Mizzou Links, 1-18-12

Mizzou Basketball Links

• It Has Been An Odd 12 Months
  The Trib: Seamless transition for Tigers

  The Aggies (10-7, 1-4) are looking like one of the nation’s biggest disappointments, although they have some legitimate excuses, including Kennedy’s life-altering diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, which kept him away from the team for much of the preseason. A knee injury to top player Khris Middleton, which has limited his explosiveness, hasn’t helped either. Mostly, though, this is just the gear-grinding that often happens when a new staff tries to shape holdover players.

  The surprise is when the transition is seamless, as it has been at Missouri. [...]

  Yesterday, Texas A&M was doing everything right defensively in the first half, controlling the tempo and all that stuff you do when you can’t score points yourself. Then, the Aggies were suckered into six minutes in Dixon’s fast-forward world. Missouri outscored Texas A&M 28-2 during that span.

  There are things you can overcome in a basketball game, but a 28-2 run is not one of them.

  At any given time, the Tigers are capable of that. Even the games where they don’t play consistently well, those spurts create separation. And the winning continues.

  This is a transition year?

• Points
  The Missourian: Missouri enjoys luxury of two top point guards
• Denmon
  MUtigers.com: Marcus Denmon Named Wooden Award Finalist
• Tickets
  MUtigers.com: Mizzou Hoops vs. Texas Tech Tickets Available
  

Other Basketball Links

• OU > Tech
  Daily Oklahoman: OU men top Texas Tech 64-55
  

Mizzou Football Links

• Of Course He Did
  The Missourian: James Franklin helped 9-year-old Columbia girl with NFL Punt, Pass and Kick competition

  Eryn's throws and kicks were long enough, but scoring is based on distance and accuracy. Franklin gave her tips on how to improve her accuracy, like not stutter stepping when she kicked off the tee.

  Franklin, who attends East Side Church of Christ with the Puetts, was one of several coaches and players Eryn's father, Don Puett, who has never played organized football, called on for advice.

• All-Star Games
  MUtigers.com: Michael Egnew to Play in Senior Bowl
  The Trib (Dave Matter): Egnew latest former Tiger invited to all-star game
  We Are Mizzou: Jerrell Jackson plays in All-Star Game
• NFL
  SI.com: Justin Smith's toughness represents gritty, surprising 49ers defense
  We Are Mizzou: Tigers in the NFL

SEC

• Post-Dispatch: Arkansas might be MU's SEC crossover rival

  But with six division games, having a cross-divisional rival means schools from different divisions might not see each other for more than a decade in football.

  "That is a huge question that has not been answered. … It will be an interesting debate," said Templeton, adding, "I think anything else is on the table for discussion. We're going to have to make some tough decisions. Are we going to stay with the permanent opponent, and then (if so) how are we going to rotate that one other game?"

  For that matter, even the "permanent" opponent could change: Templeton said Mizzou and Arkansas is "on the table" as a crossover game. It's also conceivable, albeit improbable, that divisional alignments could change. [...]

  As for the more broad view, Templeton said 10-12 members of MU's transition team will meet with the SEC in Birmingham next week to talk about everything from SEC compliance to how its digital media rights work to student seating and crowd control matters.

• Daily Oklahoman: Realignment has thrown a wrench in the Big 12 football schedule

Other Mizzou Links

• Mizzou Wrestling
  Big 12 Sports: Missouri's Waters Secures Second Big 12 Wrestler Award
  MUtigers.com: Waters Earns Second Wrestler of the Week Honor
• Mizzou Baseball
  MUtigers.com: Aaron Crow to Speak at First Pitch Dinner
  SimmonsField.com: 2012 Baseball Roster
  SimmonsField.com: MU in the Majors: Max Scherzer's Deal
  SimmonsField.com: 2012 Tickets
• Mizzou Track & Field
  MUtigers.com: Pennix Named Big 12 Athlete of the Week
• Mizzou Gymnastics
  MUtigers.com: Two Tigers Earn Conference Honors
• Mizzou Women's Basketball
  The Trib: The eternal underdogs
  The Missourian: Missouri guard Bailey Gee uses music to help manage stress
  

Other

• Videogum: The Supercut Game Just Changed