Kansas Floors Missouri to Avenge Its Only Loss

No. 1-ranked Kansas avenged its only loss in a bruising 79-67 Big 12 Conference victory over Missouri on Monday night at Lawrence, Kan.

Tempers flared with 31 seconds to go when Missouri’s Derek Grimm hit Kansas’ Raef LaFrentz in the face with a forearm, knocking him to the floor. Officials separated the players before any punches were thrown and Grimm was called for a technical foul.

Grimm had trouble guarding LaFrentz, who made nine of 11 shots and matched a career high with 31 points--his eighth consecutive game of 20 or more. Grimm, who had 20 points in Missouri’s double-overtime victory over Kansas--then the nation’s last unbeaten Division I team--on Feb. 4 at Columbia, Mo., missed eight of 12 shots and had 10 points.

“It was a very physical game, and that’s the kind of game you expect from Missouri,” said LaFrentz. “Sometimes their hard-nosed play might cross the line. But you have to take that, too.”

Kansas, 26-1 and 12-1 in the Big 12, won its 43rd consecutive home game--the longest streak in Division I. Missouri (13-13, 5-8) is also the last team to defeat Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse.

No. 15 Louisville 75, South Florida 64--The Cardinals (20-5, 7-3) scored 24 points off 21 turnovers by the Bulls (7-15, 1-9) and used a 15-1 run midway in the second half to pull away in the Conference USA game at Louisville, Ky.

College Basketball Notes

Injured Kentucky basketball player Derek Anderson was arrested Monday on traffic charges in Jeffersontown, Ky. Anderson was arrested about 4 a.m. by Jeffersontown police and charged with running two red lights and driving with a suspended license. Anderson pleaded innocent and is due back in court March 12. Anderson, a 6-foot-5 senior guard and Kentucky’s leading scorer, has been sidelined since having reconstructive surgery on a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Jan. 22. . . . Mercer Coach Bill Hodges announced he is resigning effective Saturday. Mercer is 3-20 and 62-104 in six seasons under Hodges, who was the coach of the Larry Bird-led Indiana State team that lost in the 1979 NCAA championship game to Magic Johnson-led Michigan State.