Kansas players celebrate from the bench after basket during the second half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Missouri Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Columbia, Mo. — With 20 friends and family members in the building with tickets he procured, and a few dozen more who got tickets on their own, Kansas point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. had every reason in the world to make Saturday’s 95-67 win over Missouri all about him.

Playing as a Jayhawk in his hometown for the first time in his life, and with all of that extra attention thrown his way, no one would have blamed him if he wanted to light up the scoreboard and scorch the nets while leading the sixth-ranked Jayahwks to victory.

Instead, he played one of the most Dajuan Harris Jr. type of games there ever was, and the Jayhawks won easily anyway.

“He takes two shots and he’s great,” Self said of Harris, who finished with six points but added nine assists, two steals and two turnovers in 33 minutes. “He had two bad turnovers, but other than that I thought his poise was tremendous. He’s a damn good guard that doesn’t get near the credit for being as good as what he is.”

After spending the week emphasizing his plan to treat the match-up with Mizzou just like any other game, Harris explained how he was able to operate as smooth as ever in Saturday’s wild environment.

“I was just in the national championship game (in front of) 70,000 people,” Harris said of the Jayhawks’ 2022 title game win over North Carolina in April. “I just embraced it and handled my business. That’s it.”

His teammates have seen him do that more than anyone. And they expected more of the same from their floor leader on Saturday. Still, it was important to each one of them to make sure that Harris had the kind of homecoming that any of them would have wanted.

“I know I was out there competing for him every possession,” KU wing Kevin McCullar Jr. said after scoring 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting in 28 minutes. “In a few weeks, I’m going to (my former school) Texas Tech, and I know (these guys are) going to have my back in that. Tonight, we went out and competed for Juan and got it done.”

Added KU sophomore KJ Adams, whose career-high 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting helped set the tone for the run-away win: “Every time we go play at a teammates’ hometown, we always have to show out extra hard for them because they’ve got to go back home in the summer. It’ll be easier for them to go back with their chin high than coming out with an L. It was just good to be here and help Juan because I know this was extra special for him.”

Kansas (9-1) started hot, never really cooled off and sprinted past its Border War rival with equal doses of precision, play-making and intensity.

After missing its first two shots of the game, Kansas made 11 in a row to open up a sizeable lead that never dipped below double digits once the Jayhawks got it there.

“The start of the game, that’s about as good as we’ve played for any stretch,” said Self, who called Saturday’s win “our best game of the season.” “We got good looks, passed it great and handled pressure well. That first 10 minutes, that was pretty good. We were scoring and Jalen really hadn’t gotten involved yet.”

Added freshman guard Gradey Dick, who played a huge role in the win and Kansas’s 24 assists on 35 makes, including 15 of 20 in the first half: “It’s just beautiful basketball. What more can you ask for from any team?”

Wilson made his presence felt by game’s end, leading all scorer with 24 points while recording yet another double-double with 10 rebounds, but the Jayhawks built their lead with him merely doing his job.

Dick (16 points, seven rebounds and five assists) made his first six shots and the Jayhawks attacked the teeth of the Tigers’ defense, which provided little resistance.

Saturday’s clash was the first game at Mizzou Arena since the 2011-12 season, and the home crowd was more than ready for it. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the home crowd could not hop onto the court to help.

Adams scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half and the Jayhawks led 50-33 at halftime. That came after a mini-run by Mizzou cut a Kansas lead from 17 (38-21) to 12 (40-28) late in the first half. The Jayhawks closed the first half by scoring six of the final eight points and then opened the second half with a 7-0 run in the first 1:11 of play.

“(That) was huge,” McCullar said of the start to the second-half. “Coach told us at halftime it was 0-0 and we could either come out and go up seven to 10 points or go down and that was a huge start for us.”

Despite calling timeout to regroup, the Tigers (9-1) never recovered from that blow, and Kansas spent most of the second half running free in transition while playing with a comfortable lead.

Missouri did trim KU’s advantage to 15 (75-60) with another mini-run with just over seven minutes remaining. Like they had done all night, the Jayhawks responded to that with a 17-3 run, the early stretches of which began sending Missouri fans to the exits early.

Saturday’s game had everything fans of both sides would expect from this game, from Missouri’s home crowd relentlessly heckling the Jayhawks from start to finish to the Mizzou Arena public address announcer twice having to announce that fans should refrain from throwing things onto the floor and everything in between.

There was even a Rock Chalk chant from the few Kansas fans in the building in the waning minutes and a 3-pointer by walk-on Michael Jankovich with 35 seconds to play.

“I don’t know if they loved it,” Self joked of the challenge of playing in such a hostile environment. “But I do think they embraced (it). We need to learn to win away from home, and in order to do that you’ve got to put blinders on, you can’t look right, you can’t look left, you’ve got to have a tight huddle and I thought we did a good job of that today.”

As for Harris getting the last laugh in his hometown, it came with the added incentive of playing well enough to make sure the rest of Saturday would be enjoyable, too. After all, Sunday is Harris’ 22nd birthday and rather than staying in Columbia to celebrate with family, his plan all along was to head back to Lawrence, where he would celebrate the win with his teammates.

“Last year, my birthday was on the day we played Mizzou,” Harris said. “So, we’re just going to try to have a good time tonight. I don’t know what we’re going to do, but I just wanted to come here and get a W and then (go) back to Lawrence and enjoy the night.

“We wanted to win this for the fans, too,” he added. “We just played hard for them.”

Kansas’ Kevin McCullar Jr. credits a teammate after a basket during the second half of the team’s NCAA college basketball game against Missouri Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Kansas head coach Bill Self walks in front of his bench during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. Kansas won 95-67. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Missouri’s DeAndre Gholston, right, drives over Kansas’ Kevin McCullar Jr. during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. Kansas won 95-67. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Kansas’ Jalen Wilson, top, laughs as he helps teammate Gradey Dick to his feet during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Kansas’ Jalen Wilson, left, pushes past Missouri’s Nick Honor, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Kansas’ Gradey Dick, left, dribbles past Missouri’s Ronnie DeGray III, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Kansas’ Jalen Wilson, left, passes the ball as he falls past Missouri’s Tre Gomillion, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

The Missouri basketball team is introduced in Mizzou Arena before the start of an NCAA college basketball game against Kansas Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

This is a general view of Mizzou Arena before the start of an NCAA college basketball game against Kansas Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

From left to right, Missouri’s Tre Gomillion, Kobe Brown, DeAndre Gholston and Ronnie DeGray III sit on the bench in the final moment of the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Kansas, Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Kansas players celebrate from the bench after basket during the second half of the team’s NCAA college basketball game against Missouri Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Kansas’ K.J. Adams Jr., right, pulls down a rebound in front of Missouri’s Aidan Shaw, top, as Kansas’ Jalen Wilson, left, watches during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Kansas’ K.J. Adams Jr. dunks during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri, Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. Kansas won 95-67.(AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Kansas’ Gradey Dick, left, dribbles past Missouri’s Ronnie DeGray III, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Kansas’ Jalen Wilson, left, passes the ball as he falls past Missouri’s Tre Gomillion, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Missouri’s Sean East II, right, falls against Kansas’ Dajuan Harris Jr. during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Missouri’s Noah Carter, center, fights his way between Kansas’ K.J. Adams Jr., right, and Jalen Wilson, left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Kansas’ Kevin McCullar Jr., front right, celebrates after a Gradey Dick (4) 3-point basket during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri, Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Missouri’s Tre Gomillion, left, is fouled by Kansas’ Kevin McCullar Jr. during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Kansas head coach Bill Self argues a call during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri, Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

photo by: Shawn Valverde

Dozens of people gathered Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, outside KU’s Spencer Museum of Art, to hear the public apology of two men who stole a native American artwork last year from the museum grounds.

Kansas’ Gradey Dick, right, shoots past Missouri’s Noah Carter, left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Missouri’s DeAndre Gholston, center, is fouled by Kansas’ Gradey Dick, left, as Kansas’ K.J. Adams Jr., right, watches during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)