I bet you think this fanpost is about Sutton, don't you?

Nope.

I am talking about Laurence Bowers.

Tonight the rest of his class will be saluted at Mizzou Arena. The class he came in with (except for JUCO transfers Ratliffe and M. Pressey). The class he spent three years playing with, practicing with, sweating with, winning with, and losing with.

When the news came out he tore his ACL, I, like many Mizzou fans, figured this season's expectations dramatically dropped. That this team has exceeded those pre-injury expectations has made this season one of the most fun and exciting Mizzou basketball seasons ever. And it's not over yet. The Tigers have the opportunity for a high seed in the tournament and a legit shot at a Final Four and Championship run.

This has to be killing Laurence Bowers a bit on the inside. I'm sure he's just as happy and excited for the team (if not more so) than the rest of us. But to be a player for three years with these guys and have to sit on the bench in a suit... damn that has to hurt knowing he could contribute to this.

We'll never know if this team would be as good with him on the floor. Whether he and Ratliffe would get in each other's way, whether Flip would have more assists throwing alley oop dunks behind defenses.

He is a senior, and even though he doesn't get this year to play, I think we should salute his hard work the past four years as well and wish him luck on his rehab. He'll be back next year, and I hope that team is just as exciting and fun to watch as this one.