Mizzou Links, 2-10-09

Wow, did 5am come quickly this morning...oy...

Oh, and I knew that ESPN would overdo the A-Rod story, but I must say I was still thrown to turn on the TV in the second segment of SportsCenter and see the entire docket on the righthand side of the screen be all A-Rod (presumably after the first segment was all A-Rod).  You don't have to outdo yourself, Worldwide Leader.

So There Was a Relatively Entertaining Basketball Game On Last Night links!  (All other links can wait till tomorrow.)

• Mutigers.com: Taylor's Jumper Sinks Kansas, 62-60
• Mutigers.com: official box score (you can be DAMN sure I'll be doing a "1st half vs 2nd half" comparison in my stat post later today)
• KUathletics.com: Kansas falls for first time in conference play at Missouri
• The Maneater (I think I know the author!): Sixth man helps will Tigers to win

  “The crowd was absolutely unbelievable,” [Mike] Kelly said. “This was the best that Mizzou Arena has ever been in terms of not only the volume, but the intensity and the way the crowd was ‘with it’ really for almost the entire game.”

  During his tenure as Missouri’s radio voice, Kelly has developed of a formula of what Missouri teams must do to earn the respect of the fans.

  “They want their teams, no matter what sport it is, to play as hard on the court as they have to work each and every day to earn the right to be there as fans,” Kelly said. “This team has earned that blue-collar type of respect that fans want to see.”

• KC Star: Taylor's shot in final seconds gives MU a win over KU
  
• KC Star: The basketball Border War is back (I love it when Posnanski writes about Mizzou)
  

  And the last few minutes were extraordinary — not because they were well-played (they were at times, weren’t at others) but because it’s just so much fun to see college kids play basketball that hard with the arena hot and loud and alive. Missouri’s defense attacked. Kansas worked free for open shots. Fouls. Turnovers. Jump balls. Everyone dived on the floor. It was beautiful.

  And nerve-racking.
  
  ...

  “Does this mean the Missouri-Kansas basketball rivalry is back?” someone asked Tigers star DeMarre Carroll. He had a blank look on his face.

  “I would assume so,” he said.

• KC Star: Border War notebook
  
• The Trib: Victory is what Anderson envisioned
• The Missourian: Carroll helps Tigers rally to beat Kansas
• The Missourian: Taylor and Tiller spur Missouri's comeback
• PowerMizzou: Tiller, Taylor lead the Tigers
• Post-Dispatch: Missouri beats Kansas on last-second shot
• Post Dispatch (Bryan Burwell): Missouri has one of those games it always wanted
• KC Star: photo gallery
  
• The Trib: photo gallery
• Post-Dispatch: photo gallery