Mizzou Links, 3-23-09

Mizzou makes the Sweet Sixteen...Mark Ellis wins a national title...Mizzou Baseball takes a series from #3 ATM...you know what I'd call this?  A pretty damn good weekend...

Mizzou-Marquette links!

• Mutigers.com: Missouri holds off Marquette, advances to Sweet Sixteen
• The Trib: Mizzou beats Marquette 83-79
• KC Star: Mizzou fights off Marquette, reaches Sweet 16
• KC Star: Missouri notebook
• Post-Dispatch: MU lets English have final word in win
• Post-Dispatch (Burwell): MU fans get a look at future
• Post-Dispatch (Gordon): Sweet (16)!  Mizzou marches on
• Post-Dispatch: Missouri's substitution of free-throw shooter was legal (um, yeah, we know, Vahe...but thanks)
• The Missourian: Freshman Kim English's free throws lead Tigers to Sweet Sixteen
• The Missourian: Taylor, Tigers stay calm under pressure

  After leading by 16 points in the first half, the Tigers were facing the end of their season. A couple players collapsed to a knee in exhaustion. Senior forward Leo Lyons said he was shocked to be behind.
  

  Junior point guard Zaire Taylor smiled.

  "This ain't nothing. We've been here before," Taylor told his teammates.

  Literally, it wasn't true. None of the Missouri players who appeared in Sunday's game have played in the NCAA Tournament before. But Taylor's teammates understood his message perfectly.

• PowerMizzou: English finishes what he started
• PowerMizzou: English one-on-one (audio)
• PowerMizzou: Powered Up: A Team of Destiny
• The Maneater: MU headed to Sweet Sixteen

Stay classy, Marquette fans (and players, and bald testicle coaches).

Never before in the history of the NCAA Tournament have people been so angry about a coach putting in a lesser free-throw shooter. But they were angry, furious, enraged. Those Marquette fans leaned over the railing after the game ended, and they waved their fists, and they screamed at Missouri coach Mike Anderson.

“Great job representing your school!” they shouted.

“You have no integrity!” they shouted.

“I hope you sleep well tonight!” they shouted.

“You’re a disgrace,” they shouted.

...

“That’s one of the technicalities of the game,” McNeal would say later. “If you are somewhat hurt or faking being hurt or whatever it is, you can lie on the ground and then your trainer can come out and basically you can get a sub for him.”

Well, no, that’s not an official reading of the rule, but it’s close enough. Tiller certainly looked to be hurt. He said his wrist had gone numb. And so Mike Anderson at that point was allowed to go to the bench and find someone else to shoot the free throws.

Photo Galleries!

• The Missourian
• KC Star
• Post-Dispatch

Trying to get tickets to University of Phoenix Stadium?  Mutigers.com wants to help...

Mizzou's 30th win of the season = money for Mike Anderson.

Mark Ellis is a National Champion links!

• Mutigers.com: Mark Ellis crowned NCAA Champion (Tigers earn third Top 10 finish)
• The Trib: Biggest, baddest ... best
• The Missourian: Missouri wrester Ellis wins national title
• The Missourian: Missouri wrestling program has five All-Americans
• The Maneater: Ellis wins national championship
• The Maneater: weekend live blog

Mizzou Baseball links!  After coming oh so close to taking a series from #1 Texas last weekend in Austin, Mizzou came oh so close to a sweep of #3 ATM at Taylor Stadium this weekend.  They rode Kyle Gibson to victory on Friday and tagged ATM early on Saturday for a 5-2 win, but they missed out on the sweep on Sunday by tying ATM, 5-5, in the 8th but giving up a run in the 9th for a 6-5 loss.  They're now 3-3 in conference and 10-10 overall, but that's not bad considering a) they started 1-7 overall and b) they've already played the two best teams in the conference.  Hopefully two midweek games against UI-Chicago will get them to 12-10 and from there they'll never be at .500 again.

• PowerMizzou (Friday): Gibson does it again
• The Trib (Saturday): Staff infection
• The Missourian (Saturday): Mach stands out in Tigers' victory
• PowerMizzou (Saturday): Tigers jump on Aggies early
• The Missourian (Sunday): MU baseball loses to Texas A&M on awkward play
• PowerMizzou (Sunday): Tigers suffer tough loss

Mizzou Softball links!  The bats eventually came alive this weekend in a 2-game series against Texas in Columbia.  Tied 1-1 in the 10th inning (after Mizzou blew numerous scoring opportunities) in game one, Texas broke the game open against Stacy Delaney and ended up winning 6-2, but Mizzou exploded for 11 runs in game two, and freshman Kristin Nottelmann stayed undefeated after an 11-6 win and series split.

• The Trib: Missouri can't come through in clutch
• The Missourian: Missouri softball blows by Texas