the team with 17.2 points a game.

Missouri's Marcus Denmon (12) shoots over Villanova's James Bell (32) during the second half in the Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011, in New York. Missouri won 81-71.

JN: Though this Missouri team gets the reputation of being a great outside shooting team (and rightfully so), the biggest difference between this year and last year actually has been the Tigers’ two-point shooting.

So far, MU leads the nation with a 56.5 percent two-point percentage. To put that in perspective, no MU team in the last nine years has even shot better than 53 percent from two-point range.

Obviously, Ratliffe has a lot to do with that number, but so do guys like English and Michael Dixon, who have had amazing two-point transformations this year.

Missouri's Michael Dixon, right, celebrates with teammate Kim English during the second against Oklahoma Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won the game 87-48.

English is up to 53 percent from two this year after making 37 percent of his twos last year, while Dixon is at 52 percent this year after making 41 percent a year ago.

A lot of the credit there has to go to MU coach Frank Haith, who has set up an offensive system that plays to the strengths of the guards he has.

Tom, I think almost everyone would agree that it’s a shame such a great rivalry is ending. Does part of you wish Kansas would continue the rivalry, even though Missouri is bolting for the SEC?

photo by: Nick Krug

University of Kansas senior Matt Rissien, Overland Park, dangles a hanging Tiger in front of the Missouri team during warmups at Allen Fieldhouse.

TK: No. That nearly would make Kansas an accomplice to the crime of Missouri turning its back on a great conference. Some day, they might be reunited in a mega-conference. They might face each other in an NCAA Tournament, maybe a bowl game. If so, the rivalry will show it still has fire, but for now, Missouri ended the rivalry. Period.

JN: OK, Tom, what’s your prediction for this game?

TK: Kansas by 2.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Thomas Robinson pulls center Jeff Withey in for a hug after Withey converted a bucket off a foul during the second half on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Mizzou has a lot going for it: The crowd, wanting to win the last rivalry game in Mizzou Arena, a team that shoots better and has a better bench than Kansas. KU has Thomas Robinson going for it and if the guards can get Robinson the ball in the right places, nobody’s going to stop him.

JN: I’ll go the other way and take Missouri by five.

The biggest reason? The last two years, KU has done a horrible job of taking care of the ball at Mizzou Arena.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor pushes the ball to forward Mario Little as he is pressured by Missouri defenders Laurence Bowers and Michael Dixon (11) during the first half on Saturday, March 5, 2011 at Mizzou Arena.

In 2010, KU had 19 turnovers at MU, which tied for the third-most that season. Last year, the Jayhawks had a season-high 24 turnovers in Columbia.

This appears to be a game that could go the same way. Led by Phil Pressey, who is in the top 25 nationally in steal rate, the Tigers force turnovers on 24 percent of their defensive possessions, which ranks 37th nationally.

Missouri also has been great at turning steals into points in transition.

In a crazy environment against quick defenders, it seems likely that the Jayhawks could once again have one of their worst turnover games in Mizzou Arena. If that happens against this year’s talented MU team, KU won’t give itself much of a shot to outscore the Tigers’ powerful offense.

All right, Tom, who’s your Hawk to Rock?

TK: Robinson, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Travis Releford ends up being the player of the game.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Thomas Robinson soars in for a dunk against the Oklahoma defense during the second half on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Releford will play down low some and the closer he is to the basket, the more dangerous he becomes.

JN: I’m going with Kevin Young.

photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas forward Kevin Young flashes a smile after taking a charge against an Ohio State player during the first half Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse.

The last time KU played a top-five opponent and needed to play small, it received a huge boost from Young, who posted 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting against Ohio State. In that game, Young also helped the Jayhawks defensively against an undersized four-man in Deshaun Thomas, as Young was quick enough to get out to him on the perimeter to prevent three-point shots.

It will be interesting to follow the matchups in this one, but if KU does want to play small, Young seems like he’d be one of the best options to guard English. If Robinson has difficulties chasing English down (or gets in foul trouble), I think we’ll see Young get an extended chance to show what he can do.

Predictions tally (through 22 games)
Tom: 17-5 record, 226 points off (10.3 points off/game)
Jesse: 20-2 record, 198 points off (9 points off/game)

Hawk to Rock

Tom Keegan
Towson: Tyshawn Taylor (4th in Keegan ratings)
Kentucky: Tyshawn Taylor (1st in Keegan ratings)
Georgetown: Elijah Johnson (4th in Keegan ratings)
UCLA: Tyshawn Taylor (2nd in Keegan ratings)
Duke: Elijah Johnson (4th in Keegan ratings)
FAU: Jeff Withey (4th in Keegan ratings)
South Florida: Tyshawn Taylor (1st in Keegan ratings)
Long Beach State: Elijah Johnson (7th in Keegan ratings)
Ohio State: Thomas Robinson (2nd in Keegan ratings)
Davidson: Thomas Robinson (1st in Keegan ratings)
USC: Jeff Withey (4th in Keegan ratings)
Howard: Kevin Young (4th in Keegan ratings)
North Dakota: Elijah Johnson (3rd in Keegan ratings)
Kansas State: Tyshawn Taylor (5th in Keegan ratings)
Oklahoma: Tyshawn Taylor (4th in Keegan ratings)
Texas Tech: Thomas Robinson (1st in Keegan ratings)
Iowa State: Elijah Johnson (4th in Keegan ratings)
Baylor: Thomas Robinson (1st in Keegan ratings)
Texas: Thomas Robinson (3rd in Keegan ratings)
Texas A&M: Thomas Robinson (3rd in Keegan ratings)
Iowa State: Tyshawn Taylor (1st in Keegan ratings)
Oklahoma: Thomas Robinson (1st in Keegan ratings)
Average: 2.9th in Keegan ratings

Jesse Newell
Towson: Conner Teahan (6th in Keegan ratings)
Kentucky: Elijah Johnson (4th in Keegan ratings)
Georgetown: Kevin Young (9th in Keegan ratings)
UCLA: Elijah Johnson (1st in Keegan ratings)
Duke: Thomas Robinson (1st in Keegan ratings)
FAU: Tyshawn Taylor (7th in Keegan ratings)
South Florida: Elijah Johnson (6th in Keegan ratings)
Long Beach State: Thomas Robinson (1st in Keegan ratings)
Ohio State: Travis Releford (5th in Keegan ratings)
Davidson: Jeff Withey (5th in Keegan ratings)
USC: Elijah Johnson (1st in Keegan ratings)
Howard: Tyshawn Taylor (1st in Keegan ratings)
North Dakota: Conner Teahan (5th in Keegan ratings)
Kansas State: Travis Releford (1st in Keegan ratings)
Oklahoma: Elijah Johnson (3rd in Keegan ratings)
Texas Tech: Travis Releford (2nd in Keegan ratings
Iowa State: Thomas Robinson (3rd in Keegan ratings)
Baylor: Kevin Young (9th in Keegan ratings)
Texas: Travis Releford (5th in Keegan ratings)
Texas A&M: Tyshawn Taylor (1st in Keegan ratings)
Iowa State: Jeff Withey (3rd in Keegan ratings)
Oklahoma: Conner Teahan (6th in Keegan ratings)
Average: 3.9th in Keegan ratings